Seven thousand standard six students are anxiously awaiting their PSE Scores. And while many of them have already gotten letters of acceptance from their schools of choice, thousands more are in limbo - not sure which high school they'll attend, if they attend any at all.
The sad fact is that while seven thousand took the exam - there are not that many high school places countrywide.
Today we asked education minister Patrick Faber about the dilemma of so many students and not enough spaces for them.
Here's what he said:
Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Education
"Indeed, there are shortages of spaces in some areas of the country, but say a district like Belize, where the bulk of those students are I am sure; there is no shortage of high school in this district. The problem arises that there are children who might not find their way to high schools because there are some parents who will not send their children to certain high schools. And that is the kind of thing that we need to curb. For instance, there are schools that are not operating at full capacity. You are right when you say that many of these students are still not getting the chance to go to high school, and we see marked improvement. I don't want people to get the wrong idea that there is not growth in this area. We've seen tremendous growth, as I've mentioned, particularly in the south, but it is a work in progress."
Jules Vasquez
"Have you all quantified precisely how many spaces there are? And how many are there?"
Hon. Patrick Faber
"I am sure that this data is available. I don't have it off the top of my head, but I am sure that it can be made available."
He said that number is available but when we tried to get it today from the Ministry's PR - she said she was working on it - but, at news time, had not gotten back to us.
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