EDUCATION STATISTICAL DIGEST Of BELIZE 2005-2006 PLANNING AND PROJECTS UNIT Ministry of Education EDUCATION STATISTICAL DIGEST Of Belize 2005-2006 PLANNING AND PROJECTS UNIT Ministry of Education The Planning and Projects Unit VISION The Planning and Projects Unit will promoted a culture of research and foster a spirit of collaboration with other units/agencies/organizations to enhance the overall strategic and operational planning capability within the education system. The Planning & Projects Unit will serve as an adviser to the Ministry, strengthening its capacity in information based research in its strategic planning, and in policy formulation and decision-making for the education system. MISSION STATEMENT The Planning and Projects Unit is committed to assist the MoE in its policy formulation and decision-making process and in the promotion of efficiency and effectiveness within the education system through its leadership in the development of comprehensive and strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, projections and trends analysis, and in the production and dissemination of relevant and empirical data in a timely manner. Dr. Ellajean Gillett Director of Planning and Projects Unit Yvonne Casildo-Flowers Statistician 11 Cercia Kelly Data Entry Operator/Secretary Published by: Planning and Projects Unit Ministry of Education Corner Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street Belize City, Belize Tel: (501) 223-6485 Fax: (501) 223-5704 Email: edustats_bz@yahoo.com http://www.moes.gov.bz Printed by: QADS, Ministry of Education Labour Force Indicators Reference: Statistical Instituted of Belize (SIB) Map: Natural Light Productions TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Table of Content i List of Tables iii List of Figures vi Acknowledegement vii 1.0 Belize in Figures 1 2.0 Major Findings 3 3.0 Supply of Education 4 3.1 Number of Schools 4 4.0 Participation in Education 6 4.1 Enrolment 6 5.0 Resources 8 5.1 Total Teaching Force 8 6.0 Preschool Education 10 6.1 Number of Preschools 10 6.2 Preschool Enrolment 12 6.3 Preschool Teachers 15 7.0 Primary Education 17 7.1 Number of Primary Schools 17 7.2 Primary School Enrolment 19 7.3 Repetition and Dropout 25 7.4 Primary School Teachers 29 7.5 Student-Teacher Ratio 32 8.0 Transition Rate 33 8.0 Transition Rate from Standard VI to Secondary 33 9.0 Secondary Education 34 9.1 Number of Secondary Schools 34 9.2 Secondary School Enrolment 36 9.3 Repetition and Dropout 40 9.4 Secondary School Teachers 44 10.0 Enrolment Trends 47 11.0 Finance 49 12.0 Examination Results 51 12.1 PSE Performance 51 12.2 CSEC Performance 53 13.0 Vocational\Technical Education 55 14.0 Junior College Education 56 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) 15.0 Educational Indicators 57 15.1 Preschool Net Enrolment Rate 57 15.2 Preschool Gross Enrolment Rate 57 15.3 Primary School Net Enrolment Rate 58 15.4 Primay School Gross Enrolment Rate 58 15.5 Average Primary School Repetition Rate 59 15.6 Average Primary School Dropout Rate 59 15.7 Apparent Intake Rate 60 15.8 Net Intake Rate 60 15.9 Primary School Survival Rate and Completion Rate 61 15.10 Percentage of Trained Primary School Teachers 62 15.11 Primary School Student Teacher Ratio 62 15.12 Secondary School Net Enrolment Rate 63 15.13 Secondary School Gross Enrolment Rate 63 15.14 Average Secondary School Repetition Rate 64 15.15 Average Secondary School Dropout Rate 64 15.16 Secondary School Completion Rate 65 15.17 Percentage of Trained Secondary School Teachers 65 15.18 Secondary School Student Teacher Ratio 66 15.19 Percentage of Children Aged 12 in the Education System 66 15.20 Percentage of Children Aged 14 in the Education System 67 15.21 Total Enrolment in Education System 67 ii LIST OF TABLES PAGE 1.0 Belize in Figures TABLE 1 Population Statistics 2001-2005 1 TABLE 2 Monitoring Educational Indicators 2001/02 to 2005/06 2 3.0 Supply of Education TABLE 3A Number of Schools by District, Level and Management 2005-06 4 TABLE 3B Number of Schools by District, Level and Management 2004-05 4 4.0 Participation in Education TABLE 4A Enrolment by District, Level and Gender 2005-06 6 TABLE 4B Enrolment by District, Level and Gender 2004-05 6 5.0 Resources TABLE 5A Number of Teachders by District, Level and Gender 2005-06 8 TABLE 5B Number of Teachders by District, Level and Gender 2004-05 8 6.0 Preschool Education TABLE 6A Number of Preschools by District, Management and Urban/Rural 10 Location 2005-06 TABLE 6B Number of Preschools by District, Management and Urban/Rural 10 Location 2004-05 TABLE 7A Preschool Enrolment by Management, District, Gender and 12 Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 TABLE 7B Preschool Enrolment by Management, District, Gender and 13 Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 TABLE 8A Preschool Enrolment by Age, District and Gender 2005-06 14 TABLE 8B Preschool Enrolment by Age, District and Gender 2004-05 14 TABLE 9A Number of Preschool Teachers by District, Funding and Gender 2005-06 15 TABLE 9B Number of Preschool Teachers by District, Funding and Gender 2004-05 15 TABLE 10A Number of Preschool Teachers with ECE training by District, 16 Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 TABLE 10B Number of Preschool Teachers with ECE training by District, 16 Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 7.0 Primary Education TABLE 11A Number of Primary Schools by District, Management 17 and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 TABLE 11B Number of Primary Schools by District, Management 17 and Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 TABLE 12A Primary Enrolment by Grade, District and Gender 2005-06 19 TABLE 12B Primary Enrolment by Grade, District and Gender 2004-05 19 TABLE 13A Primary Enrolment by Age, Grade and Gender 2005-06 20 TABLE 13B Primary Enrolment by Age, Grade and Gender 2004-05 21 TABLE 14A Primary Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and 22 Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 TABLE 14B Primary Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and 23 Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 TABLE 15A Primary School Repetition Rate by District, Grade and Gender 2004-05 25 TABLE 15B Primary School Repetition Rate by District, Grade and Gender 2003-04 26 TABLE 16A Primary School Dropout Rate by District, Grade and Gender 2004-05 27 TABLE 16B Primary School Dropout Rate by District, Grade and Gender 2003-04 28 iii LIST OF TABLE (Cont.) PAGE TABLE 17A Number of Primary School Teachers by District, 29 Urban/Rural Location and Level of Training 2005-06 TABLE 17B Number of Primary School Teachers by District, 30 Urban/Rural Location and Level of Training 2004-05 TABLE 18 Student-Teacher Ratio in Primary Schools by District 32 and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 and 2004-05 TABLE 19A Transition Rate to Secondary School 2005-06 33 TABLE 19B Transition Rate to Secondary School 2004-05 33 9.0 Secondary Education TABLE 20A Number of Secondary Schools by District, Management, 34 Denomination and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 TABLE 20B Number of Secondary Schools by District, Management, 34 Denomination and Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 TABLE 21A Secondary Enrolment by District, Form and Gender 2005-06 36 TABLE 21B Secondary Enrolment by District, Form and Gender 2004-05 36 TABLE 22A Secondary Enrolment by Age, Form and Gender 2005-06 37 TABLE 22B Secondary Enrolment by Age, Form and Gender 2004-05 37 TABLE 23A Secondary Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and 38 Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 TABLE 23B Secondary Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and 38 Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 TABLE 24A Secondary School Repetition Rate by District, Form and Gender 2004-05 40 TABLE 24B Secondary School Repetition Rate by District, Form and Gender 2003-04 41 TABLE 25A Secondary School Dropout Rate by District, Form and Gender 2004-05 41 TABLE 25B Secondary School Dropout Rate by District, Form and Gender 2003-04 42 TABLE 26A Number of Secondary School Teachers by District, Gender 44 Management and Qualification 2005-06 TABLE 26B Number of Secondary School Teachers by District, Gender 45 Management and Qualification 2004-05 10.0 Enrolment Trends TABLE 27 Preschool Enrolment Trends 1996-97 to 2005-06 47 TABLE 28 Primary School Enrolment Trends 1996-97 to 2005-06 47 TABLE 29 Secondary School Enrolment Trends 1996-97 to 2005-06 48 12.0 Examination Results TABLE 30A Student Performance in PSE by District and Urban/Rural 51 Location 2005 TABLE 30B Student Performance in PSE by District and Urban/Rural 52 Location 2004 TABLE 31A Student Performance in CSEC by District and Urban/Rural 53 Location 2005 TABLE 31B Student Performance in CSEC by District and Urban/Rural 54 Location 2004 13.0 Vocational\Technical Education Table 32 Enrolment in Vocational/Technical Institution by District 2000-2005 55 Table 33 Enrolment in Vocational/Technical Institution by Age & Gender 2000-2005 55 14.0 Post-Secondary Education non Tertiary Table 34 Junior College Enrolment by Institutions & Gender 2000 to 2005 56 iv LIST OF TABLE (Cont.) PAGE 15.0 Educational Indicators TABLE 35 Preschool Net Enrolment Rate 2005-06 57 TABLE 36 Preschool Gross Enrolment Rate 2005-06 57 TABLE 37 Primary School Net Enrolment Rate 2005-06 58 TABLE 38 Primary School Gross Enrolment Rate 2005-06 58 TABLE 39 Average Primary School Repetition Rate 2004-05 59 TABLE 40 Average Primary School Dropout Rate 2004-05 59 TABLE 41 Apparent Intake Rate 2005-06 60 TABLE 42 Net Intake Rate 2005-06 60 TABLE 44A Primary School Survival Rate - 2005 61 TABLE 44B Primary School Completion Rate 2005 61 TABLE 45 Percentage of Trained Primary School Teachers 2005-06 62 TABLE 46 Primary School Student-Teacher Ratio (STR) 2005-06 62 TABLE 47 Secondary School Net Enrolment Rate 2005-06 63 TABLE 48 Secondary School Gross Enrolment Rate 2005-06 63 TABLE 49 Average Secondary School Repetition Rate 2004-05 64 TABLE 50 Average Secondary School Dropout Rate 2004-05 64 TABLE 51 Secondary School Completion Rate 2005 65 TABLE 52 Percentage of Trained Secondary School Teachers 2005-06 65 TABLE 53 Secondary School Student-Teacher Ratio (STR) 2005-06 66 TABLE 54 Percentage of 12 Year Old Children Enrolled in the Education 66 System 2005-06 TABLE 55 Percentage of 14 Year Old Children Enrolled in the Education 67 System 2005-06 TABLE 56 Total Enrolment 2005-06 67 v LIST OF FIGURES PAGE 3.0 Supply of Education Figure 1 Number of Schools by Level 2001-02 to 2005-06 5 4.0 Participation in Education Figure 2 Enrolment by Level 2001-02 to 2005-06 7 5.0 Resources Figure 3 Number of Teachers by Level 2001-02 to 2005-06 9 6.0 Preschool Education Figure 4 Distribution of Preschools by District 2005-06 11 Figure 5 Preschool Enrolment by District and U/R Location 2005-06 13 Figure 6 Distribution of Preschool Teachers by District 2005-06 16 7.0 Primary Education Figure 7 Distribution of Primary Schools by District and U/R Location 2005-06 18 Figure 8 Distribution of Primary Schools by Denomination 2005-06 18 Figure 9 Distribution of Primary Schools Enrolment by District 2005-06 24 Figure 10 Primary Schools' Repetition and Dropout Rates by District 2004-05 28 Figure 11 Distribution of Primary School Teachers by District 2005-06 31 9.0 Secondary Education Figure 12 Distribution of Secondary Schools by District and U/R Location 2005-06 35 Figure 13 Distribution of Secondary Schools by Funding 2005-06 35 Figure 14A Distribution of Secondary School Enrolment by District 2005-06 39 Figure 14B Distribution of Enrolment of Secondary School Age Students by District 2005-06 39 Figure 15 Secondary Schools' Repetion and Dropout Rates by District 2004-05 43 Figure 16 Distributions of Secondary School Teachers by qualification 2005-06 45 Figure 17 Distribution of Secondary School Teachers by District 2005-06 46 11.0 Finance Figure 18 GOB Recurrent Expenditure by Ministry 2005-06 49 Figure 19 Ministry of Education Recurrent Expenditure by Subsector 2005-06 49 Figure 20 Distribution of Ministry of Education Capital Budget 2005-06 50 Figure 21 MOES Recurrent Spending per Student by Level of Education 2005-06 50 12.0 Examination Results Figure 22 Urban and Rural Candidates' PSE Scores by Grade Ranges 2005 52 Figure 23 Percentage of Urban and Rural Candidates by District with SLP in CSEC 2005 54 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENT This 2005-06 Education Statistical Digest marks the Ninth edition of the document which presents a comprehensive report on the Ministry of Education’s Education Management Information System (EMIS). The data presented herein reflect the aggregation of the information you provided to us. It is only as you keep accurate records and report accurately that the Digest becomes a meaningful and reliable tool in establishing trends, in making projections, in formulating policies, and in the general decision-making process on issues impacting the system. Without the support of you the data providers this Digest would not have been possible, and so on behalf of the Ministry of Education I therefore wish to say ‘thank you’ to all of you—from the pre-school to the tertiary level-for providing the painstaking data in a timely manner. To Mrs. Yvonne Casildo –Flowers and Mrs. Cercia Kelly of the Planning Unit I say “Thank You!” Although Mrs. Diana Castillo-Trejo is no longer with the Unit mention must be made of her contribution to the preparation of this year’s Digest. Best wishes in your new endeavors Diana! Much gratitude is owed to Mr. Nelson Longsworth and his staff at QADS for the reproduction of the Digest; your willingness and cooperation is much appreciated! To all users and future users of the Education Statistical Digest thank you for making our efforts worthwhile! The Planning and Projects Unit would appreciate any suggestions so that we can improve future publications. vii 1.0 BELIZE IN FIGURES Table 1: Population Statistics 2001 to 2005 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total Population (thousands) 257.3 265.2 273.7 282.6 291.8 Population by District: Belize 76.4 78.8 81.4 84.2 87.0 Cayo 56.0 58.4 61.0 63.9 66.8 Corozal 33.8 34.1 34.6 35.0 35.5 Orange Walk 40.7 41.7 42.8 43.8 44.9 Stann Creek 26.0 27.0 27.9 28.9 30.0 Toledo 24.5 25.2 26.0 26.8 27.6 Population by Gender: Males 129.9 133.9 138.3 142.7 147.4 Females 127.4 131.3 135.4 139.9 144.4 Population by Age Group: 0 to 2 years 22.7 23.3 24.1 24.9 25.7 3 to 4 years 14.4 14.9 15.4 15.9 16.4 5 to 12 years 55.8 57.5 59.3 61.2 63.2 13 to 16 years 24.4 25.1 25.9 26.8 27.7 17+ years 140.1 144.3 149.0 153.8 158.8 Source: Mid-Years Estimates and Population Census 2000, Central Statistical Office; 1 Table 2: Monitoring Educational Indicators 2001 to 2005 Indicators 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 Demographic, Social & Economic Apparent Intake Rate (Primary) 94.9 93.7 97.9 100.3 Gross Enrolment Ratio (Preschool) 26.8 25.1 24.5 27.8 29.7 Gross Enrolment Ratio (Primary) 109.8 104.5 103.7 102.7 101.1 Gross Enrolment Ratio (Secondary) 60.6 58.2 59.2 57.3 60.4 Access Net intake rate (Primary) 67.8 64.6 58.3 66.9 Transition rate (primary - secondary) 87.4 90.3 84.2 87.7 84.6 Transition rate (secondary-post-secondary) 47.8 67.4 Net Enrolment Ratio (primary 5-12yrs) 95.0 91.1 90.3 88.0 88.1 Net Enrolment Ratio (secondary 13-16yrs) 45.0 42.9 44.1 45.4 45.3 Resources Total Recurrent Expenditure on Education as a Percentage of Total Government Recurrent 23.8% 22.1% 22.6% 22.5% 22.3% Total Expenditure on Education as a Percentage of Total Government Expenditure 17.6% 16.2% 16.6% 22.8% 23.4% % certified/qualified teachers at primary level 45.5% 43.3% 42.6% 42.0% 39.3% % graduate teachers at seconday level 55.6% 55.6% 54.4% 54.2% 54.0% Number of classrooms (primary) N/A N/A 2,393 2,463 2,485 Student-Teacher ratio (primary) 25 24 23 24 23 Student-Teacher ratio (secondary) 15 15 14 14 14 Average teaching load per day at secondary level 5 5 5 5 4 Internal Efficiency Repetition Rate (primary) 9.0% 9.8% 9.7% 9.4% N/A Repetition Rate (secondary) 9.1% 7.6% 7.8% 7.4% N/A Dropout Rate (primary) 0.8% 1.0% 0.9% 0.9% N/A Dropout Rate (Secondary) 10.7% 7.3% 6.5% 10.4% N/A 2 2.0 MAJOR FINDINGS • In 2005-2006 there were 142 preschools in Belize, representing an increase of 24 schools from the previous year. Of these, 27 were government, 47 were government-aided, 52 were private and 16 were specially assisted preschools. • Total preschool enrolment was 4,861 students, 51.5% of which were females and 48.5% of which were males. Enrolment in urban preschools accounted for the majority of students at this level with a total of 3,177 or 65.4%. • The total number of primary schools in Belize increased from 282 to 288 in 2005-06. These included some 250 government or government-aided denominational schools, 32 were pri- vate and 6 were specially-assisted schools. • In 2005-06 there were a total of 64,516 students enrolled in primary schools throughout the country. An estimated 51.1% of total enrolment comprised males and 48.9% females. Some 53.7% were enrolled in rural schools and 46.3% attended urban schools. The majority of students (51.0%) were enrolled in schools operated by the Roman Catholic management. • There was a total of 2,829 primary school teachers in 2005-06, an increase of 153 from the previous year. Teachers in rural schools accounted for 53.5% (1,514) while 46.5% were teaching in urban primary schools. Of the total number of primary school teachers, less than a half (46.7%) had received formal training to at least Level One. • The overall student-teacher ratio at the primary level was 22.8, slightly lower than that re- corded for 2004-05 (23.7 students per teacher). • An estimated 86.0% of all Standard 6 students transitioned from primary to secondary school in 2005-06. • For the 2005-06 school year, there were a total of 49 secondary schools in Belize, of which 31 (or 62.0%) were located in urban areas and 19 (or 38.0%) were located in rural commu- nities. Total secondary school enrolment was 16,696, of which 48.0% or 8,021 were males and 52.0% or 8,675 were females. • Of a total of 1,170 secondary school teachers, some 632 or 54.0% were university graduates and 407 or 34.8% had professional teacher training1. A total of 39.7% of secondary school teachers possessed some other qualification (for the most part, either an associate degree or high school diploma). • The Ministry of Education’s total recurrent expenditure per students for 2005-2006 aver- aged $1,926 at the secondary level, $1,062 at the primary level, and $163 at the preschool level. 