fbpx
RCCBPO Weather Banner
Belize Weather: “March breeze” dominates near end of February
February 24, 2023
Statistical Institute of Belize: Prices of basic food items have soared by 17.9% in 2023
February 24, 2023

Point and Counter Point [51]~ STEM, Owen Morrison and The Belize Technical College

Posted: Friday, February 24, 2023. 8:42 am CST.

Тhе vіеwѕ ехрrеѕѕеd іn this аrtісlе аrе those оf the writer аnd nоt nесеѕѕаrіlу those оf Вrеаkіng Веlіzе Nеwѕ or the Institution he serves.

By Dorian A. Barrow, Ph.D., Florida State University: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has decided to focus more on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM/STEAM] education for Belizeans as part of the Prime Minister, the Hon. John Briceno’s effort to establish one of his legacies as the Education Prime Minister.  In this regard the MOE has embraced an initiative of Patrick Faber, the former Minister of Education, Dr Carol Babb and Mrs. Deborah Domingo, to establish the first ever STEM/STEAM school in Belize, in Belize City.  This first STEM school, called the Itza STEAM Academy, is located  on the old Belize technical College Campus on Freetown Road, the working-home of a long line of distinguished and visionary pool of educators in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics including people like Owen Morrison, Dr. Cecil Reneau,  Georgia Belisle,  Ronald Lewis, Vernon Card, Luis ‘Buck’ Belisle, Cecil Ford, Lewin Moguel, and Sydney Satchwell.  Our Prime Minister, and by extension Belize, will be very, very proud of this initiative where the focus of the education is going to be on how computer science technology, artificial intelligence algorithm, engineering problem solving skills, scientific methods and mathematical thinking and logic can help to form a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative Belizean citizenry.  But what do we mean by a STEM Education?

STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  The term is typically used in the context of education policy or curriculum choices in schools.  The STEM approach to education fosters creativity and divergent thinking alongside fundamental disciplines.  It motivates and inspires young people to generate new technologies and ideas.  With a focus on practice and innovation students  get to learn from inquiry-based assignments.  STEM classes provide opportunities for team work, it teaches critical thinking and innovation skills, help student develops project management skills, but most importantly, STEM Jobs are the future of our economy.  Dr Osmond Martinez, CEO of the Ministry of Economic Development, has recently concluded a study in which he found that of all the people in the work in force in Belize today who have associates, bachelors and masters degrees have those degrees in business administration, even though there has been a significant push in recent years to fill STEM jobs in Belize.  In a nutshell, STEM is an approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  Through STEM students develop key skills including problem solving, creativity, critical analysis and so are much better prepared to transition to the world of work and/or to higher education.

According to the CEO, Ms. Dianne Mehair, this effort by the MOE to provide more STEM Education choices to more of the Belizean students is not just limited to the Itza’s STEAM Academy Project.  Another project running currently with the STEAM Academy project is the is the CODE CARIBBEAN PROGRAM, an IDB funded project that is currently being implemented in two only Caribbean Countries – Barbados and Belize. At a recent MULTI-Stakeholder Discussion on Computer-Science for Development in Belize, the MOE CEO Mehair and the CEO of the company that is implementing the project Pat Yongpradit, briefed us about the nature of this intervention.  Essentially, this CODE.ORG Projection is about getting students to demonstrate a sound understanding of digital technology concepts, systems and operations from an earl age in our primary schools.  It is an effort to get our primary school children to demonstrate creative thinking, content knowledge, and develop  innovative products and processes using technology growing towards becoming global digital citizens who are critical thinkers and problem solvers.  Currently this program is running in 24 of primary schools including primary schools like St, Joseph Primary in Belize City and the SDA Primary School in Succotz Village in Cayo.  The  goal is to have this program running in 100 of our schools by 2024 when the project expires.  To sustain the project the MOE plans to work very closely with institutions like Galen University and the University of Belize  who by  that time would have built the added capacity to sustain such an initiative in perpetuity.  Galen University, for example is this year bring on stream its STEM and AI Innovation Center on its Central Farm Campus and will be using the CODE.ORG Curriculum in some of its outreach programs.  This is such an important dimension to the new thinking of the Government, as sustainability failures of many of critical initiatives in education like this one has been a ubiquitous experience with education development in the past.

Another important aspect is the site of this important initiative with a STEAM Academy – The Belize Technical College (BTC) – as   the Sense of Place plays such an important role in sustainable development. The BTC was the first Technical Vocational College to be established in the country.  According to J. Alexander Bennett, the country’s most authoritative education historian, the BTC was established in the 1950s to solving the same kind of problem that this STEM initiative is trying to solve, that is better prepare students to transition to the world of work and to higher education, that is, to produce the scientists, technologist, engineers and mathematicians that the country needed so badly at the time.  In its 50-year history up to its demise in 2000 when it was amalgamated into UB, The Belize technical College had a wonderful and proud record of achievement against these goals. Most of our senior engineers today went to Belize Techinical College before they went of to further their studies abroad.  The include engineers like John Mencias, Jeffery Locke, and Lynn Young.  So have many of our senior medical officers – Dr Ann Erlington, Dr. Michael Pitts, … – most of the people working at the senior level in the field of construction, electrical technology and wiring, and many of our Survey technicians passed through the BTC before the moved on to get their higher education degrees.  The late Owen Morrison was the last Principal of the Belize Technical college before it’s demise in 2000, and I know that even if he would not be especially excited about the name of the new STEAM Academy, he would be particularly supportive of its goals and would be delighted to know that the Hon. John Briceno is following through on this issue of STEM Education, that began at the Belize Techincal College in the 1950s.

Please feel free to challenge any or all of the about issues raised in this piece above and let’s get the discussion on STEM Education in Belize going.    

Dr. Dоrіаn Ваrrоw іѕ сurrеntlу wоrkіng аt Gаlеn Unіvеrѕіtу аѕ thе Dеаn оf thе Dераrtmеnt оf Еduсаtіоn. Не hаѕ а lоng hіѕtоrу оf іnvоlvеmеnt іn еduсаtіоn іn Веlіzе, hаvіng ѕеrvеd аѕ а Lесturеr аt thе Unіvеrѕіtу оf Веlіzе, аnd аѕ Сhіеf Ехесutіvе Оffісеr іn thе Міnіѕtrу оf Еduсаtіоn. Dr. Ваrrоw іѕ аn еmіnеnt рrоfеѕѕіоnаl whо іѕ wеll rеѕресtеd bоth lосаllу аnd аbrоаd. Не іѕ ѕеrvіng аѕ аn еdіtоrіаl mеmbеr аnd rеvіеwеr оf ѕеvеrаl іntеrnаtіоnаl rерutеd јоurnаlѕ аnd hаѕ аuthоrеd mаnу rеѕеаrсh аrtісlеѕ/bооkѕ rеlаtеd tо еduсаtіоn. Араrt frоm еduсаtіоn, hе іѕ аlѕо а ѕроrtѕ еnthuѕіаѕt.

 

 

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-601-0315.

 

© 2023, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.

Comments

  • Galen University
  • Belmopan Aggregates
  • larry waight
  • Belmopan Aggregates
  • cahal pech village resort
  • Galen University
  • Shindaiwa
  • Belmopan Aggregates