Local News

The Ministry of Education's budget cut for scholarships by half a million dollars has resulted in a cut in special assistance given to students attending the University of Belize.  This means that all new students will, as of January 2013, have to pay 150-dollars more in registration fees than what students were paying before.  It has drawn many to weigh in on the new reality, one of which is the UB student government and members of the newly-formed group called “Nation Builders”.  President of the UB student government and member of the Nation Builders, Hope Ahmad, told Love News today that the cut in subsidy will inevitably be the equivalent to UB newcomers paying double per credit hour.

HOPE AHMAD, President (UB Student Government)

“Everybody is concentrating and saying about how UB is cheap compare to other schools overseas or within.  We also need to look at the wages, the minimum income of other places compare to Belize.  We are speaking and asking that this time around when the minimum wage and cost of living is high is not a time where the government should be raising school fees.  We from the University of Belize are asking the government to reconsider on their proposal of raising school fees come January because at this present time we cannot handle it.  We want to move a country forward, we want to move Belize forward and increasing school fees is not a way to go.  You are trying to hinder people from going to university.  We want people to go to university because it helps n increasing the productivity of our country and the productivity of UB but when you do that, increase the school fees, you’re making it difficult for a lot of people.”

MARION ALI, Reporter

“Now, but you who are attending the school won’t have to pay this increase.”

HOPE AHMAD, President (UB Student Government)

“It doesn’t really matter whether we are paying the school fees or not.”

MARION ALI, Reporter

“No but it matters because what we are talking about is paying it.”

HOPE AHMAD, President (UB Student Government)

“Listen, I want everybody to understand what ever decisions we take today we affect the future generation and all of us should understand that laying the foundation for us.  We want a foundation that is concrete.  We want-if our fathers have failed us we don’t want to fail our children.  We don’t want to fail the generation that is coming and that is why we are fighting and that is why we are trying to say it doesn’t make any sense raising the school fees.  We only have one national university in this country and that is University of Belize.  As a national university school fees should be subsidize by the government that is why it is called national university.  Across the world if you go to any country there are a different between the private university and the national university.  Just like my brother Moses mentioned, there is a different between a general hospital and the private hospital.  If I walk into Karl Heusner today, as he mentioned, I can get assistant because it is a government hospital but if I go to any private hospital I have to pay for it.  So the reason for national university, the reason for UB is to reach out to the poor people who cannot afford to go to any private university.  So if you have that intention to reach to the poor people, the less privilege, then why increase the school fees?”

Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, has said explained that the Government is simply at the point where it is costing too much to continue with the amount in subsidy to UB.  He did emphasize on public television that the government’s intention is not to stop paying for the students who are already enrolled in the UB system, but for new students who will enroll as of January of next year.