1These figures include some 333 teachers who were both university graduates and had professional teacher training. 3 3.0 SUPPLY OF EDUCATION 3.1 NUMBER OF SCHOOLS For the 2005-2006 academic year, there were 494 registered schools in Belize. These included 142 preschools, 288 primary schools, 49 secondary schools, 10 institutions offering programs at the junior college level, and five tertiary level institutions. Some 98 schools (19.8%) were fully funded by the Government of Belize, while another 272 (55.1%) were government-aided institu- tions. Private and specially-assisted schools accounted for 102 (20.6%) and 22 (4.5%), respec- tively. The overall increase recorded in the total number of schools (from 462 in 2004-2005 to 494 in 2005-2006) resulted from the establishment of 24 preschools and the addition of six primary schools and four secondary schools (either newly established or recently included in the Plan- ning Unit’s EMIS data). At the tertiary level, two private institutions—Grace Medical College and St. Luke’s Medical College—ceased to operate. Table 3A: Number of Schools by District, Level & Source of Funding 2005-06 Level & Source of Funding District Pre-school Primary Secondary Junior College Tertiary TOTAL G GA P\SA G GA P\SA G GA P\SA GA G P G P TOTAL 142 288 49 10 5 Belize 14 6 25 7 41 18 7 9 2 2 * 2 0 3 136 Cayo 0 7 17 14 39 8 2 5 4 1 1* 0 1* 1 100 Corozal 5 16 6 6 35 1 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 77 Orange Walk 4 1 9 12 21 4 2 2 3 1 0 0 0 59 Stann Creek 3 7 9 5 25 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 56 Toledo 1 10 2 10 35 5 1 1 1 0 * 0 0 0 66 Total 27 47 68 54 196 38 15 22 12 7 1 2 1 4 494 Table 3B: Number of Schools by District, Level & Source of Funding 2004-05 Level & Source of Funding District Pre-school Primary Secondary Junior College Tertiary TOTAL G GA P\SA G GA P\SA G GA P\SA GA G P G P TOTAL 118 282 45 10 7 Belize 12 7 23 7 43 16 5 11 2 2 * 2 0 3 133 Cayo 0 5 17 14 40 4 2 5 3 1 1* 0 1* 3 96 Corozal 3 12 2 6 32 4 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 67 Orange Walk 3 1 6 11 22 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 52 Stann Creek 1 6 8 4 25 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 51 Toledo 1 9 2 10 34 5 1 1 0 0 * 0 0 0 63 Total 20 40 58 52 196 34 14 22 9 7 1 2 1 6 462 NOTE: G=Government, GA=Government Aided, P/SA=Private/Specially-Assisted, P=Private. *Location of University of Belize Campuses: Belize City, Belmopan (main Campus), Central Farm, and Punta Gorda 4 Figures for the period 2001-02 to 2005-06 indicate an overall upward trend in the number of schools at the various levels of education (Figure 1). The most rapid growth was recorded at the preschool level, with the number of preschools increasing by some 43 schools (from 99 in 2001-02 to 142 in 2005-06), reflecting the Ministry of Education’s drive toward expanding ac- cess to early childhood education. Figure 1: Number of Schools by Level 2001-02 to 2005-06 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Preschool 99 105 102 118 142 Primary 234 265 276 282 288 Secondary 36 39 44 45 49 Post-secondary 9 9 9 10 10 Statistics on the total number of schools at the primary level also illustrate a slow but steady in- crease, from 234 to 288, over the five-year period. Although a number of new schools have been opened between 2001-02 and 2005-06, this increase largely reflects improved data col- lection and reporting by the Planning & Projects Unit (as of 2002-03 the Unit’s annual data in- cluded private and specially-assisted primary schools, which were previously not reported along with government and government-aided schools). At the secondary level, the total number of schools grew by some 13 schools, from 36 in 2001- 02 to 49 in 2005-06. The number of post-secondary institutions remained virtually unchanged, with only one new school (Wesley Junior College) being established over the period. 5 Number of Schools 4.0 PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION 4.1 ENROLMENT During the 2005-06 school year, total enrolment in all institutions from preschool to post- secondary (junior colleges and University of Belize) grew at a rate of 2.5%% from 88,698 to 90,925 (Tables 4A and 4B). The most significant increase during this period was recorded for preschool institutions. Enrol- ment at this level increased by 10.2% (or 449 students), with growth being concentrated mainly in the Corozal, Orange Walk and Stann Creek Districts. Enrolment at the primary and secon- dary levels grew by a more modest 1.6% (or 1,042 students) and 3.4% (or 546 students), re- spectively. Similarly, post-secondary enrolment increased by 4.1% (or 190 students) for the period. Total female enrolment grew by some 1,488 (3.4%), double the overall increase of 739 (1.7%) in male enrolment. As a result, there was a shift in the overall composition of students, with fe- males outnumbering males and comprising 50.3% of all students in 2005-06 (compared to 49.7% in 2004-05). In the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts, it should be noted, there is a notice- able shift in the composition of enrolment between secondary—where females comprised less than 50% of total enrolment—and post-secondary education—where females comprised more than 70% of all students enrolled at this level. Table 4A: Enrolment by District, Level & Gender 2005-06 Level & Gender District TOTALPre-school Primary Secondary Post-Secondary M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F ALL TOTAL 2,356 2,505 4,861 32,962 31,554 64,516 8,021 8,675 16,696 1,829 3,023 4,852 45,168 45,757 90,925 Belize 1,101 1,218 2,319 9,132 8,721 17,853 2,618 3,187 5,805 624 1,256 1,880 13,475 14,382 27,857 Cayo 296 302 598 7,833 7,555 15,388 1,853 1,922 3,775 726 1,006 1,732 10,708 10,785 21,493 Corozal 311 327 638 3,857 3,811 7,668 993 1,089 2,082 236 297 533 5,397 5,524 10,921 Orange Walk 223 216 439 4,405 4,122 8,527 1,001 1,043 2,044 126 174 300 5,755 5,555 11,310 Stann Creek 293 311 604 4,483 4,150 8,633 900 873 1,773 74 177 251 5,750 5,511 11,261 Toledo 132 131 263 3,252 3,195 6,447 656 561 1,217 43 113 156 4,083 4,000 8,083 Table 4B: Enrolment by District, Level & Gender 2004-05 Level & Gender District TOTALPre-school Primary Secondary Post-Secondary M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F ALL TOTAL 2,138 2,274 4,412 32,594 30,880 63,474 7,883 8,267 16,150 1,814 2,848 4,662 44,429 44,269 88,698 Belize 1,081 1,231 2,312 8,966 8,490 17,456 2,601 3,098 5,699 618 1,139 1,757 13,266 13,958 27,224 Cayo 300 303 603 7,706 7,238 14,944 1,866 1,787 3,653 688 1,031 1,719 10,560 10,359 20,919 Corozal 220 230 450 3,904 3,870 7,774 986 1,022 2,008 202 196 398 5,312 5,318 10,630 Orange Walk 198 156 354 4,490 4,169 8,659 980 1,011 1,991 188 236 424 5,856 5,572 11,428 Stann Creek 213 229 442 4,317 3,997 8,314 825 818 1,643 73 140 213 5,428 5,184 10,612 Toledo 126 125 251 3,211 3,116 6,327 625 531 1,156 45 106 151 4,007 3,878 7,885 6 During the five year period from 2001-02 to 2005-06 enrolment at all levels of education in- creased steadily (Figure 2). The most dramatic increase was measured in the post-secondary sector, where total enrolment grew by 56.2%, from 3,107 to 4,852. Similarly, preschool enrolment experienced relatively rapid growth, increasing by 37.2% from 3,542 to 4,861. This trend was particularly evident toward the end of the five-year period in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years. During the period, enrolment in secondary institutions in- creased by a somewhat more moderate 21.0% from 13,799 to 16,696, while primary enrolment grew by 13.6% from 56,794 to 64,516. Figure 2: Enrolment by Level 2001-02 to 2005-06 65,000 60,000 55,000 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 - 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Preschool 3,542 3,791 3,765 4,412 4,861 Primary 56,794 60,056 62,109 63,474 64,516 Secondary 13,799 14,630 15,359 16,150 16,696 Post-secondary 3,107 3,246 3,254 4,662 4,852 7 Total Enrolment 5.0 RESOURCES 5.1 TOTAL TEACHING FORCE With an increase of 240 teachers (5.7%) from the 2004-05 to the 2005-06 school year, the change in the total teaching force for all schools paralleled that of total enrolment. Again, the most significant rates of growth were recorded for teachers at the junior college and preschool levels, where the teaching force increased by 26 (10.2%) and 22 (14.4%), respectively. The number of teachers at the primary level grew by 153 (5.7%) while total secondary school teach- ers increased by 39 (3.4%). The increase measured during the period was concentrated mainly in the Belize and Cayo Dis- tricts, which together accounted for an increase of 144 teachers, more than a half of the total growth for the country. Table 5A: Number of Teachers by District, Level and Gender 2005-06* Level & Gender District TOTALPre-school Primary Secondary Junior College M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F ALL TOTAL 3 279 282 796 2,033 2,829 568 602 1,170 85 90 175 1,452 3,004 4,456 Belize 1 115 116 120 696 816 189 239 428 31 47 78 341 1,097 1,438 Cayo 1 55 56 186 435 621 139 127 266 24 16 40 350 633 983 Corozal 1 32 33 120 219 339 68 76 144 18 16 34 207 343 550 Orange Walk 0 24 24 146 252 398 64 74 138 5 7 12 215 357 572 Stann Creek 0 38 38 99 264 363 64 54 118 7 4 11 170 360 530 Toledo 0 15 15 125 167 292 44 32 76 0 0 0 169 214 383 Table 5B: Number of Teachers by District, Level and Gender 2004-05* Level & Gender District TOTALPre-school Primary Secondary Junior College M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F ALL TOTAL 2 254 256 747 1,929 2,676 534 597 1,131 70 83 153 1,353 2,863 4,216 Belize 1 110 111 106 657 763 192 244 436 24 40 64 323 1,051 1,374 Cayo 0 49 49 165 412 577 119 126 245 18 14 32 302 601 903 Corozal 1 24 25 115 223 338 61 74 135 19 17 36 196 338 534 Orange Walk 0 22 22 141 245 386 65 64 129 4 8 12 210 339 549 Stann Creek 0 34 34 98 229 327 53 58 111 5 4 9 156 325 481 Toledo 0 15 15 122 163 285 44 31 75 0 0 0 166 209 375 *Teachers at the Junior College level not inclusive of University of Belize associate level programs. 8 During the period from 2001-02 to 2005-06, the total teaching force at all levels of education in- creased considerably—often growing even more rapidly than total enrolment. At the preschool level, the total teaching force grew by 72 teachers (34.3%), representing a slightly slower rate of growth than total enrolment at the preschool level. Much of this increase in the preschool teaching force occurred toward the end of this five-year period, particularly in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years. The number of primary school teachers, on the other hand, increased by some 601 teachers (26.4%), compared to only 13.6% growth in enrolment. At the secondary and junior college levels, the teaching force also increased more than enrolment, growing by some 274 teachers (30.6%) and 68 teachers (63.6%), respectively. Figure 3: Number of Teachers by Level 2001-02 to 2005-06 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 - 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Preschool 210 214 223 256 282 Primary 2,278 2,475 2,643 2,676 2,829 Secondary 896 982 1,060 1,131 1,170 Junior College 107 127 147 153 175 9 Number of Teachers 6.0 PRESCHOOL EDUCATION 6.1 NUMBER OF PRESCHOOLS During the 2005-06 school year the total number of preschools countrywide grew by 20.3% with the establishment of some 24 preschools. Of these, 14 were either fully or partially funded by the Government of Belize, and another 10 were classified as either private or specially- assisted. The majority (20 schools) were opened in rural communities, with only four new ur- ban schools being established, making the 2005-06 school year the first in which urban pre- schools were outnumbered by rural schools. By far the most rapid growth in the number of preschools was seen in the Corozal District, with a total of 10 new schools being established. All 10 were located in rural communities, and these included two government, four government-aided, and four private institutions. With just one new government-aided preschool, located in a rural community, Toledo was the district with the fewest new schools for 2005-06. Table 6A: Number of Preschools by District, Source of Funding and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 Source of District & Urban/Rural Location TOTAL Funding Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R T U R T U R T U R T U R T U R T U R ALL TOTAL 3 3 1 2 45 1 4 1 0 24 4 23 27 8 6 14 6 13 19 4 9 13 6 9 7 3 142 Government 7 7 14 0 0 0 0 5 5 1 3 4 0 3 3 0 1 1 8 19 27 Private Individual 14 1 15 9 5 14 1 5 6 7 2 9 2 4 6 1 1 2 34 18 52 Government Aided 6 0 6 3 4 7 3 13 16 0 1 1 2 5 7 3 7 10 17 30 47 Specially Assisted 6 4 10 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 10 6 16 Table 6B: Number of Preschools by District, Source of Funding and Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 Source of District & Urban/Rural Location TOTAL Funding Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R T U R T U R T U R T U R T U R T U R ALL TOTAL 31 11 42 13 9 22 4 13 17 7 3 10 6 9 15 4 8 12 65 53 118 Government 6 6 12 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 2 3 0 1 1 0 1 1 7 13 20 Private Individual 13 3 16 8 6 14 1 1 2 6 0 6 2 3 5 1 1 2 31 14 45 Government Aided 6 1 7 3 2 5 3 9 12 0 1 1 2 4 6 3 6 9 17 23 40 Specially Assisted 6 1 7 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 10 3 13 10 More than two thirds of all preschools countrywide were located within the Belize, Corozal and Cayo Districts, which accounted for 45 schools (31.7%), 27 schools (19.0%) and 24 schools (16.9%), respectively. Although these were fairly evenly distributed between urban and rural communities, most schools in the Belize District—33 of a total of 45— were concentrated in ur- ban areas while almost all Corozal District schools—23 of a total of 27—were located in rural communities. Figure 4: Distribution of Preschools by District 2005-06 Toledo 9.2% Orange Walk Belize 9.9% 31.7% Stann Creek 13.4% Cayo Corozal 16.9% 19.0% 11 6.2 PRESCHOOL ENROLMENT Total preschool enrolment for 2005-06 grew by 449 students (10.2%), from 4,412 to 4,861. Fe- males continued to outnumber males, comprising 51.5% of total enrolment (2,505 girls com- pared to 2,356 boys). This was particularly true of urban schools, as the number of males and females enrolled in rural schools were approximately equal. Notwithstanding the fact that the number of preschools located in rural communities outnum- bered urban preschools in 2005-06, participation in preschool education continued to be con- centrated in the towns and cities, with 65.4% of students being enrolled in urban schools. Nonetheless, growth in rural enrolment accounted for the entire increase of 470 (38.7%) in the number of children attending preschool in 2005-06. Urban enrolment actually declined mar- ginally by 21 students (0.7%) during the period. Three districts, Corozal, Orange Walk and Stann Creek, together accounted for virtually all the growth in preschool enrolment for 2005-06, with only marginal growth in the Belize and Toledo Districts and a small decline in the Cayo District. Enrolment in community and organization-managed schools declined during the period from 2004-05 to 2005-06 by 27 (2.5%) and 47 (13.2%) students respectively. In contrast, the number of children attending government and denominational schools increased considerably by 67 (37.4%) and 439 (37.8%), respectively. This indicates a shift away from the former to the latter and is consistent with the Ministry’s recent focus on increasing access by attaching preschools to denominational and government schools2 Table 7A: Preschool Enrolment by Management, District, Gender and Urban/Rural location 2005-06 District & Urban/Rural Location Management TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R ALL TOTAL 2,041 278 2,319 424 174 598 160 478 638 272 167 439 218 386 604 62 201 263 3,177 1,684 4,861 Government 18 70 88 0 0 0 0 64 64 0 47 47 0 27 27 0 20 20 18 228 246 Community 426 126 552 164 40 204 30 33 63 25 42 67 121 51 172 0 0 0 766 292 1,058 Denominational 345 13 358 62 67 129 54 311 365 92 78 170 80 263 343 36 162 198 669 894 1,563 Organization 259 46 305 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 259 51 310 Private 993 23 1,016 198 67 265 76 65 141 155 0 155 17 45 62 26 19 45 1,465 219 1,684 MALES 968 133 1,101 207 89 296 72 239 311 139 84 223 101 192 293 26 106 132 1,513 843 2,356 Government 9 36 45 0 0 0 0 35 35 0 23 23 0 15 15 0 8 8 9 117 126 Community 208 56 264 85 20 105 13 15 28 13 19 32 57 26 83 0 0 0 376 136 512 Denominational 160 7 167 30 34 64 24 149 173 50 42 92 35 128 163 15 87 102 314 447 761 Organization 114 20 134 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 25 139 Private 477 14 491 92 35 127 35 35 70 76 0 76 9 23 32 11 11 22 700 118 818 FEMALES 1,073 145 1,218 217 85 302 88 239 327 133 83 216 117 194 311 36 95 131 1,664 841 2,505 Government 9 34 43 0 0 0 0 29 29 0 24 24 0 12 12 0 12 12 9 111 120 Community 218 70 288 79 20 99 17 18 35 12 23 35 64 25 89 0 0 0 390 156 546 Denominational 185 6 191 32 33 65 30 162 192 42 36 78 45 135 180 21 75 96 355 447 802 Organization 145 26 171 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 145 26 171 Private 516 9 525 106 32 138 41 30 71 79 0 79 8 22 30 15 8 23 765 101 866 2Government also assumed the responsibility for the salaries and the management of a number of community schools, while other community schools were attached to denominational schools. 