Belize
The Ministry of Education Senior Staff Retreat was held at the Radisson Fort George Hotel January 27, 2006. EDC worked closely with Ms. Sherelene Neal Tablada HIV/AIDS Programme Manager at the MOE to plan this retreat.
EDC/HHD staff planned a retreat for 40 senior level Ministry of Education staff to introduce the campaign and reinforce how important it is for the Ministry of Education to strengthen their response to HIV and AIDS. The senior level staff included heads of divisions and units, and education officers from across the country.
Opening Ceremony: (From left) Senior Project Director Connie Constantine, Education Development Center, Inc.; Professor Michael Morrissey, UNESCO; Honourable Minister Francis Fonseca and Chief Education Officer Ms. Maud Hyde, Belize Ministry of Education.
©EDC/HHD
Honourable Minister Francis Fonseca, Chief Education Officer Ms. Maud Hyde, Mr. Michael Morrissey from UNESCO and Ms. Connie Constantine from EDC participated in the opening ceremonies. Minister Fonseca, chaired the entire retreat, actively participating in each session.
The welcome address was followed by a presentation by the youth creative arts theatre group, Phoenix, which presented an artistic rendition of issues related to contracting the virus and stigma and discrimination. Ms. Sandra Mckay, representing the Chamber of Commerce spoke about the impact of the epidemic on the economy. Dr. Paul Edwards, from the Ministry of Health gave a detailed presentation of the medical perspective on the current status of HIV and AIDS in Belize.
Ms. Sherlene Tablada, facilitated a panel discussion on the elements of a comprehensive approach. National AIDS Ambassador Dolores Balderamos Garcia spoke on workplace policy, highlighting the presence of the newly developed national policy and challenged the education sector to do its part in implementing the policy. She highlighted the importance of creating a supportive environment for PLWHA. Mr. Nelson Longsworth from the Ministry of Education gave a current update on the HIV and AIDS topics covered in the HFLE curriculum. He remarked that the curriculum must continue to strive to be strategic and comprehensive, and extend to out-of-school youth. Ms. Joan Burke of the Belize Family Life Association spoke about the need for provision of services. She spoke of the need for training of counselors and teachers so they can address a range of psycho-social issues. Mr. Anthony Fuentes of the Teacher’s Union (BNTU) spoke of the importance of creating a supportive environment and how BNTU is currently addressing the issue. Finally, Ms. Rana Flowers from UNICEF addressed the importance of creating a supportive environment for students. The session ended with an interactive discussion session with the presenters and participants.
The panel was followed by a presentation by Ms. Deborah Williams a Regional Leader from the Tobago Oasis Foundation about stigma and discrimination and the personal impact of such attitudes on persons living with HIV and AIDS. Ms. Sherlene Tablada then provided an update on the current steps the education sector has taken to address HIV and AIDS.
Retreat participants working in small groups on action plans. ©EDC/HHD
The afternoon session began with a presentation on “The Way Forward” for units and divisions of the Ministry of Education presented by the Deputy Chief Education Officer, Mr. Allan Genitty. With the presentation as a backdrop, participants worked in groups based on their area of expertise to draw up specific actions plans for each of the four components of a comprehensive approach. The working groups included:
- Policy working group- led by Minister Francis Fonseca
- Curriculum working group -led by Ms. Maud Hyde, Chief Education Officer
- Services working group -led by Ms. Marian McNab, Chief Education Officer
- Supportive environments working group- led by Mr. Alan Gennitty, Deputy Chief Education Officer.
Each group then reported out on the specific actions they had developed with details on their time-frames for implementation. These action plans will be submitted to the Minister of Education and EDC.
Honourable Minister Francis Fonseca addresses participants.
©EDC/HHD
The retreat ended with a closing statement by the minister, thanking his staff for participating and the importance of taking the lessons learnt to teachers, students, parents and managers so they are fully involved. He ended his statement by saying, “I am better educated, sensitized and informed.”
Click here to review the Ministry of Education retreat agenda.