Improving access, quality and governance of education in Belize

GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION,YOUTH AND SPORTS

To be implemented in the five school years 2011/2 to 2015/16

I think most people will agree with me that when it comes to the potential for improving our individual and collective lives, for forming better persons and better communities, for contributing to social and economic development there are no greater expectations of any other sector than of the education sector.  Indeed it is for this reason that governments across the world invest heavily in education.  In Belize, where we invest in excess of 25% of our national budget in the education sector, we are certainly no exception to this rule.  Compared to Costa Rica, Cuba and Barbados, Belize is the biggest spender on education well above the international FTI benchmark of 20% of recurrent budget and remaining constant at around 6.5% of GDP over the last few years.  Therefore, we are certainly at the high end of the education investment scale when we consider our education budget as a proportion of our economy.  This signals the priority that the Government of Belize continues to give to the education sector.

Hon. Patrick Faber

Opening Address