12 Table 7B: Preschool Enrolment by Management, District, Gender and Urban/Rural location 2004-05 District & Urban/Rural Location Management TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R TOTAL U R ALL TOTAL 2,018 294 2,312 455 148 603 165 285 450 274 80 354 206 236 442 80 171 251 3,198 1,214 4,412 Government 0 85 85 0 0 0 0 41 41 0 37 37 0 0 0 0 16 16 0 179 179 Community 428 117 545 177 46 223 51 35 86 23 20 43 113 75 188 0 0 0 792 293 1,085 Denominational 347 20 367 24 51 75 43 198 241 44 23 67 81 112 193 55 136 191 594 540 1,134 Organization 305 52 357 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 305 52 357 Private 938 20 958 254 51 305 71 11 82 207 0 207 12 49 61 25 19 44 1,507 150 1,657 MALES 941 140 1,081 223 77 300 82 138 220 147 51 198 90 123 213 40 86 126 1,523 615 2,138 Government 0 46 46 0 0 0 0 18 18 0 19 19 0 0 0 0 8 8 0 91 91 Community 204 45 249 87 21 108 28 16 44 14 15 29 51 34 85 0 0 0 384 131 515 Denominational 172 11 183 12 29 41 18 98 116 17 17 34 33 61 94 28 67 95 280 283 563 Organization 148 26 174 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 148 26 174 Private 417 12 429 124 27 151 36 6 42 116 0 116 6 28 34 12 11 23 711 84 795 FEMALES 1,077 154 1231 232 71 303 83 147 230 127 29 156 116 113 229 40 85 125 1,675 599 2,274 Government 0 39 39 0 0 0 0 23 23 0 18 18 0 0 0 0 8 8 - 88 88 Community 224 72 296 90 25 115 23 19 42 9 5 14 62 41 103 0 0 0 408 162 570 Denominational 175 9 184 12 22 34 25 100 125 27 6 33 48 51 99 27 69 96 314 257 571 Organization 157 26 183 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 157 26 183 Private 521 8 529 130 24 154 35 5 40 91 0 91 6 21 27 13 8 21 796 66 862 Although less than one third of all preschools were located in the Belize District, almost one-half of the total enrolment were in schools in this district, with enrolment being heavily concen- trated in Belize City and San Pedro Town schools. In contrast, total rural enrolment for the other five districts combined exceeded urban enrolment. Figure 5: Preschool Enrolment by District and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 2,500 2,041 2,000 1,500 1,000 424 478 386500 278 272 174 160 167 218 20162 - Belize Cayo Corozal O. Walk S.Creek Toledo Urban Rural 13 In 2005-06 the number of children aged five and older enrolled in preschool institutions dou- bled from 50 to 100. This was primarily due to a considerable increase in the number of chil- dren within this age range who were enrolled in the Orange Walk and Belize Districts, which increased from two to 20 and from 18 to 43, respectively. Nonetheless, of all children enrolled at the preschool level in 2005-06 some 4,666 (96.0%) were within the prescribed age group (3-4 years old). This was a slight change from the previous school year, when three and four year olds comprised 98.0% of total enrolment, indicating a marginal increase in the number of under/over-aged children enrolled at this level. Table 8A: Preschool Enrolment by Age, District and Gender 2005-06 District & Gender AGE TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F ALL TOTAL 1,101 1,218 2,319 296 302 598 311 327 638 223 216 439 293 311 604 132 131 263 2,356 2,505 4,861 <3 44 37 81 2 2 4 2 4 6 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 49 46 95 3 404 459 863 71 72 143 117 107 224 66 74 140 126 123 249 42 49 91 826 884 1,710 4 639 712 1,351 219 221 440 191 215 406 145 133 278 167 187 354 67 60 127 1,428 1,528 2,956 5 10 8 18 4 7 11 0 1 1 10 7 17 0 0 0 18 19 37 42 42 84 >5 4 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 3 0 0 0 4 2 6 11 5 16 Table 8B: Preschool Enrolment by Age, District and Gender 2004-05 District & Gender AGE TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F TOTAL M F ALL TOTAL 1,081 1,231 2,312 300 303 603 220 230 450 198 156 354 213 229 442 126 125 251 2,138 2,274 4,412 <3 12 16 28 1 3 4 1 2 3 0 3 3 1 0 1 1 0 1 16 24 40 3 382 475 857 75 89 164 89 65 154 58 44 102 73 88 161 25 30 55 702 791 1,493 4 673 734 1,407 221 205 426 129 163 292 140 107 247 139 141 280 91 86 177 1,393 1,436 2,829 5 12 6 18 3 5 8 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 5 7 12 21 20 41 >5 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 6 6 3 9 14 6.3 PRESCHOOL TEACHERS The total number of preschool teachers increased by some 26 teachers or 10.2%, paralleling the growth in enrolment at this level. Similarly, these additions to the preschool teaching force were concentrated in those institutions which were either fully or partially funded by the gov- ernment, with a total of 18 new teachers in government and government-aided schools. In com- parison, private and specially-assisted preschools gained a total of only eight new teachers. As in previous years, virtually the entire preschool teaching force was female, with only three male teachers in 2005-06 (in 2004-05 there were two male teachers). Table 9A: Number of Preschool Teachers by Source of Funding, District and Gender 2005-06 District & Gender Funding TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo M F T M F T M F T M F T M F T M F T M F ALL TOTAL 1 115 116 1 55 56 1 32 33 0 24 24 0 38 38 0 15 15 3 279 282 Government 0 34 34 0 0 0 0 8 8 0 7 7 0 4 4 0 1 1 0 54 54 Government Aided 0 18 18 0 22 22 1 18 19 0 2 2 0 16 16 0 12 12 1 88 89 Specially Assisted 0 19 19 0 6 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 31 31 Private 1 44 45 1 27 28 0 5 5 0 15 15 0 13 13 0 2 2 2 106 108 Table 9B: Number of Preschool Teachers by Source of Funding, District and Gender 2004-05 District & Gender Funding TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo M F T M F T M F T M F T M F T M F T M F ALL TOTAL 1 111 112 0 49 49 1 24 25 0 22 22 0 33 33 0 15 15 2 254 256 Government 0 22 22 0 6 6 0 9 9 0 5 5 0 6 6 0 2 2 0 50 50 Government Aided 0 30 30 0 18 18 0 6 6 0 6 6 0 9 9 0 6 6 0 75 75 Specially Assisted 0 9 9 0 6 6 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 7 7 0 1 1 1 24 25 Private 1 50 51 0 19 19 0 8 8 0 11 11 0 11 11 0 6 6 1 105 106 The most significant increase in the number of preschool teachers was in the Corozal District, with an increase of eight teachers (or 32.0%). Similarly, the Stann Creek District gained an ad- ditional five teachers (an increase of 15.2%) in 2005-06. This was consistent with the increase in the number of schools and enrolment for these districts. On the other hand, it should be noted that the preschool teaching force in the Cayo District also increased in 2005-06 (by seven teach- ers or 14.3%), despite a slight decline in enrolment from 603 to 598 during the period. The number of teachers in the other districts grew marginally as well, with the exception of Toledo, in which there was no change. There were 116 preschool teachers in the Belize District—representing 41.1% of the national preschool teaching force. The Toledo District had 15 teachers (5.3%), the fewest number of preschool teachers of the national total. 15 Figure 6: Distribution of Preschool Teachers by District 2005-06 Toledo Orange Walk 5.3% 8.5% Stann Creek Belize 13.5% 41.1% Corozal 11.7% Cayo 19.9% Some 179 or 63.5% of all preschool teachers in 2005-06 had received training in ECE (early childhood education). This represented a slight decline in the percentage of teachers who had received such training from 64.1% in 2004-05, although it should be noted that the actual num- ber of ECE trained teachers increased by 15 from 164 over this period. Similarly, while the number of rural teachers with ECE training increased from 56 to 65, they represented a smaller percentage of all rural teachers (62.5% in 2005-06 compared to 71.8% in 2004-05), as only nine of the 26 teachers that joined the teaching force in rural communities were trained. The total number of urban teachers remained unchanged; however the proportion with ECE training in- creased from 60.7% to 64.0%. Table 10A: Number of Preschool Teachers with ECE Training by District & U/R Location2005-06 Urban Rural ALL TEACHERS DISTRICT Total # of No. ECE % of all Total # of No. ECE % of all Total # of No. ECE % of all Teachers Trained Teachers Teachers Trained Teachers Teachers Trained Teachers TOTAL 178 114 64.0% 104 65 62.5% 282 179 63.5% Belize 92 62 67.4% 24 20 83.3% 116 82 70.7% Cayo 37 20 54.1% 19 11 57.9% 56 31 55.4% Corozal 10 7 70.0% 23 13 56.5% 33 20 60.6% Orange Walk 17 12 70.6% 7 6 85.7% 24 18 75.0% Stann Creek 18 10 55.6% 20 10 50.0% 38 20 52.6% Toledo 4 3 75.0% 11 5 45.5% 15 8 53.3% Table 10B: Number of Preschool Teachers by District & ECE Training 2004-05 Urban Rural ALL TEACHERS DISTRICT Total # of No. ECE % of all Total # of No. ECE % of all Total # of No. ECE % of all Teachers Trained Teachers Teachers Trained Teachers Teachers Trained Teachers TOTAL 178 108 60.7% 78 56 71.8% 256 164 64.1% Belize 90 52 57.8% 21 19 90.5% 111 71 64.0% Cayo 34 18 52.9% 15 12 80.0% 49 30 61.2% Corozal 11 9 81.8% 14 11 78.6% 25 20 80.0% Orange Walk 18 15 83.3% 4 3 75.0% 22 18 81.8% Stann Creek 20 10 50.0% 14 8 57.1% 34 18 52.9% Toledo 5 4 80.0% 10 3 30.0% 15 7 46.7% 16 7.0 PRIMARY EDUCATION 7.1 NUMBER OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS EMIS data for the 2005-06 school year indicated that there were a total of 288 primary schools throughout the country of Belize—an increase of six schools from the previous year. This was due largely to the addition of five existing schools to the EMIS data set. There were also two newly opened Roman Catholic schools (one in the Stann Creek District and one in Toledo). One Seventh Day Adventist School in the Belize District was closed. Table 11A: Number of Primary Schools by District, Management and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 DISTRICT & URBAN/RURAL LOCATION MANAGEMENT TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R U R U R U R U R U R U R All TOTAL 66 61 42 37 32 50 78 210 288 39 27 15 46 7 35 7 30 6 26 4 46 Government 1 6 2 12 0 6 1 11 0 5 0 10 4 50 54 Roman Catholic 6 7 5 21 2 18 2 13 2 12 2 28 19 99 118 Anglican 4 4 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 8 10 18 Methodist 5 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 1 2 8 8 16 Seventh Day Adventist 3 2 3 2 1 5 1 0 1 1 1 0 10 10 20 Nazarene 1 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 7 Assemblies of God 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 3 5 Private 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 10 7 17 Other 8 6 2 5 1 3 2 3 0 1 0 2 13 20 33 Table 11B: Number of Primary Schools by District, Management and Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 DISTRICT & URBAN/RURAL LOCATION MANAGEMENT TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R U R U R U R U R U R U R All TOTAL 65 59 42 36 31 49 74 208 282 37 28 14 45 7 35 7 29 6 25 3 46 Government 1 6 2 12 0 6 1 11 0 5 0 10 4 50 54 Roman Catholic 6 7 5 21 2 18 2 13 2 11 1 28 18 98 116 Anglican 4 4 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 8 10 18 Methodist 5 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 1 2 8 8 16 Seventh Day Adventist 3 3 3 2 1 5 1 0 1 1 1 0 10 11 21 Nazarene 1 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 7 Assemblies of God 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 3 5 Private 8 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 2 8 6 14 Other 8 6 1 4 1 3 2 3 0 1 0 2 12 19 31 17 For the 2005-06 school year, some 210 (72.9%) of all primary schools in Belize were located in rural communities, while 78 (27.1%) were urban schools. Rural schools greatly outnumbered urban schools in all districts except for the Belize District, in which 39 primary schools were lo- cated in urban communities compared to 27 rural schools. Figure 7: Distribution of Primary Schools by District and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 50 46 46 45 40 39 35 35 30 30 27 26 25 20 15 15 10 7 7 6 5 4 0 Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo Urban Rural As in previous years, Roman Catholic and Government schools comprised more than a half of all primary schools in Belize, managing 41.0% and 18.8% of all schools, respectively. The Sev- enth Day Adventist, Anglican and Methodist managements accounted for 6.9%, 6.3% and 5.6%, respectively. Privately operated schools comprised 5.9% of all primary schools during this pe- riod. Figure 8: Distribution of Primary Schools by Denomination 2005-06 Nazarene N2a.4z%arene Methodis t 2.4% Assem blies Methodis t of AGsosde m1.7b%lies 5.6% 5.6% of God 1.7% Private 5.9% Private 5.9% Rom an CaRthoomliac n Anglican 6.3% Catholic Anglican 6.3% 41.0% 41.0% SDA 6.9% SDA 6.9% Other 11.5% Other 11.5% Governm ent G1o8v.e8r%nm ent 18.8% 18 7.2 PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT A total of 64,516 children were enrolled in primary schools across the country in 2005-06, rep- resenting an increase of 1,042 (1.6%) from the previous year. This increase was mostly attribut- able to an increase in the number of female students at this level—the number of girls enrolled increased by some 674 students, compared with an increase of 368 in the number of males. Al- though males continued to outnumber females at the primary level (32,962 and 31,554, respec- tively), the proportion of the all primary students comprising boys dropped slightly from 51.4% to 51.1%. All districts experienced increases in total primary school enrolment during the period, except for the two northern districts, Corozal and Orange Walk, where enrolment declined by 106 and 132, respectively. In almost all primary schools in both districts enrolment for 2005-04 was lower than in the previous year. Table 12A: Primary Enrolment by Grade, District and Gender 2005-06 District & Gender Grade TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo M F M F M F M F M F M F M F All TOTAL 17,853 15,388 7,668 8,527 8,633 6,447 32,962 31,554 64,516 9,132 8,721 7,833 7,555 3,857 3,811 4,405 4,122 4,483 4,150 3,252 3,195 Special Ed. 8 5 2 1 8 6 29 20 13 7 6 6 66 45 111 Beginners 117 129 39 42 13 10 9 4 5 5 54 63 237 253 490 Infant 1 1,352 1,265 1,257 1,179 592 568 672 641 729 628 529 506 5,131 4,787 9,918 Infant 2 1,230 1,121 1,074 1,023 482 471 627 549 680 621 421 461 4,514 4,246 8,760 Standard 1 1,178 1,091 1,030 978 473 486 580 582 623 557 443 440 4,327 4,134 8,461 Standard 2 1,124 1,068 942 918 454 474 538 485 621 570 399 408 4,078 3,923 8,001 Standard 3 1,239 1,157 968 972 469 456 570 489 521 530 408 400 4,175 4,004 8,179 Standard 4 1,045 1,010 964 930 484 457 514 494 510 444 405 320 3,922 3,655 7,577 Standard 5 974 970 888 768 467 447 484 451 429 421 342 345 