Ocean Academy Ready to Build But Waiting on Government Approval

Ocean Academy, Caye Caulker’s only high school, has shut in-person classes due to severe flooding, mold, and mosquito infestations. Despite raising sixty thousand dollars and making repairs, construction of its first permanent classroom is stalled. The school’s administration says construction for a new classroom has not been approved. Meanwhile, the promised new campus funded by a 2015 Caribbean Development Bank loan remains unbuilt. And as Zenida Lanza found out, parents have become frustrated. Here is that story:

 

Zenida Lanza, Reporting

Above ‘The Magic Grill,’ in Caye Caulker, nearly 20 students sit in a makeshift classroom. With no desks, they balance notebooks on their laps, while unused chairs sit stacked at the back. In November, health inspectors flagged severe flooding, mold, and mosquito infestations at Ocean Academy’s main building, declaring it unfit for classes and recommending immediate relocation. Since then, students have been learning in a hybrid system, rotating between online lessons and borrowed spaces above shops, bars, and village council offices.

 

Nathaneal Rodriguez, Student, Ocean Academy

“It’s been really hard, because I don’t really have the time to interact with my friends and also with my teachers. And also, the assistance isn’t there. So whenever I need help with a work, learning it through a voice call, or through voice messages, or also on text, it’s really hard. I think a lot of students in Ocean Academy struggle with that issue, and they need that hands on experience to actually get further in their education.”

 

Alfonso Magana, Parent

“One of our biggest concerns is when are they going to build the new high school here on the island? Because the kids have been moving around and around and around. Well, my wife came up with an idea for blocks. It started, but the people are still waiting to know if the land that they said was for the high school is for the high school. So that is one of the concerns we have. When are they going to start the new high school? When is the government going to step in and start the new high school?”

 

They have now collected over 2,000 cinder blocks for a foundation, and some have even offered prefabricated houses to give students a place to return after the Christmas break. But the school says it has received no approval to proceed. We asked Area Representative Andre Perez why that is:

 

Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize-Rural South

“No one has approached me to see what they can do. I know that sometimes the social media flares up and someone says, ‘Oh, I’ll donate a block,’ and someone is going to donate 2 sacks of cement. That’s social media, but no one has approached me during that process there. I have not heard about it, but if there is a group who would like to do some work right now, I am willing to work along with them. If there is anybody who wants to donate, I am here to work, but certainly no pushback from our side. None at all.”

 

The promise of a new school building goes back five years. Under the UDP administration, the government secured a $70 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank to build 35 schools nationwide. Ocean Academy even held a groundbreaking ceremony in December 2019, with construction originally expected to start in 2020. But five years later, the site remains empty, and many of the promised schools have yet to be built. Former Education Minister Patrick Faber says the project stalled when the government changed hands.

 

Patrick Faber, Former Minister of Education

“I think it was about 10 or so high schools across the country under the loan programme from the Caribbean Development Bank. Of course, we built a number of these schools, but time ran out on the administration. We did break ground for a school there, and I believe in San Pedro as well. For I think, in Caye Caulker, for pre-primary, primary, and secondary, and of course that structure would have been for Ocean Academy. “And then when the transition happened with government, the project somehow got lost. And I think that is a tremendous shame. And while I don’t want to be quick to say it is the PUP throwing out the baby with the bathwater, certainly they have not made any great effort to ensure that Caye Caulker has a permanent place for secondary education. And that is indeed a travesty for the people in Caye Caulker.”

 

Meanwhile, Perez insists progress is finally coming. He says plans are in place for a “real” and “authentic” groundbreaking this year, with construction set to begin no later than May. But Ocean Academy has heard similar promises before, and the Village Council says communication with the ministry remains poor.

 

Seleny Villanueva-Pott, Chairlady, Caye Caulker Village Council

“We’ve had attempts to have meetings with the Minister of Education, but to no avail. We really don’t know what’s going on. There is no line of communication. Not even with the school or the village council as to what is going on. And really we believe that our students deserve better.”

 

Even with government promises, the school and community have had to take matters into their own hands, raising sixty thousand dollars in funds and securing support to get the project moving. Now, with the school closed for the Christmas break, Principal Noemi Zaiden is left asking: What will students return to?

 

Noemi Zaiden, Principal, Ocean Academy

“What do we come back to? To make sure that we can have these students together because students need to be together. I mean as small as this campus is, you’re seeing for yourself. But the sound of students, moving from classroom to classroom, is also important just for them to be able to socialize, and be with their peers, and just be teenagers on their campus. They deserve that. This community deserves that.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I’m Zenida Lanza.