Inside Belize’s Agriculture High School Where Students Grow Futures

Tonight, on Kolcha Tuesday, we’re taking you to a school where education doesn’t end at the classroom door. At the Belize High School of Agriculture, students aren’t just preparing for the future, they’re planting it, harvesting it, and learning how to sustain it. From the fields to the books, it’s hands‑on learning with real‑world impact. Shane Williams takes us inside this unique institution and shows us how these students are growing more than crops, they’re growing opportunities.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

Tucked away in the tranquil haven that is Trinidad Village, the Belize High School of Agriculture offers free secondary education, complete with daily nutritious meals, transportation and hands-on training that blends academics with real-world skills.

 

Abel Celiz, Principal, Belize High School of Agriculture

“What is unique about Belize High School of Agriculture is that we are an institution that emphasizes on agriculture. We have a wide range of agriculture programs that provide, that give students the skills, real life skills and practical experiences so that they can become productive citizens.”

 

Shane Williams

“Tell us what we would experience here on a day-to-day basis with the students.”

 

Abel Celiz

“What you will see every day is students working out in the sun planting and taking care of all the different plants that we have. And we also have different programs. Like I said, some of them take care of the sheep. We have tilapia farming. We have poultry, that includes layers and broilers. And also we have Apiculture, beekeeping. So students are involved in a lot of activities on a daily basis.”

 

Agriculture isn’t an afterthought here at BHSA, it’s the foundation. Students learn modern farming practices, animal husbandry, environmental stewardship and leadership, preparing them not just for exams, but for life.

 

Delsi Deodanes, Belize High School of Agriculture

“It’s wonderful. It’s like being with a family that always gives you love with friendship. And in agriculture I feel good because I am from San Carlos and we practice agriculture. And we plant, we farm, we harvest our own food. We sell in the market and being here I feel like if I am in my village, my home where I have grown.”

 

For many students, the experience is transformative. Free tuition removes financial barriers, while a safe, structured environment allows young people from across Belize to discover their potential.

 

Zaire Gonzalez, Student, Belize High School of Agriculture

“Yeah, I see it as a huge benefit because I live with my mom and two brothers. So, I work part-time in the evenings and Saturdays and Sundays too to help my mom and help myself as well with the things I need here and there. So it is something good. I come to learn and I’m looking forward to finishing my 4th form and graduating. I’ve liked the school so far, and I’ve enjoyed the journey here.”

 

Beyond the fields, students thrive in sports, culture clubs, cadets, music, and student government, building confidence and discipline along the way. From classroom instruction to agricultural plots, from team sports to national celebrations, BHSA prides itself on shaping well-rounded students rooted in Belizean culture. With a clear mission and a growing vision, the Belize High School of Agriculture is cultivating the leaders of tomorrow. Ernesto Pech is the school’s Director of Agriculture. He has been at BHSA for twenty-nine years and has taught some of today’s policymakers.

 

Ernesto Pech, Director of Agriculture, Belize High School of Agriculture

“Individuals Graduating out of BHSA have been exemplary; for example, right now the Chief Agricultural Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture graduated from here Dr. Pasqual. Most of them have been successful. They have become – they have done their degrees. They have their Masters. There is this other young man as well, Luciano Chi, who works for SIRDI. He also has his doctorate degree, graduated from BHSA. We have Mr. Esquivel who is – I think is also a little underneath the Chief Agricultural Officer, he is one of the managers, directors in the Ministry of Agriculture as well, another graduate from BHSA.”

Second Form student Tracy Mojica is among hundreds of students from Northern Belize hoping to follow in the footsteps of the school’s distinguished graduates.

 

Tracy Mojica, Student, Belize High School of Agriculture

“I am from San Felipe Village and my village has a lot to do about cattle. And I want to show the world that we girls can be as well farmers and so they know not only males can be farmers and we can do it.”

 

Abel Celiz

“I just encourage those in standard six in primary school to join our institution because here we teach them not only the by the books, but also with each them the skills necessary that they can become productive citizens, especially in the agriculture sector.”

 

You can find some of BHSA’s hottest products in northern shops. This is a school proving that when education meets community’s needs, the seeds planted today will bloom wonderfully tomorrow. For News Five’s Kolcha Tuesday, I’m Shane Williams reporting from the Belize High School of Agriculture.