3,584 3,402 6,986 Standard 6 865 905 669 744 415 436 382 407 352 367 245 246 2,928 3,105 6,033 Table 12B: Primary Enrolment by Grade, District and Gender 2004-05 District & Gender Grade TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo M F M F M F M F M F M F M F All TOTAL 17,456 14,945 7,774 8,659 8,314 6,326 32,594 30,880 63,474 8,966 8,490 7,707 7,238 3,904 3,870 4,490 4,169 4,317 3,997 3,210 3,116 Special Ed. 83 50 0 0 11 6 17 11 0 0 9 5 120 72 192 Beginners 78 94 93 107 48 84 10 9 6 12 0 7 235 313 548 Infant 1 1,315 1,194 1,142 1,063 562 521 665 629 737 639 511 496 4,932 4,542 9,474 Infant 2 1,178 1,103 1,063 964 473 484 579 577 594 547 441 446 4,328 4,121 8,449 Standard 1 1,167 1,103 977 922 481 467 605 467 639 586 431 450 4,300 3,995 8,295 Standard 2 1,247 1,170 948 961 473 478 564 483 549 535 434 416 4,215 4,043 8,258 Standard 3 1,036 1,008 980 905 499 471 538 493 548 493 401 347 4,002 3,717 7,719 Standard 4 971 980 977 836 514 458 531 515 478 466 386 392 3,857 3,647 7,504 Standard 5 1,080 920 847 790 493 479 531 525 412 405 322 288 3,685 3,407 7,092 Standard 6 811 868 680 690 350 422 450 460 354 314 275 269 2,920 3,023 5,943 19 With the establishment of 24 additional preschools in 2005-06, some progress was made in the MOE’s efforts to phase out the Beginners grade at the primary school level. The total number of students enrolled in this grade declined slightly by 58 (10.6%) from 548 to 490 over the period. More significant, however, was the change in the total number of 3 and 4 year olds enrolled at this level, which declined by 681 (21.0%) from 3,246 to 2,565. Moreover, there were no 3-year Table 13A: Primary Enrolment by Age, Grade and Gender 2005-06 Grade Age Sp.Ed. Begin. Inf. 1 Inf. 2 Std.1 Std.2 Std.3 Std.4 Std.5 Std.6 Total TOTAL 111 490 9,918 8,760 8,461 8,001 8,179 7,577 6,986 6,033 64,516 3 1 83 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 4 0 186 2,288 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,481 5 2 201 5,535 1,757 25 0 0 0 0 0 7,520 6 9 15 1,716 4,311 1,490 38 0 0 0 0 7,579 7 10 5 279 1,957 3,571 1,248 40 0 0 0 7,110 8 7 0 63 522 2,226 3,154 1,155 23 0 0 7,150 9 15 0 22 146 767 2,103 2,880 935 31 1 6,900 10 13 0 9 39 277 962 2,319 2,566 856 39 7,080 11 20 0 3 15 76 322 1,102 2,107 2,191 729 6,565 12 10 0 3 4 25 146 507 1,303 2,118 2,026 6,142 13 15 0 0 2 4 23 139 492 1,214 1,821 3,710 14 2 0 0 0 0 5 32 114 456 1,014 1,623 15+ 7 0 0 0 0 0 5 37 120 403 572 Male 66 237 5,131 4,514 4,327 4,078 4,175 3,922 3,584 2,928 32,962 3 1 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 4 0 103 1,126 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,234 5 2 97 2,879 801 10 0 0 0 0 0 3,789 6 3 11 931 2,229 679 11 0 0 0 0 3,864 7 4 3 138 1,079 1741 547 12 0 0 0 3,524 8 4 0 37 288 1239 1,506 501 15 0 0 3,590 9 9 0 12 76 445 1,141 1,339 407 12 1 3,442 10 11 0 5 22 144 580 1,267 1,176 365 12 3,582 11 13 0 2 9 49 185 644 1,127 993 299 3,321 12 4 0 1 4 17 89 309 788 1,105 892 3,209 13 8 0 0 1 3 15 78 304 719 921 2,049 14 2 0 0 0 0 4 21 80 307 568 982 15+ 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 25 83 235 352 Female 45 253 4,787 4,246 4,134 3,923 4,004 3,655 3,402 3,105 31,554 3 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 4 0 83 1,162 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,247 5 0 104 2,656 956 15 0 0 0 0 0 3,731 6 6 4 785 2,082 811 27 0 0 0 0 3,715 7 6 2 141 878 1,830 701 28 0 0 0 3,586 8 3 0 26 234 987 1,648 654 8 0 0 3,560 9 6 0 10 70 322 962 1,541 528 19 0 3,458 10 2 0 4 17 133 382 1,052 1,390 491 27 3,498 11 7 0 1 6 27 137 458 980 1,198 430 3,244 12 6 0 2 0 8 57 198 515 1,013 1,134 2,933 13 7 0 0 1 1 8 61 188 495 900 1,661 14 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 34 149 446 641 15+ 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 37 168 220 20 olds enrolled in Infant 1, unlike the previous year when there were 10 children aged 3 enrolled in this grade. A total of 572 children aged 15 and older were enrolled at the primary level in 2005-06, of which 352 (61.5%) were males while 220 (38.5%) were females. Table 13B: Primary Enrolment by Age, Grade and Gender 2004-05 Grade Age Sp.Ed. Begin. Inf. 1 Inf. 2 Std.1 Std.2 Std.3 Std.4 Std.5 Std.6 ALL TOTAL 192 548 9,474 8,449 8,295 8,258 7,719 7,504 7,092 5,943 63,474 3 1 48 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 4 1 206 2,249 730 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,186 5 10 276 5,175 2,907 23 0 0 0 0 0 8,391 6 11 15 1,638 3,172 1,336 25 0 0 0 0 6,197 7 22 3 295 1,234 3,606 1,184 28 0 0 0 6,372 8 19 0 66 286 2,151 3,108 1,069 33 1 0 6,733 9 24 0 22 89 832 2,305 2,773 907 27 9 6,988 10 24 0 13 22 260 1,071 2,165 2,432 817 58 6,862 11 13 0 4 5 52 392 1,136 2,091 2,240 717 6,650 12 19 0 1 2 24 131 389 1,336 2,164 1,938 6,004 13 13 0 1 1 6 30 130 560 1,270 1,857 3,868 14 7 0 0 0 5 10 24 123 477 963 1,609 15+ 28 0 0 0 0 2 5 22 96 401 554 Male 120 235 4,932 4,328 4,300 4,215 4,002 3,857 3,685 2,920 32,594 3 0 15 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 4 1 88 1,132 723 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,944 5 7 130 2,674 2,073 14 0 0 0 0 0 4,898 6 6 2 892 1,147 627 6 0 0 0 0 2,680 7 14 0 167 288 1,791 506 12 0 0 0 2,778 8 11 0 35 65 1,170 1,481 447 14 0 0 3,223 9 21 0 10 21 489 1,248 1,314 405 6 0 3,514 10 17 0 11 4 160 645 1,206 1,145 332 21 3,541 11 6 0 2 4 26 229 699 1,088 1,053 313 3,420 12 11 0 1 1 17 66 227 766 1,175 859 3,123 13 6 1 1 3 24 77 347 761 924 2,144 14 4 0 0 0 3 9 16 81 292 564 969 15+ 16 0 0 0 0 1 4 11 66 239 337 Female 72 313 4,542 4,121 3,995 4,043 3,717 3,647 3,407 3,023 30,880 3 1 33 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 37 4 0 118 1,117 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,242 5 3 146 2,501 834 9 0 0 0 0 0 3,493 6 5 13 746 2,025 709 19 0 0 0 0 3,517 7 8 3 128 946 1,815 678 16 0 0 0 3,594 8 8 0 31 221 981 1,627 622 19 1 0 3,510 9 3 0 12 68 343 1,057 1,459 502 21 9 3,474 10 7 0 2 18 100 426 959 1,287 485 37 3,321 11 7 0 2 1 26 163 437 1,003 1,187 404 3,230 12 8 0 0 1 7 65 162 570 989 1,079 2,881 13 7 0 0 0 3 6 53 213 509 933 1,724 14 3 0 0 0 2 1 8 42 185 399 640 15+ 12 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 30 162 217 21 Growth in primary school enrolment for 2005-06 was driven by growth in rural enrolment, which increased by 862 (2.6%) compared to 180 (0.6%) in urban schools. In rural schools, growth in female enrolment exceeded that of male enrolment. Among urban schools the num- ber of males enrolled actually declined marginally by 49 in 2005-06. Table 14A: Primary Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 DISTRICT & URBAN/RURAL LOCATION MANAGEMENT TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Total TOTAL 13,926 3,927 7,069 8,319 2,032 5,636 3,309 5,218 2,254 6,379 1,209 5,238 29,799 34,717 64,516 Government 107 1,008 1,103 1,970 0 830 990 2,111 0 1,837 0 725 2,200 8,481 10,681 Roman Catholic 5,475 1,370 4,027 4,353 1,014 3,567 1,386 2,421 1,298 3,017 924 4,078 14,124 18,806 32,930 Anglican 2,374 173 395 278 158 0 316 0 247 452 0 60 3,490 963 4,453 Methodist 2,092 367 0 0 333 155 0 0 315 430 194 182 2,934 1,134 4,068 Seventh Day Adventist 639 279 449 195 244 507 196 0 228 85 91 0 1,847 1,066 2,913 Nazarene 146 0 1,002 422 124 213 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,272 635 1,907 Assemblies of God 206 0 0 209 0 55 0 0 166 319 0 0 372 583 955 Private 1,092 0 0 154 0 0 0 226 0 39 0 145 1,092 564 1,656 Other 1,795 730 93 738 159 309 421 460 0 200 0 48 2,468 2,485 4,953 MALES 7,080 2,052 3,573 4,260 998 2,859 1,728 2,677 1,172 3,311 626 2,626 15,177 17,785 32,962 Government 68 525 551 1,014 0 439 506 1,096 0 921 0 370 1,125 4,365 5,490 Roman Catholic 2,801 713 2,050 2,228 480 1,807 755 1,221 685 1,574 473 2,048 7,244 9,591 16,835 Anglican 1,191 92 197 149 82 0 157 0 116 248 0 31 1,743 520 2,263 Methodist 1,076 192 0 0 175 78 0 0 162 234 104 86 1,517 590 2,107 Seventh Day Adventist 323 161 233 105 123 261 92 0 122 44 49 0 942 571 1,513 Nazarene 85 0 499 203 56 98 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 301 941 Assemblies of God 104 0 0 110 0 27 0 0 87 168 0 0 191 305 496 Private 519 0 0 65 0 0 0 122 0 20 0 63 519 270 789 Other 913 369 43 386 82 149 218 238 0 102 0 28 1,256 1,272 2,528 FEMALES 6,846 1,875 3,496 4,059 1,034 2,777 1,581 2,541 1,082 3,068 583 2,612 14,622 16,932 31,554 Government 39 483 552 956 0 391 484 1,015 0 916 0 355 1,075 4,116 5,191 Roman Catholic 2,674 657 1,977 2,125 534 1,760 631 1,200 613 1,443 451 2,030 6,880 9,215 16,095 Anglican 1,183 81 198 129 76 0 159 0 131 204 0 29 1,747 443 2,190 Methodist 1,016 175 0 0 158 77 0 0 153 196 90 96 1,417 544 1,961 Seventh Day Adventist 316 118 216 90 121 246 104 0 106 41 42 0 905 495 1,400 Nazarene 61 0 503 219 68 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 632 334 966 Assemblies of God 102 0 0 99 0 28 0 0 79 151 0 0 181 278 459 Private 573 0 0 89 0 0 0 104 0 19 0 82 573 294 867 Other 882 361 50 352 77 160 203 222 0 98 0 20 1,212 1,213 2,425 22 Roman Catholic and Government managed primary schools together accounted for over two- thirds of total enrolment at this level, with 51.0% and 16.6%, respectively. Of the 51.0% en- rolled in Roman Catholic schools, 57.1% were enrolled in rural schools and of the 16.6% in gov- ernment schools, 79.4% were in schools in the rural areas. As would be expected, most of the increase in total enrolment was attributable to Roman Catholic and Government schools, with growth being concentrated in schools located in rural areas. Table 14B: Primary Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 DISTRICT & URBAN/RURAL LOCATION MANAGEMENT TOTALBelize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Total TOTAL 13,809 3,647 6,933 8,012 2,083 5,691 4,347 4,312 2,230 6,084 1,220 5,106 30,622 32,852 63,474 Government 126 806 1,075 1,805 0 852 1,944 1,152 0 799 0 678 3,145 6,092 9,237 Roman Catholic 5,473 1,333 3,882 4,305 1,027 3,565 1,431 2,497 1,270 2,797 916 4,001 13,999 18,498 32,497 Anglican 2,376 184 395 244 167 0 309 0 257 456 0 65 3,504 949 4,453 Methodist 2,087 343 0 0 357 172 0 124 306 380 224 195 2,974 1,214 4,188 Seventh Day Adventist 620 276 445 179 225 500 212 0 240 0 80 0 1,822 955 2,777 Nazarene 148 0 979 387 128 228 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,255 615 1,870 Assemblies of God 337 0 0 217 0 63 0 0 157 301 0 0 494 581 1,075 Other 2,642 705 157 875 179 311 451 539 0 1,351 0 167 3,429 3,948 7,377 MALES 7,090 1,876 3,549 4,158 1,046 2,858 2,272 2,218 1,153 3,164 635 2,575 15,745 16,849 32,594 Government 78 424 543 930 0 443 1,011 617 0 420 0 348 1,632 3,182 4,814 Roman Catholic 2,856 679 2,017 2,235 495 1,791 767 1,250 657 1,454 476 2,017 7,268 9,426 16,694 Anglican 1,180 99 202 121 94 0 169 0 129 255 0 34 1,774 509 2,283 Methodist 1,046 172 0 0 181 88 0 67 161 207 113 95 1,501 629 2,130 Seventh Day Adventist 324 148 232 98 120 255 98 0 123 0 46 0 943 501 1,444 Nazarene 87 0 491 193 62 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 296 936 Assemblies of God 177 0 0 109 0 32 0 0 83 154 0 0 260 295 555 Other 1,342 354 64 472 94 146 227 284 0 674 0 81 1,727 2,011 3,738 FEMALES 6,719 1,771 3,384 3,854 1,037 2,833 2,075 2,094 1,077 2,920 585 2,531 14,877 16,003 30,880 Government 48 382 532 875 0 409 933 535 0 379 0 330 1,513 2,910 4,423 Roman Catholic 2,617 654 1,865 2,070 532 1,774 664 1,247 613 1,343 440 1,984 6,731 9,072 15,803 Anglican 1,196 85 193 123 73 0 140 0 128 201 0 31 1,730 440 2,170 Methodist 1,041 171 0 0 176 84 0 57 145 173 111 100 1,473 585 2,058 Seventh Day Adventist 296 128 213 81 105 245 114 0 117 0 34 0 879 454 1,333 Nazarene 61 0 488 194 66 125 0 0 0 0 0 0 615 319 934 Assemblies of God 160 0 0 108 0 31 0 0 74 147 0 0 234 286 520 Other 1,300 351 93 403 85 165 224 255 0 677 0 86 1,702 1,937 3,639 23 The Belize and Cayo Districts together accounted for over a half of all students enrolled in pri- mary schools, with 27.7% and 23.9% of total enrolment, respectively. The Toledo District, on the other hand, accounted for only 10.0% of total enrolment. The distribution of enrolment across districts remained virtually unchanged from the previous year. Figure 9: Distribution of Primary Enrolment by District 2005-06 Toledo Belize Corozal 10.0% 27.7% 11.9% Orange W alk 13.2% Stann Cayo Creek 23.9% 13.4% 24 7.3 REPETITION AND DROPOUT RATES A total of 6,056 students enrolled in the primary school system were repeating the same grade in which they had been enrolled in the previous school year—representing a repetition rate of 9.5% for 2004-05, a slight improvement over the 2003-04 repetition rate of 9.7%. There was in fact a marginal decline in repetition rates across all grades. Most notable were the Infant 2, Standard 2 and Standard 3 levels, where repetition rates declined by more than one percent- age point and the Standard 4 level where the incidence of repetition was a full three percentage points below that of the previous year. More than a half of all repeaters at this level were males (3,507 males compared with 2,549 fe- males), a fact that was reflected in their respective repetition rates (10.7% for males compared with 8.2% for females). At all grades male repetition rates were higher than that of females, ex- cept for Standard 6 (where 3.3% of males repeated compared to 4.1% of females). There was generally more than a 2 percentage point disparity between the two genders, and at the lower grades (Beginners and Infant 1) male repetition was over four percentage points higher than that of females. At the district level, the highest overall repetition rates were reported for schools in the Toledo (14.2%) and Orange Walk (12.6%) Districts. The Belize and Corozal Districts reported the low- est rates (7.6% and 7.9%, respectively). In all districts, the repetition rate among males was Table 15A: Primary School Repetition Rate by District, Grade, and Gender 2004-05 Grade TOTAL DISTRICT Beginners Infant1 Infant 2 Std. 1 Std.2 Std. 3 Std. 4 Std. 5 Std. 6 REPEATERS No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 35 6.4 1,619 17.1 811 9.6 880 10.6 702 8.5 715 9.3 572 7.6 503 7.1 219 3.7 6,056 9.5 Belize 10 5.8 409 16.3 199 8.7 183 8.1 144 6.0 140 6.8 107 5.5 119 6.0 8 0.5 1,319 7.6 Cayo 15 7.5 318 14.4 188 9.3 187 9.8 151 7.9 180 9.5 147 8.1 101 6.2 43 3.1 1,330 8.9 Corozal 1 0.8 196 18.1 69 7.2 64 6.8 71 7.5 59 6.1 60 6.2 68 7.0 29 3.8 617 7.9 Orange Walk 1 5.3 252 19.5 142 12.3 170 15.9 128 12.2 147 14.3 112 10.7 104 9.8 38 4.2 1,094 12.6 Stann Creek 2 11.1 207 15.0 109 9.6 122 10.0 112 10.3 86 8.3 51 5.4 52 6.4 51 7.6 792 9.5 Toledo 6 85.7 237 23.5 104 11.7 154 17.5 96 11.3 103 13.8 95 12.2 59 9.7 50 9.2 904 14.3 Males 21 8.9 955 19.4 471 10.9 499 11.6 418 9.9 402 10.0 335 8.7 311 8.4 95 3.3 3,507 10.8 Belize 4 5.1 247 18.8 122 10.4 104 8.9 90 7.2 82 7.9 74 7.6 79 7.3 3 0.4 805 9.0 Cayo 11 11.8 194 17.0 120 11.3 105 10.7 84 8.9 102 10.4 90 9.2 68 8.0 21 3.1 795 10.3 Corozal 0 0.0 119 21.2 44 9.3 40 8.3 31 6.6 35 7.0 35 6.8 38 7.7 10 2.9 352 9.0 Orange Walk 1 10.0 144 21.7 81 14.0 99 16.4 87 15.4 86 16.0 53 10.0 63 11.9 19 4.2 633 14.1 Stann Creek 1 16.7 119 16.1 59 9.9 69 10.8 69 12.6 46 8.4 30 6.3 27 6.6 24 6.8 444 10.3 Toledo 4 0.0 132 25.8 45 10.2 82 19.0 57 13.1 51 12.7 53 13.7 36 11.2 18 6.5 478 14.9 Females 14 4.5 664 14.6 340 8.3 381 9.5 284 7.0 313 8.4 237 6.5 192 5.6 124 4.1 2,549 8.3 Belize 6 6.4 162 13.6 77 7.0 79 7.2 54 4.6 58 5.8 33 3.4 40 4.3 5 0.6 514 6.1 Cayo 4 3.7 124 11.7 68 7.1 82 8.9 67 7.0 78 8.6 57 6.8 33 4.2 22 3.2 535 7.4 Corozal 1 1.2 77 14.8 25 5.2 24 5.1 40 8.4 24 5.1 25 5.5 30 6.3 19 4.5 265 6.8 Orange Walk 0 0.0 108 17.2 61 10.6 71 15.2 41 8.5 61 12.4 59 11.5 41 7.8 19 4.1 461 11.1 Stann Creek 1 8.3 88 13.8 50 9.1 53 9.0 43 8.0 40 8.1 21 4.5 25 6.2 27 8.6 348 8.7 Toledo 2 28.6 105 21.2 59 13.2 72 16.0 39 9.4 52 15.0 42 10.7 23 8.0 32 11.9 426 13.7 25 higher than among females, with the greatest disparity being reported for the Orange Walk District (3 percentage points), followed closely by the Belize and Cayo Districts (2.9 percentage points each). The smallest gap, on the other hand, was in the Toledo District (1.2 percentage points). As in the previous year, the highest incidence of repetition was recorded for children in Infant 1, as some primary schools continue the practice of retaining students in this grade for two years. At 17.1%, this was a marginal improvement over the 2003-04 school year. The lowest repetition rate of 3.7% was that of Standard 6, although this was the only grade in which the in- cidence of repetition increased from the previous year. Table 15B: Primary School Repetition Rate by District, Grade, and Gender 2003-04 Grade TOTAL DISTRICT Beginners Infant1 Infant 2 Std. 1 Std.2 Std. 3 Std. 4 Std. 5 Std. 6 REPEATERS No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 26 6.5 1,476 17.5 875 10.9 858 11.1 751 10.3 705 10.6 621 10.6 536 8.0 202 3.4 6,050 9.7 Belize 3 0.8 338 13.2 161 6.9 140 5.7 102 4.8 118 5.8 101 5.1 99 5.4 12 0.7 1,074 6.3 Cayo 5 2.6 302 14.1 