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THE BELIZE TIMES
OPINION OUT Ambassador
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Dear Pastor Wade,
On your show on Monday, you made a statement concerning the new U.S. Ambassador’s assignment: he will focus on the rule of law. Does this mean he is coming to us as a judge to tell us where our Judiciary is lacking? Well, we already know that. So does America. So is America going to raise its level of application of the Monroe Doctrine to force us to line up behind America in implementing the Homosexual Agenda? Is he going to be uncle or friend? The British used to say: we have no permanent friends- only permanent interests. The mood in Belize seems to be the same, with a bit of a twist which says: we like you America, but we will make our own way. If necessary, we will make new friends across the oceans; if you try to punish us for not blindly obeying you. The NEW BELIZE, if it becomes its true self, will continue along the ascent to the highest level of civilized living, as described in the Preamble of the Belize Constitution. It is constructed on Natural Law Principles, which scintillate with the real truths of human nature. The help that Belize needs is encouragement to our leaders to live according to the best moral principles that accord to the Preamble. We appreciate sincere help, not bribery to act against our own Constitution. Signed: Paul Rodriguez
LOCAL 1 Nov
PUP Leader pledges Free Education up to High School …re-introduces “One Laptop Per Child” initiative
OUT
Welcome Mr.
Why is the PM hiding from the media?
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Dear Editor, I write to express total displeasure with the decision of the Prime Minister not to meet the press at the Philip Goldson International Airport on Friday October 25, after he was away for 9 days, a full week and 2 days. When the PM left the country the Immigration Scandal was boiling, and in the United States he admitted to the foreign press that another hot bed of corruption in his government is at the lands Department that is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega. Secondly, after the PM left the country he also became aware that a whistleblower came forward and said that she paid one of his ministers, specifically “Clear the Land”, $400,000.00 to facilitate the illegal sale of Belizean Visas over the last 6 months. Today there is no doubt that the corruption scandal with this government is far worse than when the PM left this country. The Prime Minister’s decision not to meet the press on his return to the nation on Friday is troubling. That decision supports the claim by many people including several members of the press that he, the Prime Minister, is still trying to cover this worsening corruption scandal that has engulfed his government. Sincerely yours, Gilroy Usher, Sr.
Belize City, October 31, 2013 People’s United Party (PUP) Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca introduced two key components of the PUP’s reform in education agenda when he addressed a packed hall of supporters at the convention for party units on Sunday, October 27, 2013. Hon. Francis said that the PUP deems education as “critically important to the future of the country”, therefore, one of the steps the next PUP Government will take to make education more impactful is making “education free all the way up to high school”. The low access to education continues to be an obstacle to the country’s development. A recent Inter-American Development Bank report found that the gap between those who have access and those who don’t has widened over the recent years. The IDB report found that while 95 percent of the primary school-aged children were attending school in 1999, the numbers have rolled back in 2009. At the high school level, more than half of Belize’s secondary school-aged children remain out of school, 56 percent in 2009, with the rural communities being most affected, according to the study. The cost of living, from the price of basic food to amount paid for school fees and books, has skyrocketed in Belize. Access to education therefore is hindered by the high cost. With Belize’s poverty levels increasing, it becomes very clear that many families cannot afford to send their children to school. The pledge by the PUP Leader to make education universal up to high school no matter one’s economic status is radical and revolutionary. It is the kind of bold step which leaders such as Fidel Castro and Errol Barrow took when they were confronted by serious degradation in their countries and a need for real solutions. But access to education is not the only barrier which the Party Leader says must come down. There are issues regarding the current education system’s relevancy in
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the fast-developing world and 21st century and the resistance to incorporate technology in classrooms. Hon. Francis, who was a progressive Education Minister under the former PUP Administration, says the integration of technology is key to getting Belize on par with the rest of the world. He said the PUP will re-introduce the “One Laptop Per Child” programme, where each student will be provided with a laptop computer which contains all the learning content needed including an e-library, educational software and reference material. “This is no idle promise,” said Hon. Francis, “we have looked at the figures, we know how much it will cost. This is an investment we should make in the young people of this country”. The One Laptop Per Child will make our education a 21st century education. It will also eliminate the yearly heavy burden faced by parents of having to purchase books. The PUP is committed to the upliftment of our people through education and the development of the country through its skilled people. The above is only two components of the PUP’s Reform Agenda in Education, with more to be unveiled soon.
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The Belize Times
Established 1957
14 APR 2013
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ISSUE NO: 4840
The Truth Shall Make You Free
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serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continuous newspaper. Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus EDITOR
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