Email

Print

This time it was COLA's Geovannie Brackett and his fellow grassroots activist Raymond Rivers who was on the full-court press against the University, which has changed its name to the Columbus Central University School of Medicine. Daniel Ortiz has that story:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
This compound is supposed to belong to the Columbus Central University School of Medicine. On the internet it is listed with an alternate name, the American Global University School of Medicine, and its description says that it is currently operational.

If you visit their webpage, this medical school looks regular and ordinary business is being conducted here. An inspection of their Belize facility, however, suggests that no one's been here for weeks, maybe months.

That has led activists Geovannie Brackett and Raymond Rivers to come out swinging at the University. Once again, the institution is taking a thrashing in press, and suggestions are being thrown around that it is a fake school, a front for another operation:

Geovannie Brackett - President, COLA
"They have changed their name. When you research the directory for medical schools, they have change their name to Columbus University. But when you look at the contact number, it is a contact number, even though they are located here on the airport road, it's a contact number for the medical school up in San Pedro. I think that is Washington University. Now, the concern that "Fawda" brought up back then was that there is a legitimate medical school just up north which is the CAHSU Central American Health Science University that if you go there right now, you can actually find over 150 students who are actively being there. Raymond Rivers and I, we've done that investigation. These medical schools there are one in Belmopan, when we went back then as a journalist when I research that, it was like a ghost town you've seen right here."

"The concern that we had from the diaspora and from other individuals that have contacted us is that these medical schools if they are fake can be a front."

"When you look at their webpage it shows like there is activity happening. As you can see right now behind me there is no activity, except a dog that came out and bark. And so we believe that we need to highlight this to call on the minister of education and the various other ministers who are involve in investment to look at this."

Raymond Rivers, Leader - PPOHRS
"If you have a place abandoned like this that says they will help in the medical field and its not happening, I am standing up for the poor people on this."

Geovannie Brackett - President, COLA
"The minister of education we are saying to you that we are not calling for a complete halt on charters given out for these medical schools, but work with the legitimate medical schools to grow that field in that area, but close down these abandoned and these what we look at alleged fake schools that is not operational."

4 years ago, the principals of the school looked on as activist Phillip "Fawda" Henry accuse them of the very same thing. They finally couldn't take anymore and they decided to come out swinging, suggesting that a competing medical school was trying to discredit them, in the hopes of running them out of Belize. So, is today's protest a persistent, legitimate concern, or just a continuation of a sponsored attack on this university's credibility.

Here's what the University's president had to say in May of 2013.

File: May 2, 2013
Dr. Malik Soudah
"We're taking the summer to remodel the building and someone started a 'Smear Campaign' against the University. I don't know why the reason for that. They are saying that it is a 'shell school' and that 'no one is there'. That is absolutely not true. Unfortunately some of these people were misled and misinformed about the truth and I am not sure who is behind this smear campaign. All this negative press about the school, I don't understand. I am going to be honest with you - there is another Medical School in Belize and I don't even consider them competition for us, there isn't any competition. I don't know who this guy Henry is - is he Medical authority? Can he talk about curriculum? Can he talk about Medical School? He goes and spread all these lies about the school - he must be someone paid by someone. Do you get my point? Suddenly someone shows up at the campus and started trashing us in the media and started spreading all this misguided information and someone has to be behind it."

But no matter what he may say, nothing can change the minds of the critics of this school

Reporter
"It's also legitimate that we are in summer vacation; it's the middle of July and is expected to find unless its summer internship or something - you are not going to find students here. I don't know. You think of that as well?"

Geovannie Brackett - President, COLA
"Of course and that's why we went to visit this week CAHSU up the road and when we went there, there was not as many students that was there maybe a few months ago, but there are certainly more than 50 students operating there. In fact if that is the case, when summer comes does that mean you can't get a resume from your old school Wesley College? You can go and get a resume almost any time of the year, except on major holidays. You won't find the office closing down 2 months because the teachers are on holiday and the students are on holiday. There must be a functional operating office with bursars and accountants and different people, because the school has to prepare for the new school year."

Raymond Rivers, Leader - PPOHRS
"Hello? Hello? Hello?"

Geovannie Brackett
"Anybody there? (Pause) I guess not, guys."

Today, we called the number listed on the University's website, and an employee from the Washington University of Health and Science, in San Pedro. We were told that the owners of the Washington University, are also the owners of the Ladyville facility for the Columbus Central University School of Medicine.

The man in charge of Columbus Central, Dr. Malik Soudah, called us this afternoon from Ohio to stress that the school is operational, and they are recruiting students for January 2018. He argued today, as he did before that his school's credibility is being unfairly attacked again. He stressed that his school has a valid charter from the Ministry of Education.

We contacted the Minister of Education - who COLA called out to act in a press release. He said COLA and its allies, quote, "are evidently paid mercenaries in such a campaign. As such I don't think (their) release warrants my response at this time." End quote. He added that he will be happy to answer any questions on medical schools in a proper forum.