170 8.7 176 9.5 189 9.7 140 7.5 131 7.7 115 7.6 38 2.7 1,266 8.7 Corozal 10 18.9 182 16.9 113 12.2 102 10.3 87 9.0 121 12.0 94 9.3 82 9.3 27 3.6 818 10.6 Orange Walk 8 40.0 191 14.8 174 15.7 161 14.8 145 13.2 105 10.0 97 9.2 111 10.2 59 6.7 1,051 12.1 Stann Creek 0 0.0 244 20.2 150 12.8 141 12.7 112 10.9 139 14.5 123 14.0 67 9.0 24 3.8 1,000 12.9 Toledo 0 0.0 219 22.3 107 11.7 138 15.0 116 13.8 82 10.1 75 11.5 62 10.2 42 7.9 841 13.4 Males 14 7.4 819 17.3 532 12.4 527 12.2 450 11.0 440 11.0 363 9.8 310 9.3 100 3.4 3,555 11.2 Belize 2 2.9 188 14.5 106 8.9 85 6.8 62 5.8 79 7.7 64 6.3 59 6.6 8 1.0 653 7.5 Cayo 3 3.8 183 16.0 109 11.1 108 11.9 119 11.9 94 9.6 87 10.1 67 8.9 15 2.0 785 10.5 Corozal 6 23.1 100 19.1 70 15.0 62 12.6 50 10.3 69 12.8 56 10.9 43 10.2 13 3.6 469 12.2 Orange Walk 3 30.0 107 16.5 92 16.1 100 16.3 85 14.9 65 12.1 52 9.6 64 11.7 25 6.1 593 13.2 Stann Creek 0 0.0 124 19.2 90 14.8 88 15.4 70 13.4 82 16.6 61 13.7 37 9.5 13 4.0 565 14.1 Toledo 0 0.0 117 25.3 65 14.5 84 17.2 64 14.5 51 12.2 43 12.8 40 12.7 26 9.5 490 15.4 Females 12 5.7 657 16.0 343 8.8 331 8.9 301 8.5 265 7.9 258 8.8 226 6.8 102 3.5 2,495 8.2 Belize 1 1.4 150 12.7 55 4.9 55 4.6 40 3.8 39 3.9 37 3.9 40 4.3 4 0.5 421 5.0 Cayo 2 2.0 119 12.0 61 6.3 68 7.1 70 7.4 46 5.2 44 5.2 48 6.3 23 3.6 481 6.8 Corozal 4 14.8 82 14.9 43 9.3 40 8.0 37 7.7 52 11.0 38 7.6 39 8.4 14 3.6 349 9.1 Orange Walk 5 50.0 84 13.0 82 15.3 61 12.9 60 11.3 40 7.8 45 8.8 47 8.8 34 7.3 458 10.8 Stann Creek 0 0.0 120 21.2 60 10.6 53 9.9 42 8.3 57 12.3 62 14.4 30 8.4 11 3.7 435 11.7 Toledo 0 0.0 102 19.7 42 9.0 54 12.6 52 13.0 31 7.9 32 10.2 22 7.5 16 6.2 351 11.4 26 A total of 595 dropouts were reported for the 2004-05 school year, representing a dropout rate of 0.9%, virtually unchanged from the previous year. Dropout rates ranged from 0.6% in the Belize District to 1.3% in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts. As with repeaters, males accounted for the greater number of dropouts (350 compared to 245 females) and a higher dropout rate of 1.1 % compared to 0.8% among females. It should be noted that the reported figures may not present an accurate description of primary school for the periods, as many schools are admittedly unable to distinguish actual dropouts from the primary school system from students who have transferred to other schools. Table 16A: Primary School Dropout Rate by District, Grade, and Gender 2004-05 GRADE DISTRICT Beginners Infant1 Infant 2 Std. 1 Std.2 Std. 3 Std. 4 Std. 5 Std. 6 TOTAL DROPOUT No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 0 0.0 19 0.2 18 0.2 28 0.3 37 0.4 72 0.9 107 1.4 198 2.8 116 2.0 595 0.9 Belize 0 0.0 1 0.0 4 0.2 6 0.3 10 0.4 23 1.1 20 1.0 16 0.8 27 1.6 107 0.6 Cayo 0 0.0 12 0.5 9 0.4 7 0.4 6 0.3 14 0.7 32 1.8 41 2.5 19 1.4 140 0.9 Corozal 0 0.0 1 0.1 0 0.0 1 0.1 6 0.6 5 0.5 13 1.3 54 5.6 20 2.6 100 1.3 Orange Walk 0 0.0 3 0.2 0 0.0 5 0.5 4 0.4 11 1.1 14 1.3 52 4.9 27 3.0 116 1.3 Stann Creek 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 0.3 4 0.3 7 0.6 13 1.2 12 1.3 15 1.8 13 1.9 67 0.8 Toledo 0 0.0 2 0.2 2 0.2 5 0.6 4 0.5 6 0.8 16 2.1 20 3.3 10 1.8 65 1.0 Males 0 0.0 11 0.2 9 0.2 17 0.4 21 0.5 43 1.1 70 1.8 121 3.3 58 2.0 350 1.1 Belize 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.1 4 0.3 5 0.4 20 1.9 19 2.0 12 1.1 17 2.1 78 0.9 Cayo 0 0.0 7 0.6 6 0.6 3 0.3 5 0.5 5 0.5 22 2.3 23 2.7 9 1.3 80 1.0 Corozal 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 1 0.2 4 0.8 3 0.6 9 1.8 35 7.1 7 2.0 60 1.5 Orange Walk 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 4 0.7 4 0.7 5 0.9 9 1.7 36 6.8 14 3.1 73 1.6 Stann Creek 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 0.3 2 0.3 0 0.0 6 1.1 5 1.0 8 1.9 9 2.5 32 0.7 Toledo 0 0.0 2 0.4 0 0.0 3 0.7 3 0.7 4 1.0 6 1.6 7 2.2 2 0.7 27 0.8 Females 0 0.0 8 0.2 9 0.2 11 0.3 16 0.4 29 0.8 37 1.0 77 2.3 58 1.9 245 0.8 Belize 0 0.0 1 0.1 3 0.3 2 0.2 5 0.4 3 0.3 1 0.1 4 0.4 10 1.2 29 0.3 Cayo 0 0.0 5 0.5 3 0.3 4 0.4 1 0.1 9 1.0 10 1.2 18 2.3 10 1.4 60 0.8 Corozal 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 0.4 2 0.4 4 0.9 19 4.0 13 3.1 40 1.0 Orange Walk 0 0.0 2 0.3 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 6 1.2 5 1.0 16 3.0 13 2.8 43 1.0 Stann Creek 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.2 2 0.3 7 1.3 7 1.4 7 1.5 7 1.7 4 1.3 35 0.9 Toledo 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 0.4 2 0.4 1 0.2 2 0.6 10 2.6 13 4.5 8 3.0 38 1.2 27 Table 16B: Primary School Dropout Rate by District, Grade, and Gender 2003-04 GRADE DISTRICT Beginners Infant1 Infant 2 Std. 1 Std.2 Std. 3 Std. 4 Std. 5 Std. 6 TOTAL DROPOUT No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 0 0.0 24 0.3 23 0.3 24 0.3 34 0.5 69 1.0 120 2.0 156 2.3 117 2.0 567 0.9 Belize 0 0.0 3 0.1 3 0.1 4 0.2 2 0.1 4 0.2 10 0.5 17 0.9 13 0.8 56 0.3 Cayo 0 0.0 13 0.6 0 0.7 0 0.3 0 0.9 0 1.2 0 2.0 0 2.9 0 2.7 13 1.3 Corozal 0 0.0 2 0.2 0 0.0 2 0.2 3 0.3 6 0.6 5 0.5 24 2.7 14 1.9 56 0.7 Orange Walk 0 0.0 4 0.3 4 0.4 7 0.6 2 0.2 9 0.9 22 2.1 30 2.8 31 3.5 109 1.3 Stann Creek 0 0.0 1 0.1 2 0.2 4 0.4 7 0.7 10 1.0 23 2.6 19 2.5 11 1.8 77 1.0 Toledo 0 0.0 1 0.1 1 0.1 2 0.2 3 0.4 17 2.1 26 4.0 22 3.6 10 1.9 82 1.3 Males 0 0.0 14 0.3 15 0.4 11 0.3 19 0.5 36 0.9 63 1.7 85 2.6 69 2.3 312 1.0 Belize 0 0.0 1 0.1 3 0.3 1 0.1 2 0.2 2 0.2 6 0.6 13 1.4 13 1.6 41 0.5 Cayo 0 0.0 8 0.7 8 0.8 3 0.3 9 0.9 10 1.0 18 2.1 23 3.1 23 3.0 102 1.4 Corozal 0 0.0 2 0.4 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 0.6 5 1.0 15 0.4 7 1.9 32 0.8 Orange Walk 0 0.0 2 0.3 3 0.5 3 0.5 1 0.2 6 1.1 12 2.2 13 2.4 17 4.1 57 1.3 Stann Creek 0 0.0 1 0.2 1 0.2 3 0.5 7 1.3 6 1.2 9 2.0 11 2.8 5 1.5 43 1.1 Toledo 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 9 2.2 13 3.9 10 3.2 4 1.5 37 1.2 Females 0 0.0 10 0.2 8 0.2 13 0.3 15 0.4 33 1.0 57 2.0 71 2.1 48 1.6 255 0.8 Belize 0 0.0 2 0.2 0 0.0 3 0.2 0 0.0 2 0.2 4 0.4 4 0.4 0 0.0 15 0.2 Cayo 0 0.0 5 0.5 5 0.5 2 0.2 8 0.8 13 1.5 16 1.9 21 2.7 15 2.3 85 1.2 Corozal 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 0.4 3 0.6 3 0.6 0 0.0 9 1.9 7 1.8 24 0.6 Orange Walk 0 0.0 2 0.3 1 0.2 4 0.8 1 0.2 3 0.6 10 2.0 17 3.2 14 3.0 52 1.2 Stann Creek 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.2 1 0.2 0 0.0 4 0.9 14 3.2 8 2.2 6 2.0 34 0.9 Toledo 0 0.0 1 0.2 1 0.2 1 0.2 3 0.8 8 2.0 13 4.1 12 4.1 6 2.3 45 1.5 Figure 10: Primary Schools Repetition and Dropout Rates by District 2004-05 16.0 14.3 14.0 12.6 12.0 10.0 9.5 8.9 7.6 7.9 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.9 0.8 1.0 0.0 Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Stann Toledo Walk Creek Repetition Dropout 28 Repetition & Dropout Rate 7.4 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: In the 2005-06 school year the total primary school teaching force increased by 153 teachers (5.7%) from 2,676 to 2,829. This growth was largely concentrated in rural schools, which re- corded an increase of 121 teachers (or 8.7%) compared with the 32 teachers (or 2.5%) in urban schools. Primary schools located in the Belize, Cayo, and Stann Creek Districts together ac- counted for almost the entire increase in the teaching force, with increases of 53, 44, and 36, respectively from the previous year. Despite efforts by the Ministry of Education to support the training of primary school teachers, there was a decline in proportion of trained teachers (Level 1 and higher) in the primary school system. Data for 2004-05 show 51.4% of teachers trained, while data for 2005-06 show 46.7%, a decrease of 4.7 percentage points. This may be due to the fact that the majority of newly hired teachers are not trained; however, there was also a decrease in the actual number of trained teachers in the system, from 1,375 to 1,321. This appears to indicate that the number of addi- tional trained teachers hired and newly trained teachers already in the teaching force is not suf- ficient to offset the number being lost as a result of retirement or other forms of attrition. This decline in the total number of trained teachers was observed in all districts except for Corozal, which added 4 trained teachers to its teaching force, and Toledo ,which, with 1 addi- tional trained teacher was virtually unchanged from the previous year. The Belize and Cayo Table 17A: Number of Primary School Teachers by District, Urban/Rural Location, and Level of Training 2005-06 QUALIFICATION District TRAINED UNTRAINED TOTAL % Trained % Fully Trained MEd BEd Edu. Cert. LCP ACP/ L2/ Level BA/ Associate First High Second Other Dip. Edu. AA Edu 2+1 1 BSc Degree Class School Class Total 41 180 29 77 44 82 660 208 57 603 381 366 5 96 2,829 46.7 39.3 Belize 20 55 8 17 22 38 175 35 29 169 84 116 3 45 816 45.3 41.1 Cayo 9 31 3 16 6 11 144 58 10 105 134 84 0 10 621 44.8 35.4 Corozal 3 31 2 17 0 8 134 19 6 76 27 13 0 3 339 63.1 57.5 Orange Walk 7 51 7 8 8 14 102 26 8 110 23 15 1 18 398 56.0 49.5 Stann Creek 1 6 3 10 6 10 56 39 2 111 38 67 0 14 363 36.1 25.3 Toledo 1 6 6 9 2 1 49 31 2 32 75 71 1 6 292 36.0 25.3 Urban 34 107 13 30 34 47 317 94 42 280 133 133 4 47 1,315 51.4 44.3 Belize 19 53 6 14 18 29 133 22 25 142 56 77 3 34 631 46.6 43.1 Cayo 8 16 2 8 6 7 67 34 8 55 49 29 0 8 297 49.8 38.4 Corozal 1 5 0 1 0 2 42 3 5 17 8 2 0 0 86 62.8 59.3 Orange Walk 5 27 2 1 4 5 38 10 2 40 4 7 1 1 147 62.6 55.8 Stann Creek 1 3 0 3 4 4 25 19 1 22 8 8 0 4 102 57.8 39.2 Toledo 0 3 3 3 2 0 12 6 1 4 8 10 0 0 52 55.8 44.2 Rural 7 73 16 47 10 35 343 114 15 323 248 233 1 49 1,514 42.6 35.1 Belize 1 2 2 3 4 9 42 13 4 27 28 39 0 11 185 41.1 34.1 Cayo 1 15 1 8 0 4 77 24 2 50 85 55 0 2 324 40.1 32.7 Corozal 2 26 2 16 0 6 92 16 1 59 19 11 0 3 253 63.2 56.9 Orange Walk 2 24 5 7 4 9 64 16 6 70 19 8 0 17 251 52.2 45.8 Stann Creek 0 3 3 7 2 6 31 20 1 89 30 59 0 10 261 27.6 19.9 Toledo 1 3 3 6 0 1 37 25 1 28 67 61 1 6 240 31.7 21.3 NOTE: Trained = Level 1 and higher Fully Trained = Level 2/2+1 and higher 29 Districts reported the most significant decline in the number of trained teachers, with 33 and 16 fewer trained teachers than in the previous year, respectively. The northern districts of Corozal and Orange Walk reported the highest proportion of their total teaching force as having completed their professional teacher training in 2005-06 (63.1% and 56.0%, respectively), while the lowest were reported for the southern districts of Stann Creek and Toledo, with 36.1% and 36.0%, respectively. Rural schools (with 42.6% of their teachers being reported as trained) remained at a disadvan- tage relative to urban schools (where 51.4% were trained). Between 2004-05 and 2005-06, however, urban schools lost a total of 58 trained teachers, while rural schools gained a modest 4 trained teachers. The most significant decline in this regard was reported for urban schools in the Belize (37 teachers) and Orange Walk Districts (26 teachers). Rural schools in these two districts, on the other hand, recorded the greatest increases in the number of trained teachers; four and 18, respectively. There was also a decline in the proportion of fully trained teachers (Level 2/2+1 and higher) in the primary school system from 42.0% in 2004-05 to 39.3% in 2005-06. The greatest declines were recorded for the Belize, Cayo and Stann Creek Districts—the three districts which to- gether accounted for the overall increase in the teaching force—further indicating that the ma- jority of newly hired teachers for the 2005-06 school year were untrained. Table 17B: Number of Primary School Teachers by District, Urban/Rural Location, and Level of Training 2004-05 QUALIFICATION District TRAINED UNTRAINED TOTAL % Trained % Fully Trained MEd BEd Edu. Cert. LCP ACP/ L2/ Level BA/ Associate First High Second Other Dip. Edu. AA Edu 2+1 1 BSc Degree Class School Class Total 28 156 13 59 43 101 724 251 30 523 416 315 3 14 2,676 51.4 42.0 Belize 10 63 7 18 23 32 196 54 14 153 96 92 1 4 763 52.8 45.7 Cayo 7 32 2 15 5 16 155 62 3 77 136 65 0 2 577 51.0 40.2 Corozal 4 20 0 6 2 10 142 26 4 79 30 14 0 1 338 62.1 54.4 Orange Walk 5 30 0 9 8 26 115 38 7 98 28 21 0 1 386 59.8 50.0 Stann Creek 2 5 2 8 4 12 65 35 0 85 49 56 1 3 327 40.7 30.0 Toledo 0 6 2 3 1 5 51 36 2 31 77 67 1 3 285 36.5 23.9 Urban 20 94 9 31 33 50 373 124 20 257 153 115 1 3 1,283 57.2 47.5 Belize 9 58 6 17 19 27 152 43 14 126 60 62 1 2 596 55.5 48.3 Cayo 6 12 2 8 4 5 83 32 1 39 58 21 0 0 271 56.1 44.3 Corozal 1 3 0 1 1 2 35 8 2 15 8 6 0 0 82 62.2 52.4 Orange Walk 2 16 0 4 6 12 63 15 3 50 13 6 0 1 191 61.8 53.9 Stann Creek 2 2 1 1 2 4 27 13 0 24 6 10 0 0 92 56.5 42.4 Toledo 0 3 0 0 1 0 13 13 0 3 8 10 0 0 51 58.8 33.3 Rural 8 62 4 28 10 51 351 127 10 266 263 200 2 11 1,393 46.0 36.9 Belize 1 5 1 1 4 5 44 11 0 27 36 30 0 2 167 43.1 36.5 Cayo 1 20 0 7 1 11 72 30 2 38 78 44 0 2 306 46.4 36.6 Corozal 3 17 0 5 1 8 107 18 2 64 22 8 0 1 256 62.1 55.1 Orange Walk 3 14 0 5 2 14 52 23 4 48 15 15 0 0 195 57.9 46.2 Stann Creek 0 3 1 7 2 8 38 22 0 61 43 46 1 3 235 34.5 25.1 Toledo 0 3 2 3 0 5 38 23 2 28 69 57 1 3 234 31.6 21.8 NOTE: Trained = Level 1 and higher Fully Trained = Level 2/2+1 and higher 30 The distribution of the primary school teaching force closely reflected the distribution of enrol- ment by district. Primary schools in the Belize and Cayo Districts together accounted for a half of all primary school teachers for the 2005-06 school year, with 28.8% and 22.0%, respectively. The Toledo District, with only 10.0% of total enrolment also had the smallest number of primary school teachers, accounting for 10.3% of the total. Figure 11: Distribution of Primary School Teachers by District 2005-06 ToTloeldeodo 10.3% BBeleizeCorozal 10.3% lizeCorozal 282.88.%12 8%1.20.%0% SStatnann nC Crereekek 121.28.%8% Cayo Orange CayoOrange 22. Walk 22 0.%0% Walk 141.41.%1% 31 7.5 PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT—TEACHER RATIO: The primary school Student-Teacher Ratio (STR) is a statistic that measures the number of stu- dents per each teacher at the primary level of education. In 2005-06 the overall primary school STR was 22.8, a slight decline of 0.9 from 2004-05 when the STR stood at 23.7. Although this statistic declined for both rural and urban schools over the period, the greater change was observed in the urban STR, which decreased by 1.2 from 23.9 to 22.7, compared to a decrease of 0.7 from 23.6 to 22.9 for rural schools. As a result, the STR recorded for rural schools exceeded that for urban schools in 2005-06—a shift from the previ- ous year, when urban schools recorded more students to each teacher. This is in keeping with the fact that growth in enrolment for 2005-06 was mostly concentrated in rural areas. As in the previous year, the highest STR was recorded for the Cayo District (24.8). The lowest was for the Orange Walk District (21.4). Table 18: Student-Teacher Ratio by District and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 and 2004-05 District 2005-06 2004-05 Urban Rural Overall Urban Rural Overall Total 22.7 22.9 22.8 23.9 23.6 23.7 Belize 22.1 21.2 21.9 23.2 21.8 22.9 Cayo 23.8 25.7 24.8 25.6 26.2 25.9 Corozal 23.6 22.3 22.6 25.4 22.2 23.0 Orange Walk 22.5 20.8 21.4 22.8 22.1 22.4 Stann Creek 22.9 24.1 23.8 24.2 25.9 25.4 Toledo 23.3 21.8 22.1 23.9 21.8 22.2 32 8.0 TRANSITION RATE FROM STANDARD VI TO SECONDARY: The Transition Rate from Standard VI to Secondary measures the percentage of students who completed standard VI in 2004-05 that moved on to secondary school in 2005-06. In 2005-06, some 86.0% of recent Standard VI graduates were able to move on to the first year of secondary education, a slight decrease from the 87.0% that transitioned to secondary school in 2004-05. This indicated that about 14.0% of Standard VI graduates (13.0% of females and 15.1% of males) did not gain access to secondary school in 2005-06. There were more females (2,473) than males (2,350) entering secondary schools in 2005-06, as reflected in their respec- tive transition rates (87.0% for females compared to 84.9% for males). This was in contrast to the 2004-05 school year, when there were fewer female new entrants (2,374 compared with 2,461 males) as well as a lower female transition rate (85.7% compared with 88.3% for males). The only exception to this trend was the Toledo District, where the male transition rate (94.9%) was considerably higher than that of females (78.2%). With the exception of the Belize and Cayo Districts, where the percentage of graduates that moved on to secondary school increased by 1.7% and 2.7%, respectively, the transition rate in the other districts declined compared with 2004-05, The most notable decreases were re- corded for the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts, where transition rate fell by 7.3 and 6.6 per- centage points, respectively. As was the case in 2004-05, the Belize District with a transition rate of 96.0% had the highest percentage of recent Standard VI graduates moving on to high school, while the Corozal Dis- trict had the lowest, 71.1%. Table 19A: Transition Rate from Standard VI to Secondary 2005-06 Standard VI New Entrants Transition Rate District Enrolment Repeaters Dropouts Graduates Form 1 & Prep M F M F M F M F M F M F Overall Total 2,920 3,023 95 124 58 58 2,767 2,841 2,350 2,473 84.9% 87.0% 86.0% Belize 811 868 3 5 17 10 791 853 749 829 94.7% 97.2% 96.0% Cayo 680 690 21 22 9 10 650 658 567 588 87.2% 89.4% 88.3% Corozal 350 422 10 19 7 13 333 390 232 282 69.7% 72.3% 71.1% Orange Walk 450 460 19 19 14 13 417 428 315 348 75.5% 81.3% 78.5% Stann Creek 354 314 24 27 9 4 321 283 245 247 76.3% 87.3% 81.5% Toledo 275 269 18 32 2 8 255 229 242 179 94.9% 78.2% 87.0% Table 19B: Transition Rate from Standard VI to Secondary 2004-05 Standard VI New Entrants Transition Rate District Enrolment Repeaters Dropouts Graduates Form 1 & Prep M F M F M F M F M F M F Overall Total 2,956 2,919 100 102 69 48 2,787 2,769 2,461 2,374 88.3% 85.7% 87.0% Belize 816 862 8 4 13 0 795 858 752 807 94.6% 94.1% 94.3% Cayo 764 642 15 23 23 15 726 604 620 519 85.4% 85.9% 85.6% Corozal 365 391 13 14 7 7 345 370 269 257 78.0% 69.5% 73.6% Orange Walk 412 466 25 34 17 14 370 418 316 323 85.4% 77.3% 81.1% Stann Creek 324 301 13 11 5 6 306 284 272 248 88.9% 87.3% 88.1% Toledo 275 257 26 16 4 6 245 235 232 220 94.7% 93.6% 94.2% 33 9.0 SECONDARY EDUCATION: 9.1 NUMBER OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS During the 2005-06 school year there were a total of 49 institutions offering secondary level education in Belize. This represented an increase of four secondary schools over the previous year, when Planning Unit data showed a total of 45 secondary schools. Of these four additional schools, two were newly opened for the 2005-06 school year (Western Christian Academy in the Cayo District and Lighthouse Christian Academy in the Orange Walk District, both of which are private schools). The remaining two were existing private institutions that were only re- cently added to the Planning Unit’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) data base. Table 20A: Number of Secondary Schools by District, Management, Denomination, and U/R Location 2005-06 District & Urban/Rural Location Management Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo TOTAL U R U R U R U R U R U R U R All Government 5 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 1 8 7 15 Gov't-Aided Commun. 