Education

On January 12, 2024, the pro-tempore Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Committee (STIAC) was established in Belmopan. Its purpose is to guide the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) in the development of Belize’s first National Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy (2024-2034). The world has entered the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by robotics, big data, artificial intelligence, and automation. The strategy aims to prepare and move Belize into this new era with the goal of attaining sustainable human development.

On Wednesday, January 10, the San Pedro High School (SPHS) returned to normalcy after months of operating on a shift system because of much-needed maintenance in certain areas of their main building.

While the school year 2023 ends at the San Pedro High School (SPHS), much-needed repairs continue in parts of its main building. Over the past months, emergency repairs have occurred in its staff room, conference room, computer laboratory, and sports room. On Wednesday, December 20th, the school management shared that work has been completed in its Information Technology (IT) laboratory and sports room, while work continues in the other sections mentioned. According to SPHS management, if the reconstruction works continue uninterrupted, class schedules at the school are expected to return to normalcy when classes resume on January 8, 2024.

Since October, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) has been distributing Chromebooks donated by the Republic of China (Taiwan) to primary and high school students in Belize. On Tuesday, December 5th, the distribution of these devices came to San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, benefiting the San Pedro High School (SPHS) and two primary schools.

A group of top international scientists gathered in San Pedro Town to participate in a unique event to explore the various observational and theoretical aspects of intermediate-mass black holes. The event dubbed ‘Intermediate Mass Black Holes: The Dawn of a New Era’ was organized by Northwestern University in Illinois, USA, and held from December 2nd to the 5th at the Grand Caribe Resort, bringing together a host of experts. They shared their ideas about black holes in a series of interactive presentations. The event also saw the participation of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, which cited opportunities for Belizean students interested in astrophysics.

The Alaia Belize Hotel in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye has unveiled a community initiative called ‘Waves of Change Towards a Better Belize’ aimed at creating a positive impact on the island community. The program’s first activity included a motivational activity at the San Pedro High School (SPHS) in collaboration with two media personalities from the well-known United States National Basketball Association, Victoria Jacobi, and Ashley Nicole Moss.

The San Pedro community and other generous donors came together on Friday, October 27th, to support a fundraiser for the reconstruction of parts of the main building of the San Pedro High School (SPHS). The school administration stated they need $350,000 to complete all necessary repairs in their main building. A telethon held throughout Friday saw donations toward this worthy cause from individuals and stakeholders. One of those stakeholders was Caye International Bank (CIB), who not only made a monetary donation but has created a GoFundMe page to raise funds on behalf of SPHS at https://gofund.me/bbc1c852. At the end of the day, a total of $210,346 was raised in the telethon, a satisfactory amount that will aid in the ongoing works at the school.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) has commenced the distribution of 5,000 Chromebooks donated by the Republic of China (Taiwan). These devices were pledged in April during the State Visit of H.E. Tsai Ing-Wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and were recently delivered to the MoECST.