Ministry of Education; Culture; Science and Technology

The Belize Education Upliftment Project (EUP) is a government-backed initiative to improve education in secondary schools. It covers student tuition, meals, uniforms, transportation, and educational devices and enhances the school's infrastructure and resources. On March 8th, Prime Minister John Briceño announced an expansion of the EUP. He mentioned that 12 new high schools would join the program for the 2024-2025 academic year, including the San Pedro High School (SPHS). Currently, the SPHS management is in discussions with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) to address the higher costs of resources and services in San Pedro Town compared to the mainland. SPHS supports the project but is seeking adjustments to ensure it can cover its operational expenses.

The San Pedro High School (SPHS) is preparing to end the school year and is in the process of welcoming new students from the different primary schools. With that comes implementing the Belize Education Upliftment Project (EUP), an educational reform benefiting government-owned or aided secondary schools.

On Friday, February 2nd, the National Assembly of Belize passed legislation to raise Belize’s compulsory education age to 16. Before this, education was mandatory for children between five and 14 years of age. The Education and Training Act of 2011 amendment means that children will be legally required to remain in school until they’re 16.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness, through its surveillance system, was alerted to a potential case of meningitis in a six-year-old resident of Belize City. Preliminary laboratory results suggest that it is not bacterial meningitis, and that the child is currently in good health.

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.