San Pedro Daily
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Ambergris Caye, Belize Monday July 9, 2007 Belize's only Daily- Seven Days a Week |
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Belize to impose
'child protection curfew' Effective Friday, July
13, no child under the age of 16 years will be
allowed to loiter or wander, be in a street, park or other public place
in Belize City between the hours of 8:00 pm and 6:00 am.
The Ministry of Human Development in Belize, in collaboration with the Police Department, NOPCAN and Youth Enhancement Services, will implement the Families and Children (Protection of Children), Belize City Regulations. The objectives of implementing this curfew are to protect children from criminal activities as well as to ensure that they are not lured into criminal activities, particularly as children are out of school during the summer months. Any person who is the parent or guardian of such a child found, unaccompanied by an adult, during these hours commits an offence. Parents/guardians are being encouraged to ensure that their children are under adult supervision at all times. Read More PUC
playing games,
and flouting the law! The
Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy has called upon the
Public Utilities Commission to withdraw the approval it has given to
BECOL to build new $100 million dam at Vaca Falls on the Macal River.
Candy Gonzalez, who represents BELPO, charged that the PUC granted a license to BECOL on June 6 to begin work on the dam, in flagrant violation of the law which requires the PUC to publish notice of its intentions and also to consult with those who will be affected by the dam. Section 13 (4) of the law specifies that notice “shall be published by the Commission through such media as is likely to reach the largest number of persons in Belize.” “The PUC has chosen to ignore its obligation under Section 13(3)of the Electricity Act to publish a notice and invite comments from people with an interest in the subject...” the Institute charges. The Belize Institute of Environmental Law says it is speaking for aggrieved ratepayers and downstream residents in calling on the PUC to reverse its decision to allow BECOL to go ahead with its construction programme. BELPO is also urging members of the Belize Community who will be affected by the dam to write in protest to the PUC to complain about its high-handed action and to demand that their decision be reversed. The new address of the Public Utilities Commission is: The PUC #41 Gabourel Lane (between Central Bank and the Convent) P.O.Box 300 Fax 223-6818 Belize City. Read More Free
textbooks:
By Angel Novelo
The Musa government’s recent move to
provide free
textbooks to the
primary school children of Belize at the start of the school year in
September, has been met with sharp criticism from some stakeholders in
the school system.
The Quality Assurance and Development Service (Q.A.D.S.), an agency of the Ministry of Education which selected the textbooks that will be used, said this week that it will go ahead with its plans to launch the free text books program on Monday July 9 at the House of Culture in Belize City. The launching will come amidst strong criticism from the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.), which through its General Secretary George Frazer, says it is not happy with the unilateral action of the Ministry of Education. Frazer, whose union represents over 65% of primary school teachers across the country, criticized government for its failure to consult with stakeholders before deciding on what books ought to be used by primary school children. Frazer told the Reporter on Wednesday that the union is disappointed at government’s decision to use the books without even consulting principals and others intimately involved with the delivery of education to primary school children. These stakeholders, said Frazer, include the union, teachers, principals and managers of the various primary schools. The books, which are to be provided free of cost across the board, are for five core subject areas, Mathematics, Language Arts, Spanish, Social Studies and Science. Free workbooks will also be distributed along with the textbooks. According to Frazer, it was only then they were informed of government’s decision and were upset that this decision was made without proper consultation. Since then, he said teachers from various schools, particularly those from the Cayo district have expressed their concern with officials in the Ministry of Education, including Chief Education Officer, Maude Hyde. Frazer said he would have appreciated if there had been a pilot project first to properly plan and determine what textbooks are best for use in Belize schools. According to Frazer, most teachers are not familiar with the text books chosen, and short-term training is not going to help. Frazer said he had hoped that government would delay the implementation process and allow schools and other book stores to sell off their stocks of books before implementing the new free text book program. Clement Wade however, the General Manager of Roman Catholic Schools across the country, says he is pleased with the government’s move to provide free textbooks to primary school children. “It could not have come at a better time, when the cost of books just keeps going up each school year,” he noted. Read More NOTICES/LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Punish
everyone... the bastards are all probably guilty anyway."
Some examples: "Sleeping Policemen" -- i.e. killer speed bumps that bounce your head off the headliner, even if you're only going five MPH. "Hell, they all a bunch of scofflaws, let's punish them now!" Guarded Exits: A building or store has eight or ten different entrances, but all are blocked so you have to exit thru one -- with alarms, radar detectors, etc. So you walk and walk and walk just to escape." Curfews. "They're all up to no good... get them off the streets by nine o'clock." Everyone is lying. I've talked about this before. If you don't check out an appliance before you take it home, and it doesn't work.. Too bad... you probably broke it. If you come into the Police Station and tell them you were burglarized... you're probably a scammer. If you're a young girl and you say you were raped... you probably were dressing provocatively. (The theme of _To Kill a Mockingbird_) It is a "cop out" ...in every sense of the word. Every crime needs attention --- close attention -- and not just lip service. Every victim needs the assumption that they WERE a victim. Every citizen needs the assurance that they are innocent until proven guilty. This philosophy flies in the face of that. THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
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