Tertiary Institutions in Belize to Implement Competency-Based System

Tertiary level institutions, in the near future, will be implementing the competency-based system which has already been rolled out in the primary and secondary levels.  Today, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) established the pro-tempore Tertiary Teacher Training Curriculum Reform Working Group comprised of representatives from all teacher training institutions aimed at transforming to competency-based education.  The group will be reviewing, reforming and standardizing the existing teacher training programmes, and will also deliver recommendations for teacher educator training, and establish articulation protocols between the secondary and tertiary levels. The working group is chaired by Dr. Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education.  He will lead the team comprising of Dr. Eve Aird – Provost of Galen University; Rosali Cruz – Teacher at Corozal Junior College; Dr. Karen Martinez – Dean of Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College; Rebecca Henriquez – Teacher at Belize Adventist Junior College; Thisbe Lucas-Usher – Dean of the University of Belize; Miriam Paz – Head Itinerary Resource Officer, Primary Curriculum Pilot Project; Juliet Moguel – Teacher Educator, Sacred Heart Junior College; Senator Elena Smith – Senator, President of the Belize National Teachers’ Union; Consuelo Godfrey – Director of Teacher Training, Pathlight; Dr. Cynthia Thompson – Chair, Belize Board of Teacher Education; Dr. Priscilla Brown – Curriculum Consultant ; Dr. Mathias Vairez – Curriculum Consultant, and Natasha Mantock – Education Consultant, UNICEF.  The secretariat for the working group includes the Deputy Chief Education Officer, Cecilia Ramirez-Smith, Shanine Campbell – Education Officer, Curriculum and Assessment Unit, and Jeannie Garbutt-Franklin – Director of the Teacher Education Unit.  The group is expected to meet their objectives by August this year