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 4 Gov't-Aided Denom. 7 1 5 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 15 4 19 Catholic 3 0 4 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 10 1 11 Anglican 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Methodist 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 SDA 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 Nazarene 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Other 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Priv./Spec. Assisted 1 1 0 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 3 8 11 Presbyterian 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 Other 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 2 7 9 ALL SCHOOLS 14 4 7 4 2 4 4 3 2 2 1 2 30 19 49 Table 20A: Number of Secondary Schools by District, Management, Denomination, and U/R Location 2004-05 District & Urban/Rural Location Management Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo TOTAL U R U R U R U R U R U R U R All Government 5 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 1 8 7 15 Gov't-Aided Commun. 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 4 Gov't-Aided Denom. 7 1 5 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 15 4 19 Catholic 3 0 4 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 10 1 11 Anglican 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Methodist 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 SDA 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 Nazarene 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Other 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Priv./Spec. Assisted 1 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 7 Presbyterian 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 Other 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 5 ALL SCHOOLS 14 4 7 3 2 4 4 1 2 2 1 1 30 15 45 34 In 2005-06, some 61.2% of all secondary schools were located in Urban areas. This was down slightly from 2004-05—when urban schools comprised 66.7% of total secondary schools—and was the result of the four previously mentioned additional schools, all of which were located in rural communities The Belize District remained the urban center with the most secondary schools, with 14 of its 18 institutions (77.8%) being located in urban communities. The Belize and Cayo Districts together accounted for more than a half of all secondary schools in the country, with 18 and 11, respectively. With only three and four schools, respectively, the Toledo District and Stann Creek District accounted for the fewest. Figure 12: Distribution of Secondary Schools by District and U/R Location 2005-06 20 18 16 4 14 12 10 4 8 14 6 3 4 7 4 2 2 4 2 2 2 0 1 Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Stann Toledo Walk Creek Urban Rural Government aided secondary schools—which receive tuition payments and grants amounting to 70% of teachers’ salaries from the Government of Belize—comprised 47.0% of all schools, while 30.6% were fully government-funded and managed. The remaining 22.4% consisted of specially-assisted and private secondary institutions, which receive minimal or no funding from the government. Figure 13: Distribution of Secondary School by Source of Funding 2005-06 Priv./Spec. Assisted Government 22.4% 30.6% Gov't Aided Commun. 8.2% Gov't Aided Denom. 38.8% 35 Number of Schools 9.2 SECONDARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT: Total secondary school enrolment increased by 546 (3.4%) from 16,150 to 16,696 students in 2005-06. While the number of males enrolled in secondary level institutions grew by some 138 (1.8%), this growth was surpassed by an increase of 408 (4.9%) in the number of female stu- dents. As in the previous year, female enrolment exceeded that of the males—8,675 compared with 8,021 males. Females comprised 52.0% of total secondary school enrolment (up from 51.2% in 2004-05). Generally, females tended to outnumber males in urban secondary schools while in most rural schools males continued to slightly outnumber females. The Belize District, in particular, re- corded a considerable disparity of 611 between the number of females and the number of males enrolled in urban schools in 2005-06. This difference between the two genders repre- sented an even wider gap than the 538 that was recorded for urban schools in this district in 2004-05. There was an increase in enrolment across all forms, except for Form 1, in which there was a slight decrease of 66 students. This may be entirely attributable to a decline of 168 in the num- ber of males enrolled in Form 1, which was only partially offset by an increase of 102 in female enrolment. Table 21A: Secondary Schools Enrolment by District, Form, and Gender 2005-06 Form District Prep Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 Form 4 TOTAL M F M F M F M F M F M F ALL TOTAL 88 5,128 4,415 3,842 3,223 8,021 8,675 16,696 54 34 2,512 2,616 2,130 2,285 1,882 1,960 1,443 1,780 Belize 36 6 841 948 638 823 622 750 481 660 2,618 3,187 5,805 Cayo 0 0 594 602 494 483 442 397 323 440 1,853 1,922 3,775 Corozal 0 0 261 315 280 293 239 258 213 223 993 1,089 2,082 Orange Walk 0 0 318 332 275 268 251 242 157 201 1,001 1,043 2,044 Stann Creek 18 28 281 246 274 243 183 198 144 158 900 873 1,773 Toledo 0 0 217 173 169 175 145 115 125 98 656 561 1,217 Table 21B: Secondary Schools Enrolment by District, Form, and Gender 2004-05 Form District Prep Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 Form 4 TOTAL M F M F M F M F M F M F ALL TOTAL 24 5,194 4,252 3,699 2,981 7,883 8,267 16,150 5 19 2,680 2,514 2,080 2,172 1,752 1,947 1,366 1,615 Belize 0 0 832 910 724 819 589 740 456 629 2,601 3,098 5,699 Cayo 0 0 672 542 474 442 397 454 323 349 1,866 1,787 3,653 Corozal 0 0 304 300 251 286 243 245 188 191 986 1,022 2,008 Orange Walk 0 0 335 309 268 271 205 236 172 195 980 1,011 1,991 Stann Creek 5 19 330 255 199 219 174 164 117 161 825 818 1,643 Toledo 0 0 207 198 164 135 144 108 110 90 625 531 1,156 36 The most significant increase was recorded in the Stann Creek District, where total secondary enrolment grew by 130 students, of which 75 were males and 55 were females. This was also the only district in which male enrolment grew by considerably more than that of females. The latter, in fact far exceeded the former in all other districts (except for Toledo, where there was virtually no difference between the two). At the Preparatory level, total enrolment grew by 64 (from 24 to 88), an increase that is attribut- able to the change in the services provided by Excelsior High School (now Excelsior Junior High), from a four-year secondary school to one that only serves from Prep to Form 1. The highest enrolment was recorded for Form 1, with a total of 5,128 students for the 2005-06 school year. Females outnumbered males at all levels (except for Prep) comprising approxi- mately 51% of enrolment in Forms 1 to 3, and a considerably higher 55.2% in Form 4. Table 22A: Secondary Schools Enrolment by Age, Form, and Gender 2005-06 Form TOTAL Age Prep Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 Form 4 M F M F M F M F M F M F ALL TOTAL 64 48 2,502 2,602 2,130 2,285 1,882 1,960 1,443 1,780 8,021 8,675 16,696 <11 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 0 0 9 40 1 1 0 0 0 0 10 41 51 12 0 1 222 322 6 34 0 1 0 0 228 358 586 13 2 9 746 908 146 283 2 12 0 1 896 1,213 2,109 14 19 7 726 758 612 776 169 237 4 23 1,530 1,801 3,331 15 16 12 489 387 666 655 496 664 142 218 1,809 1,936 3,745 16 13 13 216 130 445 353 582 574 405 607 1,661 1,677 3,338 17 8 2 65 36 173 131 394 302 420 519 1,060 990 2,050 18 3 1 19 12 56 31 154 111 291 244 523 399 922 19 0 0 7 6 21 15 58 40 108 118 194 179 373 20+ 3 3 3 2 4 6 27 19 73 50 110 80 190 Table 22B: Secondary Schools Enrolment by Age, Form, and Gender 2004-05 Form TOTAL Age Prep Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 Form 4 M F M F M F M F M F M F ALL TOTAL 5 19 2,680 2,514 2,080 2,172 1,752 1,947 1,366 1,615 7,883 8,267 16,150 <11 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 11 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 9 12 0 2 182 291 18 18 0 1 0 0 200 312 512 13 0 0 731 882 205 259 10 11 0 0 946 1,152 2,098 14 0 3 905 753 545 742 156 232 8 17 1,614 1,747 3,361 15 2 7 517 407 644 657 482 638 117 181 1,762 1,890 3,652 16 2 5 227 123 417 317 517 605 326 517 1,489 1,567 3,056 17 1 2 79 35 165 113 347 289 417 496 1,009 935 1,944 18 0 0 21 7 55 50 153 117 295 250 524 424 948 19 0 0 5 6 23 6 47 30 125 96 200 138 338 20+ 0 0 5 6 8 10 40 24 78 58 131 98 229 37 Some 75.0% of total secondary enrolment was within the official age range for secondary schooling of 13-16 years old. It should be noted, however, that there was a significant increase in the number of students aged 11 and younger attending secondary school (from 12 in 2004-05 to 52 in 2005-06); this was attributable to an increase of 37 female students in this age range. The number of 20-year olds enrolled, on the other hand, declined during this period. Increases were recorded for both urban and rural enrolment (374 or 2.8% and 172 or 5.9%, re- spectively) for 2005-06, both of which were driven by increases in female enrolment. Secon- dary education continued to be primarily urbanized, with 81.6% of all secondary students be- ing enrolled in schools located in urban communities. Table 23A: Secondary Schools Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and Urban/Rural Location 2005-06 District & Urban/Rural Location TOTAL Management Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R U R U R U R U R U R U R All TOTAL 5,377 428 3,698 77 910 1,172 1,791 253 1,050 723 797 420 13,623 3,073 16,696 Government 1,928 329 1,392 0 0 555 799 224 0 723 0 410 4,119 2,241 6,360 Gov't-Aided Commun. 376 0 0 0 790 0 0 0 587 0 797 0 2,550 0 2,550 Gov't-Aided Denom. 2,972 99 2,226 0 0 536 747 0 463 0 0 0 6,408 635 7,043 Priv/Spec. Assisted 101 0 80 77 120 81 245 29 0 0 0 10 546 197 743 Males: 2,383 235 1,820 33 421 572 862 139 488 412 436 220 6,410 1,611 8,021 Government 876 180 731 0 0 283 410 126 0 412 0 213 2,017 1,214 3,231 Gov't-Aided Commun. 179 0 0 0 355 0 0 0 276 0 436 0 1,246 0 1,246 Gov't-Aided Denom. 1,273 55 1,049 0 0 256 334 0 212 0 0 0 2,868 311 3,179 Priv/Spec. Assisted 55 0 40 33 66 33 118 13 0 0 0 7 279 86 365 Females: 2,994 193 1,878 44 489 600 929 114 562 311 361 200 7,213 1,462 8,675 Government 1,052 149 661 0 0 272 389 98 0 311 0 197 2,102 1,027 3,129 Gov't-Aided Commun. 197 0 0 0 435 0 0 0 311 0 361 0 1,304 0 1,304 Gov't-Aided Denom. 1,699 44 1,177 0 0 280 413 0 251 0 0 0 3,540 324 3,864 Priv/Spec. Assisted 46 0 40 44 54 48 127 16 0 0 0 3 267 111 378 Table 23B: Secondary Schools Enrolment by Management, Gender, District and Urban/Rural Location 2004-05 District & Urban/Rural Location TOTAL Management Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo U R U R U R U R U R U R U R All TOTAL 5,274 425 3,629 24 862 1,146 1,790 201 938 705 756 400 13,249 2,901 16,150 Government 1,615 308 1,432 0 0 497 798 201 0 705 0 400 3,845 2,111 5,956 Gov't-Aided Commun. 439 0 0 0 759 0 0 0 525 0 756 0 2,479 0 2,479 Gov't-Aided Denom. 3,106 117 2,127 0 0 570 791 0 413 0 0 0 6,437 687 7,124 Priv/Spec. Assisted 114 0 70 24 103 79 201 0 0 0 0 0 488 103 591 Males: 2,368 233 1,855 11 409 577 857 123 427 398 424 201 6,340 1,543 7,883 Government 808 166 755 0 0 259 421 123 0 398 0 201 1,984 1,147 3,131 Gov't-Aided Commun. 228 0 0 0 349 0 0 0 246 0 424 0 1,247 0 1,247 Gov't-Aided Denom. 1,266 67 1,059 0 0 281 343 0 181 0 0 0 2,849 348 3,197 Priv/Spec. Assisted 66 0 41 11 60 37 93 0 0 0 0 0 260 48 308 Females: 2,906 192 1,774 13 453 569 933 78 511 307 332 199 6,909 1,358 8,267 Government 807 142 677 0 0 238 377 78 0 307 0 199 1,861 964 2,825 Gov't-Aided Commun. 211 0 0 0 410 0 0 0 279 0 332 0 1,232 0 1,232 Gov't-Aided Denom. 1,840 50 1,068 0 0 289 448 0 232 0 0 0 3,588 339 3,927 Priv/Spec. Assisted 48 0 29 13 43 42 108 0 0 0 0 0 228 55 283 38 Even with the opening of additional secondary institutions during the period, the distribution of secondary enrolment remained largely unchanged from the previous year. A total of 34.8% of all secondary school students were enrolled in the Belize District, followed by 22.6% in the Cayo District. The Toledo District, with the fewest number of institutions, accounted for the smallest proportion of the country’s total enrolment (7.3%). Figure 14A: Distribution of Secondary School Enrolment by District 2005-06 Toledo Stann Creek 7.3% 10.6% Belize 34.8% Orange Walk 12.2% Corozal 12.5% Cayo 22.6% The distribution of students who fall within the secondary school age range of 13-16 years old was very similar to the overall distribution of students by district. Some 35.5% of these students were enrolled in the Belize District while only 7.3% were enrolled in Toledo District schools. One noticeable difference was the Stann Creek District, which accounted for 9.5% of all high school aged children (compared to 10.6% of total enrolment), indicating that over/underage children comprised a large proportion of this district’s enrolment. In fact, while children who were outside the secondary school age range comprised on average 24.0% of enrolment in the other districts, some 32.6% of secondary school students in the Stann Creek District were over/ underage in 2005-06. Figure 14B: Distribution of Enrolment of Secondary School Aged Students (13-16 years) by District 2005-06 Toledo Stann Creek 7.3% 9.5% Belize Orange Walk 35.5% 12.6% Corozal 12.8% Cayo 22.2% 39 9.3 SECONDARY REPETITION & DROPOUT RATES: There was a slight improvement in the overall secondary school repetition rate, which declined from 7.8% in 2003-04 to 7.4% in 2004-05. This reflected not only a smaller proportion of the stu- dent population being comprised of repeaters, but also a smaller number of repeaters (1,191 compared to 1,205 in 2003-04). The most substantial improvement with regards to overall repe- tition rates was recorded for the Stann Creek District, where the incidence of repetition de- creased by 4.0 percentage points from 10.