LAUNCH OF PUP EDUCATION REFORM AGENDA A FRAMEWORK OF PROPOSALS AND IDEAS Belize City—JANUARY 15TH, 2015 PRESENTATION BY PUP LEADER: HON. FRANCIS W. FONSECA We meet today at historic Independence Hall on the birthday of our great Father and Leader, Rt. Hon. George Price, to share with the Belizean people and nation our framework of proposals and ideas on Education Reform. Last year on this same date we unveiled our Social Justice Agenda re-affirming our deep and unwavering commitment to poverty eradication, equality of opportunity and justice for all Belizeans. The Education Agenda we present today is grounded in that Social Justice Agenda. The People’s United Party believes in Education. We believe that Education is the great EQUALIZER. We believe that Education is key to national development and our investments as a nation in education continue to be the most effective poverty alleviation strategy. Education Reform is one of three central pillars which will form the foundation of the next PUP government’s development agenda. The other two are Economic Reform and Governance Reform. All three are inextricably linked to and dependent on each-other. A world class quality education will allow our people to participate fully and actively in a new creative, technologically driven economy of a PUP government and also to embrace and value the absolute requirement for strong, democratic institutions of governance. The central theme of our Education Agenda is creativity and technology. The next PUP government will lead the way in making relevant and meaningful investments in new and appropriate technologies that can support modern methods of teaching and learning from PRE-SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY. We welcome the government’s adoption of our Education Policy commitment to technology and the announcement of the purchase of tablets for our tertiary level students. But purchasing tablets is the easiest component of the policy. What is required and what we offer is a comprehensive plan and strategy to refresh and retool our education system at every level in preparation for the 21st century and beyond. Our Education Agenda will transform rural communities, put students at the center of learning, recognize and respect our teachers as nation builders, improve access and quality, place our national university at the center of our nation’s development, and once and for all recognize culture, arts and sports as essential components of quality education. I am passionate and deeply committed to investing in Education. That passion and commitment comes from my father William Fonseca who spent many years as a teacher in the most rural communities of Belize, particularly southern Belize with which he formed a special bond. His entire life was spent in education and he when he was forced to retire from public service due to blindness, he was serving as Belize’s Chief Education Officer. My Father, along with my Mother of course, taught me many important life lessons but perhaps none more important than the role education can play in transforming lives, families, communities and a Nation. Our Education Agenda is bold, refreshing and revolutionary! We invite you to join our Education community and conversation. Help us to make this vision better and more effective. We welcome your ideas and comments. God Bless Belize
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:12:59 +0000
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