School Daze

One of the nicest things about this trip to Belize is that this time I am seeing and experiencing much more of this beautiful but impoverished country. I feel more at home than I expected to, probably because the tropical flora and thick, heavy atmosphere remind me of rural south Louisiana.
My teacher-self sees so much potential in the bright, smiling children, who go to school in simple buildings, sometimes without electricity. Teachers teach the old-fashioned way, with blackboard and chalk. Student work is proudly displayed on curling paper that hangs from clothes pins from lines strung across the rooms. In this humidity, you can’t stick things to the walls. The children, whether in RC (Roman Catholic) or government schools, wear crisp-looking uniforms. After school is out, some run to the playground; others bicycle home. My mother-self wonders how these kids manage to look so clean in a town with no electricity or running water.
The standard expectation in Belize is that students attend primary school, although some do not attend school at all. Very few children go on to secondary school, and only a very tiny percentage receives a two- or four-year college degree. Girls especially are not educated beyond the early primary years. Marriage for girls occurs at an early age. We talked to one twenty-one year old who already had three children. Her bright, articulate younger sister had just finished the equivalent of eighth grade, and would not be attending high school. Even if she wanted to, there was no high school nearby for her to attend.
How could more education benefit Belizeans? I’m trying to wrap my American brain around that. No industry, agrarian economy, budding tourist industry…what kind of education makes the most sense?
- Peggy