% in 2003-04 to 6.1% in 2004-05. As in previous years, repetition was higher among the male secondary school population (659 students or 8.4%) than among females (532 students or 6.4%). This was true for all districts ex- cept Toledo. The widest gap between male and female repetition rates were observed in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts, where this statistic was 5.2 and 4.3 percentage points higher among males than females, respectively. Males in all forms repeated more than fe- males, with the most noteworthy disparity (of 3.1 percentage points) being recorded for the first year of secondary education. It should be noted, however, that there was a considerable improvement among males over the previous year, when a total of 705 or 9.6% were repeating. On the other hand, slightly more females were repeating in 2004-05 compared to the 500 or 6.3% recorded for the previous year. Once again the highest overall repetition rate was recorded for the Orange Walk District (8.9%) and the lowest for schools in the Corozal District (4.9%). Generally, repetition rates were between 7.6% and 8.4% for Forms 1 to 3. The one exception, as in 2003-04, was Form 4, for which a much lower 4.2% was recorded. Table 24A: Secondary School Repetition Rate by Form, District, and Gender 2004-05 District FORM Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo TOTAL No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 455 8.0 290 7.9 99 4.9 177 8.9 100 6.1 70 6.1 1,191 7.4 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 180 10.3 114 9.4 12 2.0 60 9.3 43 7.4 28 6.9 437 8.4 Form 2 124 8.0 61 6.7 43 8.0 53 9.8 21 5.0 22 7.4 324 7.6 Form 3 96 7.2 83 9.8 26 5.3 59 13.4 26 7.7 14 5.6 304 8.2 Form 4 55 5.1 32 4.8 18 4.7 5 1.4 10 3.6 6 3.0 126 4.2 Male 233 9.0 158 8.5 56 5.7 113 11.5 68 8.2 31 5.0 659 8.4 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 105 12.6 74 11.0 5 1.6 38 11.3 30 9.1 14 6.8 266 9.9 Form 2 68 9.4 29 6.1 24 9.6 29 10.8 15 7.5 10 6.1 175 8.4 Form 3 38 6.5 38 9.6 16 6.6 41 20.0 20 11.5 5 3.5 158 9.0 Form 4 22 4.8 17 5.3 11 5.9 5 2.9 3 2.6 2 1.8 60 4.4 Female 222 7.2 132 7.4 43 4.2 64 6.3 32 3.9 39 7.3 532 6.4 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 75 8.2 40 7.4 7 2.3 22 7.1 13 5.1 14 7.1 171 6.8 Form 2 56 6.8 32 7.2 19 6.6 24 8.9 6 2.7 12 8.9 149 6.9 Form 3 58 7.8 45 9.9 10 4.1 18 7.6 6 3.7 9 8.3 146 7.5 Form 4 33 5.2 15 4.3 7 3.7 0 0.0 7 4.3 4 4.4 66 4.1 40 Table 24B: Secondary School Repetition Rate by Form, District, and Gender 2003-04 District FORM Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo TOTAL No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 406 7.4 282 8.2 120 6.4 166 8.5 149 10.1 82 7.4 1,205 7.8 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 126 7.2 88 8.0 40 6.7 74 11.2 37 7.5 35 9.3 400 8.0 Form 2 110 7.5 67 7.6 37 7.3 55 9.8 56 16.4 26 8.8 351 8.7 Form 3 129 9.8 97 11.8 29 6.8 32 7.2 41 12.4 17 7.1 345 9.7 Form 4 41 4.3 30 4.8 14 4.0 5 1.7 15 6.1 4 2.0 109 4.1 Male 217 8.8 173 10.1 70 7.6 115 12.1 89 12.6 41 6.7 705 9.6 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 61 7.8 57 9.5 23 7.8 54 16.3 27 10.7 14 6.9 236 9.6 Form 2 72 10.4 46 10.7 17 7.0 39 13.8 34 19.4 17 9.7 225 11.2 Form 3 65 11.5 52 13.2 21 10.0 17 8.4 24 16.2 7 4.7 186 11.3 Form 4 19 4.8 18 6.2 9 5.3 5 3.8 4 4.3 3 3.1 58 4.9 Female 189 6.2 109 6.3 50 5.2 51 5.1 60 7.8 41 8.2 500 6.3 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 65 6.7 31 6.1 17 5.6 20 6.1 10 4.2 21 12.1 164 6.5 Form 2 38 5.0 21 4.6 20 7.5 16 5.8 22 13.3 9 7.8 126 6.2 Form 3 64 8.5 45 10.6 8 3.7 15 6.3 17 9.3 10 9.0 159 8.3 Form 4 22 4.0 12 3.6 5 2.7 0 0.0 11 7.2 1 1.0 51 3.4 A total of 1,687 students (a dropout rate of 10.4%) were reported as having dropped out during the 2004-05 school year—up from a dropout rate of 6.5% during the previous year. As was the case with repetition, there was a considerable difference in this statistic by gender. With a total Table 25A: Secondary Schools Dropout Rate by Form, District, and Gender 2004-05 District FORM Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo TOTAL No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 549 9.6 459 12.6 187 9.3 245 12.3 127 7.7 120 10.4 1,687 10.4 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 246 14.1 204 16.8 64 10.6 108 16.8 48 8.2 58 14.3 728 14.0 Form 2 141 9.1 128 14.0 65 12.1 76 14.1 32 7.7 29 9.7 471 11.1 Form 3 95 7.1 87 10.2 40 8.2 46 10.4 33 9.8 16 6.3 317 8.6 Form 4 67 6.2 40 6.0 18 4.7 15 4.1 14 5.0 17 8.5 171 5.7 Male 309 11.9 280 15.0 95 9.6 124 12.7 71 8.6 73 11.7 952 12.1 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 171 20.6 135 20.1 38 12.5 61 18.2 30 9.1 31 15.0 466 17.4 Form 2 70 9.7 84 17.7 24 9.6 36 13.4 16 8.0 23 14.0 253 12.2 Form 3 40 6.8 45 11.3 22 9.1 21 10.2 18 10.3 12 8.3 158 9.0 Form 4 28 6.1 16 5.0 11 5.9 6 3.5 7 6.0 7 6.4 75 5.5 Female 240 7.7 179 10.0 92 9.0 121 12.0 56 6.8 47 8.9 735 8.9 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Form 1 75 8.2 69 12.7 26 8.7 47 15.2 18 7.1 27 13.6 262 10.4 Form 2 71 8.7 44 10.0 41 14.3 40 14.8 16 7.3 6 4.4 218 10.0 Form 3 55 7.4 42 9.3 18 7.3 25 10.6 15 9.1 4 3.7 159 8.2 Form 4 39 6.2 24 6.9 7 3.7 9 4.6 7 4.3 10 11.1 96 5.9 41 of 952 dropouts the male dropout rate of 12.1% was much higher than that of females (735 drop- outs or 8.9%) More males in all districts dropped out, as reflected by the higher dropout rates on Table 25A. The greatest disparity was observed in the Cayo and Belize Districts where male dropout rates exceeded that of females by 5.0 and 4.2 percentage points, respectively. This was also true in the case of dropout rates by form, with the greatest disparity between the two genders being recorded for Form 1 (7.0 percentage points). With a total of 728 dropouts (14.0%), the first year of secondary school was also the year in which most students dropped out of secondary school—Form 1 dropout rates for all but the Corozal and Stann Creek Districts were in excess of 14.0%. Even more disturbing was the fact that the Belize and Cayo Districts reported male Form 1 dropout rates exceeding 20.0% for 2004-05. Higher forms recorded lower dropout rates, with the lowest being recorded for the final year of secondary education. Table 25B: Secondary Schools Dropout Rate by Form, District, and Gender 2003-04 District FORM Belize Cayo Corozal Orange Walk Stann Creek Toledo TOTAL No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 311 5.7 331 9.6 96 5.1 123 6.3 91 6.2 50 4.5 1,002 6.5 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 13 18.6 0 0.0 13 15.1 Form 1 111 6.3 152 13.7 39 6.5 49 7.4 36 7.3 25 6.6 412 8.3 Form 2 95 6.5 82 9.3 27 5.3 45 8.0 10 2.9 12 4.0 271 6.7 Form 3 81 6.2 80 9.8 21 5.0 25 5.7 19 5.8 8 3.4 234 6.6 Form 4 24 2.5 17 2.7 9 2.5 4 1.4 13 5.3 5 2.5 72 2.7 Male 146 5.9 187 10.9 48 5.2 61 6.4 54 7.6 29 4.7 525 7.1 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 8 21.1 0 0.0 8 14.8 Form 1 51 6.5 99 16.5 20 6.8 24 7.2 27 10.7 15 7.4 236 9.6 Form 2 47 6.8 46 10.7 9 3.7 22 7.8 5 2.9 7 4.0 136 6.8 Form 3 35 6.2 34 8.6 13 6.2 15 7.4 10 6.8 4 2.7 111 6.7 Form 4 13 3.3 8 2.7 6 3.5 0 0.0 4 4.3 3 3.1 34 2.9 Female 165 5.4 144 8.4 48 5.0 62 6.2 37 4.8 21 4.2 477 6.0 Prep 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 5 15.6 0 0.0 5 15.6 Form 1 60 6.2 53 10.5 19 6.3 25 7.6 9 3.8 10 5.7 176 7.0 Form 2 48 6.3 36 7.9 18 6.7 23 8.3 5 3.0 5 4.3 135 6.6 Form 3 46 6.1 46 10.8 8 3.7 10 4.2 9 4.9 4 3.6 123 6.4 Form 4 11 2.0 9 2.7 3 1.6 4 2.5 9 5.9 2 2.0 38 2.6 The districts where most students dropped out were the Cayo and Orange Walk Districts, which reported dropout rates of 12.6% and 12.3%, respectively. The Stann Creek District reported the lowest with 7.7%. The data suggest that students tend to drop out rather than repeat a year of secondary education. 42 Figure 15: Secondary School Repetition & Dropout Rates by District 2004-05 Toledo 10.46.1 Stann Creek 7.7 6.1 Orange Walk 12.38.9 Corozal 9.34.9 Cayo 12.6 7.9 Belize 9.6 8.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 Repeaters Dropouts 43 9.4 SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: The total number of secondary school teachers increased by 39 or 3.5% from 1,131 to 1,170 in 2005-06. Although females continued to outnumber males, comprising 51.5% of all secondary school teachers, the female teaching force grew by only some seven teachers (from 595 to 602), while the number of male teachers increased by 32 (from 536 to 568). This growth in the teaching force was driven almost entirely by an increase in teachers with no formal pedagogical training. The number of graduate trained teachers (university graduates with pedagogical training) increased slightly by three teachers but was offset by a decrease of four in the number of trained teachers (who had completed the teacher training program) with- out university degrees. In contrast, the number of teachers without pedagogical training in- creased by 40. This brought the overall number of teachers to 407 with pedagogical training and 763 without. EMIS data for 2005-06 recorded a considerable increase in the teaching staff of private/ specially assisted institutions from 67 to 108, an increase of 41 teachers or 61.2%. This was con- sistent with the fact that all newly opened institutions (or newly included in the EMIS data) were classified as private/specially assisted. The vast majority of these teachers (36, of which 14 were university graduates) had not received formal teacher training. Table 26A: Number of Secondary School Teachers by District, Gender, Management and Qualification 2005-06 Management and Qualification District ALL SCHOOLSGovernment Govt. Aided Comm. Govt. Aided Denom. Priv./Spec. Assisted TOTAL GT G T O GT G T O GT G T O GT G T O GT G T O TOTAL 97 75 23 212 40 42 19 56 166 151 28 153 30 31 4 43 333 299 74 464 1,170 Belize 47 21 7 66 4 4 5 13 109 62 17 61 0 2 0 10 160 89 29 150 428 Cayo 18 15 10 46 0 1 1 0 33 60 7 39 15 8 0 13 66 84 18 98 266 Corozal 10 8 0 16 19 10 3 18 10 11 1 18 1 9 0 10 40 38 4 62 144 Orange Walk 8 18 4 32 0 0 0 0 12 10 1 16 14 12 4 7 34 40 9 55 138 Stann Creek 5 6 1 40 4 16 10 5 2 8 2 19 0 0 0 0 11 30 13 64 118 Toledo 9 7 1 12 13 11 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 22 18 1 35 76 Males 37 43 10 125 13 24 4 26 59 77 15 74 13 19 0 29 122 163 29 254 568 Belize 13 14 3 37 1 2 2 6 35 29 10 28 0 2 0 7 49 47 15 78 189 Cayo 7 7 4 23 0 1 1 0 14 36 5 19 8 6 0 8 29 50 10 50 139 Corozal 4 6 0 11 4 5 0 7 4 5 0 10 0 4 0 8 12 20 0 36 68 Orange Walk 4 8 1 22 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 7 5 7 0 4 13 17 1 33 64 Stann Creek 3 4 1 25 0 9 1 4 2 5 0 10 0 0 0 0 5 18 2 39 64 Toledo 6 4 1 7 8 7 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 14 11 1 18 44 Females 60 32 13 87 27 18 15 30 107 74 13 79 17 12 4 14 211 136 45 210 602 Belize 34 7 4 29 3 2 3 7 74 33 7 33 0 0 0 3 111 42 14 72 239 Cayo 11 8 6 23 0 0 0 0 19 24 2 20 7 2 0 5 37 34 8 48 127 Corozal 6 2 0 5 15 5 3 11 6 6 1 8 1 5 0 2 28 18 4 26 76 Orange Walk 4 10 3 10 0 0 0 0 8 8 1 9 9 5 4 3 21 23 8 22 74 Stann Creek 2 2 0 15 4 7 9 1 0 3 2 9 0 0 0 0 6 12 11 25 54 Toledo 3 3 0 5 5 4 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 7 0 17 32 Note: GT = University Graduate and Professional Training; G = University Graduate; T = Professional Teacher Training: O = Other—High School or Sixth Form Graduates 44 Table 26B: Number of Secondary School Teachers by District, Gender, Management and Qualification 2004-05 Management and Qualification District ALL SCHOOLSGovernment Govt. Aided Comm. Govt. Aided Denom. Priv./Spec. Assisted TOTAL GT G T O GT G T O GT G T O GT G T O GT G T O TOTAL 99 72 24 216 48 40 21 55 160 149 27 153 23 17 6 21 330 278 78 445 1,131 Belize 44 28 8 63 6 5 3 16 114 55 16 71 1 2 1 0 165 90 28 150 433 Cayo 26 7 10 42 0 0 2 0 29 66 6 29 9 8 1 10 64 81 19 81 245 Corozal 9 7 0 21 20 9 11 12 7 5 1 21 3 4 0 7 39 25 12 61 137 Orange Walk 9 17 4 36 0 0 0 0 9 10 0 24 10 3 4 4 28 30 8 64 130 Stann Creek 5 3 1 40 6 14 5 10 1 13 4 8 0 0 0 0 12 30 10 58 110 Toledo 6 10 1 14 16 12 0 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 22 1 31 76 Males 40 40 13 119 17 23 4 31 56 69 18 70 11 12 2 11 124 144 37 231 536 Belize 17 13 4 33 2 2 0 10 34 26 11 33 1 2 1 0 54 43 16 76 189 Cayo 9 3 6 19 0 0 1 0 15 34 5 12 3 6 1 5 27 43 13 36 119 Corozal 3 5 0 16 4 5 0 9 3 1 0 11 1 2 0 4 11 13 0 40 64 Orange Walk 4 10 1 24 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 11 6 2 0 2 13 16 1 37 67 Stann Creek 3 3 1 19 2 8 3 3 1 4 2 3 0 0 0 0 6 15 6 25 52 Toledo 4 6 1 8 9 8 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 14 1 17 45 Females 59 32 11 97 31 17 17 24 104 80 9 83 12 5 4 10 206 134 41 214 595 Belize 27 15 4 30 4 3 3 6 80 29 5 38 0 0 0 0 111 47 12 74 244 Cayo 17 4 4 23 0 0 1 0 14 32 1 17 6 2 0 5 37 38 6 45 126 Corozal 6 2 0 5 16 4 11 3 4 4 1 10 2 2 0 3 28 12 12 21 73 Orange Walk 5 7 3 12 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 13 4 1 4 2 15 14 7 27 63 Stann Creek 2 0 0 21 4 6 2 7 0 9 2 5 0 0 0 0 6 15 4 33 58 Toledo 2 4 0 6 7 4 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 8 0 14 31 Note: GT = University Graduate and Professional Training; G = University Graduate; T = Professional Teacher Training: O = Other—High School or Sixth Form Graduates Including graduate trained teachers, which comprised 28.5% of the total teaching force, and graduate teachers (university graduates without pedagogical training), which comprised 25.6%, over a half of all secondary school teachers had completed a university degree. Some 39.7% had only an Associate Degree or high school diploma, while trained teachers (who had completed either the Level 1 or Level 2 program) comprised the remaining 6.3%. Figure 16: Distribution of Secondary School Teachers by Qualification 2005-06 Trained Teachers 6.3% Graduate 25.6% Others 39.7% Graduate Trained 28.5% 45 The distribution of teachers across districts corresponded closely with the distribution of schools and enrolment for the period. The Belize and Cayo Districts accounted for more than a half of all teachers (36.6% and 22.7%, respectively). The Toledo District, with the fewest schools and students accounted for only 6.5%. Figure 17: Distribution of Secondary School Teachers by District 2005-06 Stann Creek Toledo 10.1% 6.5% Belize 36.6% Orange Walk 11.8% Corozal 12.3% Cayo 22.7% 46 10.0 ENROLMENT TRENDS: Over the ten years from 1996-97 to 2005-06 total preschool enrolment increased by 1,506 from 3,355 to 4,861 (or 44.9%). Much of this growth occurred during the last two years of this period (17.2% and 10.2%, respectively) when the Ministry of Education embarked on its efforts to in- crease access to preschool education by facilitating the attachment of preschools to existing primary school institutions. Prior to 2004-05 enrolment fluctuated considerably from year to year, a trend that was also re- flected in the total number of preschool institutions, which increased by only 8 schools during the eight years from 1996-97 to 2003-04 but by some 40 schools during the two years from 2003- 04 to 2005-06. The Gross Enrolment ratio, which also fluctuated over the ten year period, increased from 24.0% in 1996-97 to 29.3% in 2005-06—also with the most notable increases taking place in the last two years of the period. Table 27: Preschool Enrolment Trends 1996-97 to 2005-06 YEAR No. of Official Age Group Population Enrolment Annual % Gross Enrolment Ratio Schools M F Total M F Total Increase M F Total 1996-97 94 6,937 7,034 13,971 1,639 1,716 3,355 1.5 23.6% 24.4% 24.0% 1997-98 88 6,589 6,643 13,232 1,702 1,611 3,313 -1.3 25.8% 24.3% 25.0% 1998-99 98 6,330 6,335 12,665 1,818 1,816 3,634 9.7 28.7% 28.7% 28.7% 1999-00 91 6,166 6,126 12,292 1,742 1,866 3,608 -0.7 28.3% 30.5% 29.4% 2000-01 98 6,539 6,509 13,048 1,770 1,819 3,589 -0.5 27.1% 27.9% 27.5% 2001-02 99 6,671 6,562 13,233 1,770 1,772 3,542 -1.3 26.5% 27.0% 26.8% 2002-03 105 7,744 7,348 15,092 1,856 1,935 3,791 7.0 24.0% 26.3% 25.1% 2003-04 102 7,794 7,575 15,369 1,899 1,866 3,765 -0.7 24.4% 24.6% 24.5% 2004-05 118 7,991 7,878 15,869 2,138 2,274 4,412 17.2 26.8% 28.9% 27.8% 2005-06 142 8,254 8,132 16,386 2,329 2,476 4,861 10.2 28.2% 30.4% 29.3% Growth in primary school enrolment was somewhat less dramatic although much more consis- tent, with an increase of 11,295 students or 21.3% over the ten years from 1996-97 to 2005-06. The annual percentage increase during the period averaged 2.0%. Table 28: Primary School Enrolment Trends 1996-97 to 2005-06 Year Grade Annual % BEGIN. INF. 1 INF. 2 STD. 1 STD. 2 STD. 3 STD. 4 STD. 5 STD. 6 TOTAL Increase 1996-97 1,366 8,035 7,336 7,126 6,775 6,388 5,837 5,385 4,862 53,110 0.2 1997-98 1,260 8,020 7,048 7,215 6,866 6,537 6,003 5,257 4,912 53,118 0.0 1998-99 1,074 8,494 7,336 7,277 7,065 6,620 6,314 5,534 4,902 54,616 2.8 1999-00 1,041 8,381 7,523 7,226 7,158 6,849 6,540 5,845 5,137 55,700 2.0 2000-01 929 8,444 7,605 7,485 7,220 6,815 6,696 6,077 5,111 56,382 1.2 2001-02 724 8,402 7,772 7,542 7,258 6,906 6,550 6,160 5,238 56,552 0.3 2002-03 563 8,877 8,138 7,987 7,705 7,427 7,053 6,454 5,726 59,930 6.0 2003-04 397 9,175 8,407 8,420 7,995 7,726 7,273 6,670 5,875 61,938 3.4 2004-05 548 9,474 8,449 8,295 8,258 7,719 7,504 7,092 5,943 63,282 2.2 2005-06 490 9,918 8,760 8,461 8,001 8,179 7,577 6,986 6,033 64,405 1.8 47 The total number of students enrolled in secondary institutions increased by 5,784 or 53.0% over the ten-year period between 1996-97 and 2005-06. There was a continuous increase in enrolment during the ten-year period, with the annual growth rate peaking at 7.3% in 2000-01 and