REPORT #98 August 1999
CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN BELIZE IS CONVERTING TO ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATIONAL TRAINING


Produced by the Belize Development Trust

In a recent e-mail I received from Dr. Eve Aird from UCB, she sent me the following message about the new tack and direction of college education being innaugurated by Sacred Heart Junior College of Belize City, the old port and ancient capital of colonial days.

From Dr. Eve Aird in Belize, Central America. ( August 28, 1999)

"Incidentally, Ray ... I think you would be interested to know that the Sacred Heart Junior College was innaugurated on Monday evening. This is a junior college with big differences ... first, it occupies the same facilities as the high school, with classes running between 4-10 p.m.. .... And it's Associate Degree programs include computer technology (training people to repair computers), computer network administration, environmental science, tourism management, marketing, international business ... and plans are underway to introduce next year the following: furniture manufacturing, interior design, surveying and eco- archaelogy. The college has 124 first year students signed up ... For several years, parents in the surrounding area served by Sacred Heart College have been clamouring for this college to be opened."
The Belize Development Trust, of which I am the Trustee, has sponsored a continous series of reports for developing the country of Belize. Among these are many that were critical of colonial style education. Examples are given for more entrepreneurial changes needed to prepare young people for actual living conditions in a frontier style pioneer society among the jungles of Central America. In the last two or three years, the changes and direction of education in the country of Belize has been dramatic. There is still a long road to go, but there is now "the will" to make the necessary changes, for education to become of use to the nation of Belize and it's future citizens.

You may look up these reports on the Belize Resource and Development Digital Library at: https://ambergriscaye.com/BzLibrary and peruse those reports on development of Belize and education. There are nearly a 100 reports available on different subjects. A good many on educational recommended changes, put forth for local debate over the past years.

Back to Main Belize Development Trust Page

Maintained by Ray Auxillou, Silvia Pinzon, MLS, and Marty Casado. Please email with suggestions or additions for this Electronic Library of Belize.