We have interviewed two schools in the past couple of school days to learn from their experiences and to know more about the island education. These schools are called Primary Schools (elementary and middle). Below is a breakdown of grades in Belize compared to the US:
Infant I = Grade 1
Infant II = Grade 2
Standard I = Grade 3
Standard II = Grade 4
Standard III = Grade 5
Standard IV = Grade 6
Standard V = Grade 7
Standard VI = Grade 8
Most of the classes have a 25/1 (or higher) student to teacher ratio. One school interviewed had 320 students in 10 classrooms. The other school had more students with 17 classrooms.
Most schools on the island are government funded schools and several have church affiliations. Only one is considered a private school at this time. Both schools we visited are government funded which means the teachers salaries are paid by the government. The teachers generally come from the mainland; one of the schools had concern about the high turnover rate of teachers at their own school due to expenses.
LTA has been informally invited to the Principals’ Meeting on the Island next week to get to know the some of the principals.
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