Rotary Clubs Fund Tech Initiative for Belize Schools  

During the COVID-19 crisis, Rotary Clubs in Belize and Port Moody developed a grant to install RACHEL computer labs, providing offline educational content to schools and the Belize Central Prison. The programme is now expanding to eleven schools with the aim of enhancing literacy and mitigating dropout rates through technology access. Through a collaborative effort, the Rotary Club of Belize, and the Rotary Club of Port Moody, supported by the Rotary Foundation, have committed two hundred and ten thousand Belize dollars to execute this impactful project. Each learning lab will comprise a RACHEL server, twenty Chromebooks, headphones, a monitor, and a storage cart or unit. Teacher and administrator training began this week in Belize City. News Five stopped by to find out more.

 

Ardeth McFadzean Kelly, Principal, Belize Rural Primary School

“One of the most things I’m excited about is seeing the children using the RACHEL program as they surf the different websites on their own and guided by the teacher.  And as we evaluate their progress from where we start to, let’s say, maybe the end of the first cycle of the school year.”

 

Janeen St. Bernard, Principal, Lucky Strike Government School 

“I am really enjoying the training. The experience is great because we’re introduced to this program where we have many resources that we can take back to the classroom and to the teachers. And it will enhance learning in a whole with our students.”

 

Glen Brown, Rotary Club of Port Moody

“We implemented the pilot project at the Belize Central Prison just prior to COVID. So what was really interesting about that project is that we essentially gave the inmates there and the staff, the equipment, the Rachel server and Chromebooks with relatively minimal direction. But one of the things that we know about learning is that you provide students, adults, with tools and information and they discover it for themselves. And so there really was a process of discovery at the prison with the inmate tutors learning how some of the systems within Rachel would work. And, and really started to advance and to use those things at a very high level.”

Katherine Meighan, President, Rotary Club of Belize

“So I should add that this is the first part of a wider project because there’s more we’re going to be seeing of you good people. It’s really starting off with 11 schools. It’s a nice project, good size. It gives us an opportunity to then train teachers and administrators and also work very closely with the Ministry of Education to make sure that this project is working the way we want. Examples of the 11 schools, and it’s a mix from the Belize district area, or Belize rural area, and Belize city as well. Examples include Lucky Strike, we also have  Biscayne. We also have Belize Rural. These are examples of schools that will get access to the Rachel Program. Additionally, we have a few in the city. They include St. Ignatius School, St. John’s Anglican. We also have Unity Presbyterian, Salvation Army and I’m also excited that we were able to add in that 11th school, and that’s Stella Marris. Because we know the age ranges at Stella Marris is wider. We are adding additional programs, for instance. It’s a tool that can be used to support cooking programs, sewing programs, things that could think things that can help and support the young persons, whether they’re five years old or whether there are 15 years old, right? So it’s a really amazing tool that can teach literate literature. Literacy, math,  English grammar so much.”