Sarteneja Students Have Gone Years Without a School Building

Sarteneja Baptist High School in the Corozal District has been operating without its own building for over four years. 

The institution has just four teachers and a principal, who not only leads but also teaches full-time due to staffing shortages. There are no science or computer labs, and some classes are held outdoors in sheds made from donated materials.

Sarteneja’s Village Council Secretary Darnel Cruz, who also teaches at the local Catholic primary school, explained the current challenges. “The last thing that I got to know was that these guys had a parcel close to the airstrip, and they were looking for funding to have that building erected. If you might have noticed, they’re currently using the community center…And I heard that there was plans on starting their development but there is a problem with funding in that aspect.”

With eighty-four students enrolled and more graduates expected this June than available spaces, parents are worried. Cruz stresses the importance of keeping education local, saying, “It is good to have a high school in our own community, less expensive for certain people…hopefully in the future they will have their goal achieved, which is the construction of their own facilities.”

School management declined to comment, but families are calling for officials to step in with a long‑term solution. For now, students continue their studies without proper facilities, as the community waits for progress on a permanent building.