Government proposes sweeping changes education system through Education Bill

The Government is proposing sweeping changes to Belize’s education system through the introduction of the Education Bill, 2026.  Minister of Education Francis Fonseca introduced the bill in the House of Representatives today. The proposed legislation would repeal and replace the existing Education and Training Act, which currently governs the administration of the country’s schools.  According to the bill, the reforms are intended to make basic education in government schools and selected government-aided schools free, accessible, compulsory, relevant, inclusive and rights-based. Fonseca explained that the new legislation is designed to modernize the education system and improve the delivery and governance of educational services.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “The heat of this bill is a reflection and an understanding really that the education system has really outgrown its legal foundation. You know over the five plus years we have introduced a number of important new initiatives, policy reforms, we have for example initiated and launched the Education Upliftment Project, it’s what people call the free tuition project. Education Upliftment Project tuition is a component of that but it’s much broader than tuitions. So that is one example. We’ve also instituted the National Healthy Start feeding program across the country. We have established the ConnectED program where we have expanded Wifi access to hundreds of schools across our country. We have of course put in place a new curriculum framework the competency based curriculum framework. We have introduced new licensing, a new licensing regime and we have also introduced most recently a new national assessment framework. So a lot of new initiatives, a lot of new policy reforms and the legislation has not been keeping pace with those initiatives and with those reforms. So that’s really the central objective of this education bill.”

The bill also proposes major changes to the licensing and certification of teachers. Prospective teachers would be required to undergo a more rigorous evaluation process, including subject-matter testing and certification.  It would also establish a pathway for secondary-school teachers who do not hold a bachelor’s degree to earn certification to teach the subjects for which they are qualified.  Another central component is the creation of a national student assessment system. The proposed system would measure students’ performance and the quality of instruction, while allowing the Ministry of Education to make decisions using reliable evidence.  The bill calls for student assessment results to be administered transparently and accountably. It is also expected to establish clearer standards across the school system and strengthen oversight of both educational institutions and teaching professionals.  The proposed law is now expected to proceed through the legislative process for further examination and debate.