averaging 4.6% for the entire period. New intake into Form 1 also increased steadily during the period, with declines recorded only for 2002-03 (when both male and female new intake decreased, by 118 and 56, respectively) and 2005-06 (when an increase of 22 in the number of female new intakes into secondary schools was not sufficient to offset a decline of 131 in the number of male new intakes). Table 29: Secondary School Enrolment Trends 1996-97 to 2005-06 Year New Entrants to Form 1 Total Annual % M F Total Enrolment Increase 1996-97 1,916 1,897 3,813 10,912 2.5 1997-98 1,883 1,954 3,837 11,260 3.2 1998-99 1,941 1,956 3,897 11,720 4.1 1999-00 2,017 1,961 3,978 12,253 4.5 2000-01 2,230 2,325 4,555 13,143 7.3 2001-02 2,364 2,325 4,689 13,799 5.0 2002-03 2,246 2,269 4,515 14,630 6.0 2003-04 2,261 2,325 4,586 15,359 5.0 2004-05 2,449 2,369 4,818 16,150 5.2 2005-06 2,318 2,391 4,667 16,696 3.4 48 11.0 FINANCE: Revised estimates for the 2005-06 fiscal year reflected the continued importance placed on edu- cation by the Government of Belize. The Ministry of Education was allocated a total of $112,803,966, or 20.7% of the government’s total recurrent budget, second only to the Ministry of Finance, which received 46.3%. Figure 18: GOB Recurrent Expenditure by Ministry 2005-06 Defence 4.5% Others Home 12.4% Finance Affairs 46.3% 7.3% Health 8.8% Education 20.7% By far the greatest proportion of the Ministry of Education’s recurrent budget during this period was directed towards the primary and secondary education sectors, which received 60.9% and 28.9%, respectively. These allocations primarily represented personal emoluments for the pri- mary and secondary school teaching force. Post-Secondary (junior colleges) and vocational (ITVET) institutions received 5.5% and 1.3%, respectively. Both the preschool and special edu- cation sectors received less than 1% of the Ministry total recurrent budget. Figure 19: Ministry of Education Recurrent Expenditure by Sub-sector 2005-06 Special Ed. 0.7% Preschool ITVET 0.7% 1.3% Other Post-Secondary 2.0% 5.5% Secondary 28.9% Primary 60.9% 49 In contrast, the Ministry of Education’s total capital budget (from both local and foreign sources) indicated that tertiary education was a government priority, accounting for 80.6% of the Ministry’s investment expenditure for the 2005-06 fiscal year. Of this amount, over a half (58.7%) was allocated to the University of Belize. Some 13.4% was allocated to the vocational sector, while primary and secondary education re- ceived 3.0% and 0.8%, respectively. Figure 20: Distribution of Ministry of Education Capital Budget 2005-06 Other Primary 4.4% 1.0% Vocational Secondary 13.5% 0.5% Tertiary 80.6% Public recurrent spending per student was highest at the secondary level, where government spending amounted to approximately $1,926 per student. At the post-secondary and primary levels government spent approximately $1,260 and $1,062 per student, respectively. The low- est level of government spending per student was at the preschool level, with approximately $163 for 2005-06. Figure 21: Ministry of Education Recurrent Spending Per Student by Level of Education 2005-06 Post-Secondary 1,260 Secondary 1,926 Primary 1,062 Preschool 163 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 Belize Dollars 50 12.0 EXAMINATION RESULTS: 12.1 PSE PERFORMANCE: A total of 5,877 candidates sat the Primary School Examination (PSE) in 2005. Of these, 3,088 candidates were from urban schools and 2,789 candidates were from schools located in rural communities. An additional 208 candidates signed up for the PSE but did not sit the exam. The data for 2005 reflected a general deterioration in students’ average scores, with just over a half (55.2%) of candidates who sat the PSE receiving a score of 51% or higher, compared to 71.5% in 2004. Similarly, only 6.4% of all candidates received a score of 76% or higher, down from the 13.2% which scored within this range in 2004. There was also a wider disparity in the performances of the urban and rural candidates that sat the exam in 2005. While 62.1% or urban candidates scored at 51% or higher, only 47.6% of ru- ral students did so—a difference of 14.5%. In 2004 the proportions that scored within this range were 75.1% and 68.1% for urban and rural students, respectively—a much narrower disparity of 7.0%. In this regard, the data pointed to a deterioration in the performance of candidates across all six districts. The most significant decline in the proportion of students scoring at 51% or higher was observed in the Belize District (56.1% of candidates, compared to 62.6% in 2004). Table 30A: Student Performance in PSE by District and U/R Location 2005 Average of English, Math, Science and Social Studies Score District 0-25 26-50 51-75 76-100 Total No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 151 2.6 2,479 42.2 2,871 48.9 376 6.4 5,877 Belize 59 3.6 658 40.3 743 45.5 173 10.6 1,633 Cayo 28 2.0 599 43.2 686 49.5 74 5.3 1,387 Corozal 10 1.4 284 39.0 401 55.1 33 4.5 728 Orange Walk 19 2.2 324 36.8 482 54.7 56 6.4 881 Stann Creek 23 3.3 333 47.4 318 45.3 28 4.0 702 Toledo 12 2.2 281 51.5 241 44.1 12 2.2 546 Urban 83 2.7 1,087 35.2 1,615 52.3 303 9.8 3,088 Belize 48 3.6 514 38.6 610 45.8 159 11.9 1,331 Cayo 9 1.2 254 35.2 408 56.6 50 6.9 721 Corozal 0 0.0 51 26.6 120 62.5 21 10.9 192 Orange Walk 11 2.4 112 24.7 284 62.6 47 10.4 454 Stann Creek 13 5.3 101 41.2 112 45.7 19 7.8 245 Toledo 2 1.4 55 37.9 81 55.9 7 4.8 145 Rural 68 2.4 1,392 49.9 1,256 45.0 73 2.6 2,789 Belize 11 3.6 144 47.7 133 44.0 14 4.6 302 Cayo 19 2.9 345 51.8 278 41.7 24 3.6 666 Corozal 10 1.9 233 43.5 281 52.4 12 2.2 536 Orange Walk 8 1.9 212 49.6 198 46.4 9 2.1 427 Stann Creek 10 2.2 232 50.8 206 45.1 9 2.0 457 Toledo 10 2.5 226 56.4 160 39.9 5 1.2 401 51 The Orange Walk District had the greatest proportion of candidates scoring above the 50% mark and the Toledo District had the smallest, with 61.1% and 46.3% of students scoring within this range, respectively. Table 30B: Student Performance in PSE by District and U/R Location 2004 Average of English, Math, Science and Social Studies Score District 0-25 26-50 51-75 76-100 Total No. % No. % No. % No. % Total 104 1.8 1,538 26.7 3,357 58.3 762 13.2 5,761 Belize 58 4.0 489 33.4 743 50.8 173 11.8 1,463 Cayo 16 1.2 599 43.6 686 49.9 74 5.4 1,375 Corozal 8 1.1 284 39.1 401 55.2 33 4.5 726 Orange Walk 8 0.9 324 37.2 482 55.4 56 6.4 870 Stann Creek 8 1.2 333 48.5 318 46.3 28 4.1 687 Toledo 6 1.1 281 52.0 241 44.6 12 2.2 540 Urban 72 2.6 626 22.4 1,555 55.6 545 19.5 2,798 Belize 53 4.2 358 28.1 633 49.6 232 18.2 1,276 Cayo 9 1.4 120 18.8 376 58.9 133 20.8 638 Corozal 2 1.1 22 12.3 98 54.7 57 31.8 179 Orange Walk 2 0.6 39 11.2 214 61.7 92 26.5 347 Stann Creek 2 0.9 61 26.5 147 63.9 20 8.7 230 Toledo 4 3.1 26 20.3 87 68.0 11 8.6 128 Rural 32 1.1 912 30.8 1,802 60.8 217 7.3 2,963 Belize 5 1.5 131 40.2 179 54.9 11 3.4 326 Cayo 7 0.9 262 33.8 463 59.7 43 5.5 775 Corozal 6 1.1 140 26.2 322 60.2 67 12.5 535 Orange Walk 6 1.2 138 27.9 309 62.4 42 8.5 495 Stann Creek 6 1.4 80 18.8 310 72.9 29 6.8 425 Toledo 2 0.5 161 39.6 219 53.8 25 6.1 407 Figure 22: Urban and Rural Candidates’ PSE Scores by Grade Ranges 2005 76-100 % 2.6 9.8 51-75 % 45.0 52.3 26-50 % 49.9 35.2 0-25 % 2.42.7 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 Percent of All Candidates Urban Rural 52 Grade Range 12.2 CSEC PERFORMANCE: In 2005, a total of 2,538 and 2,489 candidates sat the CSEC English A and Mathematics examina- tions, respectively. The vast majority of the candidates who sat these examinations were from secondary schools located in urban areas, with students from rural schools accounting for only 15.6% of the candidates that sat the English A examination and 14.7% of candidates that sat the Mathematics examination in 2005. While some 98.6% of all urban Form 4 students sat the English A examination, only 62.1% of their rural counterparts did so. Similarly, some 82.1% of all urban Form 4 students sat the Mathematics examination, compared to 57.4% of rural Form 4 students. In both subjects urban students performed better than rural candidates across all districts. In general, performance was better in the English A examination, with 63.8% of candidates countrywide achieving satisfactory levels of performance, compared with only 49.4% of candi- dates that sat the Mathematics examination. These correspond to some 50.2% (in the case of English A) and 38.2% (in the case of Mathematics) of the total number of Form 4 students for the 2004-05 school year. These statistics indicated an improvement in performance over the previ- ous year when satisfactory levels of performance were attained by only 54.1% and 45.3% of candidates sitting the English A and Mathematics examinations, respectively. The Belize District was the district with the greatest proportion of students achieving satisfac- Table 31A: Student Performance in CSEC by District and U/R Location 2005 ENGLISH A MATHEMATICS FORM 4 District ENROL. No. of Satis. Levels of Performance* No. of Satis. Levels of Performance* 2005/06 Sitters Number % of % of F4 Sitters Number % of % of F4 Sitters Enrol Sitters Enrol TOTAL 3,223 2,538 1,619 63.8 50.2 2,489 1,230 49.4 38.2 Belize 1,141 965 657 68.1 57.6 975 427 43.8 37.4 Cayo 763 545 360 66.1 47.2 522 192 36.8 25.2 Corozal 436 320 181 56.6 41.5 304 198 65.1 45.4 Orange Walk 358 306 206 67.3 57.5 300 200 66.7 55.9 Stann Creek 302 228 128 56.1 42.4 219 104 47.5 34.4 Toledo 223 174 87 50.0 39.0 169 109 64.5 48.9 Urban 2,584 2,141 1,457 68.1 56.4 2,122 1,115 52.5 43.2 Belize 1,068 900 622 69.1 58.2 914 420 46.0 39.3 Cayo 708 517 339 65.6 47.9 489 179 36.6 25.3 Corozal 155 151 118 78.1 76.1 149 139 93.3 89.7 Orange Walk 328 291 200 68.7 61.0 292 198 67.8 60.4 Stann Creek 182 131 97 74.0 53.3 129 82 63.6 45.1 Toledo 143 151 81 53.6 56.6 149 97 65.1 67.8 Rural 639 397 162 40.8 25.4 367 115 31.3 18.0 Belize 73 65 35 53.8 47.9 61 7 11.5 9.6 Cayo 55 28 21 75.0 38.2 33 13 39.4 23.6 Corozal 281 169 63 37.3 22.4 155 59 38.1 21.0 Orange Walk 30 15 6 40.0 20.0 8 2 25.0 6.7 Stann Creek 120 97 31 32.0 25.8 90 22 24.4 18.3 Toledo 80 23 6 26.1 7.5 20 12 60.0 15.0 *Satisfactory Levels of Performance = Grades 1,2 or 3 for General Proficiency, and Grades 1 or 2 in Basic Proficiency. 53 tory levels of performance in the English A exam (68.1%), while the Toledo District had the low- est (50.0%). In contrast, for the Mathematics exam the Orange Walk District saw the greatest percentage of its candidates scoring at this level (66.7%), while the Belize District had the low- est (43.8%). Table 31B: Student Performance in CSEC by District and U/R Location 2004 FORM 4 ENGLISH A MATHEMATICS District ENROL. No. of Satis. Levels of Performance* No. of Satis. Levels of Performance* 2004/05 Sitters Number % of % of F4 Sitters Number % of % of F4 Sitters Enrol Sitters Enrol TOTAL 2,668 2,191 1,186 54.1 44.5 2,162 980 45.3 36.7 Belize 951 838 493 58.8 51.8 817 348 42.6 36.6 Cayo 625 500 252 50.4 40.3 496 162 32.7 25.9 Corozal 354 263 141 53.6 39.8 245 153 62.4 43.2 Orange Walk 293 241 157 65.1 53.6 240 156 65.0 53.2 Stann Creek 246 210 85 40.5 34.6 205 73 35.6 29.7 Toledo 199 139 58 41.7 29.1 159 88 55.3 44.2 Urban 2,132 1,849 1,079 58.4 50.6 1,830 896 49.0 42.0 Belize 873 768 473 61.6 54.2 753 344 45.7 39.4 Cayo 573 473 244 51.6 42.6 471 157 33.3 27.4 Corozal 143 124 105 84.7 73.4 124 116 93.5 81.1 Orange Walk 267 224 152 67.9 56.9 225 154 68.4 57.7 Stann Creek 151 135 53 39.3 35.1 133 51 38.3 33.8 Toledo 125 125 52 41.6 41.6 124 74 59.7 59.2 Rural 536 342 107 31.3 20.0 332 84 25.3 15.7 Belize 78 70 20 28.6 25.6 64 4 6.3 5.1 Cayo 52 27 8 29.6 15.4 25 5 20.0 9.6 Corozal 211 139 36 25.9 17.1 121 37 30.6 17.5 Orange Walk 26 17 5 29.4 19.2 15 2 13.3 7.7 Stann Creek 95 75 32 42.7 33.7 72 22 30.6 23.2 Toledo 74 14 6 42.9 8.1 35 14 40.0 18.9 Figure 23: Percentage of Urban and Rural Candidates with Satisfactory Levels of Performance in CSEC 2005 by District 100.0 90.0 86.8 80.5 80.0 74.2 72.3 66.6 69.4 71.670.0 57.5 60.0 47.7 53.6 49.9 50.0 50.0 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Belize Cayo Corozal O. Walk S. Creek Toledo Urban Rural 54 Percentage of All Candidates 13.0 VOCATIONAL\TECHNICAL EDUCATION: Enrolment at vocational institutions (ITVETs) have tended to fluctuate throughout the five-year period from 2001-02 to 2005-06. Vocational and technical education has also been largely dominated by males, who comprised approximately three-quarters of enrolment in these insti- tutions in all five years. Data for 2005-06 indicated that a total of 369 students were enrolled in ITVETs across the coun- try, a significant decline of 120 students (or 24.5%) from the previous year when some 489 stu- dents were enrolled in ITVET institutions. This dramatic decrease was the result of consider- able decreases for both the Corozal and Belize Districts, where total ITVET enrolment declined by 90 (73.8%) and 52 (21.0%), respectively. Table 32: Enrolment in Vocational\Technical Institutions by District 2000-2005 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 Corozal 57 43 42 153 122 32 Male 32 28 29 77 69 17 Female 25 15 13 76 53 15 Belize 287 277 229 240 248 196 Male 243 247 200 218 222 175 Female 44 30 29 22 26 21 Cayo 191 158 103 109 91 101 Male 110 91 72 77 63 73 Female 81 67 31 32 28 28 Toledo 57 30 55 31 28 40 Male 46 19 33 21 18 30 Female 11 11 22 10 10 10 Total 592 508 429 533 489 369 Male 431 385 334 393 372 295 Female 161 123 95 140 117 74 This decline in total enrolment can also be attributed to a sharp decrease of 150 in the number of students aged 17 and younger. This change was most pronounced in the age range of 14 and younger, which accounted for a half of the decline recorded for the 17 and younger age group. Table 33: Enrolment in Vocational\Technical Institutions by Age and Gender 2000-2005 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Age Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female <15 13 4 8 1 1 14 62 71 52 34 8 4 15 99 28 81 12 12 94 91 27 72 18 49 13 16 104 27 101 32 32 72 86 14 81 27 61 12 17 61 20 69 17 17 45 67 8 71 15 60 13 18 49 15 49 11 11 50 43 5 35 6 39 7 19 31 4 36 9 9 25 16 5 24 8 30 7 20+ 74 63 41 41 41 34 28 10 37 9 48 18 Total 431 161 385 123 123 334 393 140 372 117 295 74 55 14.0 JUNIOR COLLEGE EDUCATION: EMIS data for the period from 2000-01 to 2005-06 indicated a steady increase in enrolment among junior colleges, growing by some 842 students (51.8%) from 1,626 to 2,468 during the six-year period. The most notable growth was recorded for the 2003-04 school year (18.3%), when two new junior colleges were opened in the Belize District. In 2005-06 total enrolment increased by 63 (2.6%) from 2,405 to 2,468. This was attributable solely to an increase in the number of females enrolled at these institutions, as male enrolment actually declined by 27 (2.7%). There also continued to be a considerable disparity between the number of females and the number of males enrolled in junior colleges, with females accounting for almost two thirds of total enrolment (61.0%) in 2005-06. With the exception of the Belize Adventist Junior College, females outnumbered males in all junior college institutions. St. John Junior College accounted of 29.5% of total junior college enrolment in 2005-06, fol- lowed by Sacred Heart Junior College (17.9%) and Corozal Junior College (17.5%). San Pedro Junior College accounted for the lowest percentage, with only 2.7% of the country’s junior col- lege enrolment. Table 34: Junior College Enrolment by Institution and Gender 2000-2005 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 Corozal Junior College 258 263 350 387 398 433 Male 121 108 162 203 202 184 Female 137 155 188 184 196 249 Belize Adventist Junior College 75 87 88 134 155 100 Male 34 39 38 91 73 52 Female 41 48 50 43 82 48 Muffles Junior College 207 261 297 298 269 300 Male 86 97 116 124 115 126 Female 121 164 181 174 154 174 St. John's Junior College 677 713 732 742 768 727 Male 260 273 291 304 286 251 Female 417 440 441 438 482 476 San Pedro Junior College 0 0 0 58 73 67 Male 0 0 0 22 23 23 Female 0 0 0 36 50 44 Wesley Junior College 0 0 0 52 96 147 Male 0 0 0 26 38 56 Female 0 0 0 26 58 91 Sacred Heart Junior College 220 255 255 365 433 443 Male 115 121 121 153 180 197 Female 105 134 134 212 253 246 Ecumenical Junior College 189 193 168 200 213 251 Male 53 53 55 62 73 74 Female 136 140 113 138 140 177 Total 1,626 1,772 1,890 2,236 2,405 2,468 Male 669 691 783 985 990 963 Female 957 1,081 1,107 1,251 1,415 1,505 56 15.0 EDUCATIONAL INDICATORS 15.1 PRESCHOOL NET ENROLMENT RATE: The statistic below measures the proportion of preschool aged children (3-4 years old)3 that are actually enrolled in the preschool system. Formula: PS E where: PS T PSE = Number of preschool aged children (aged 3-4) enrolled in preschool PST = Total population of 3-4 year olds For the 2005-06 school year some 28.5% of all children aged 3-4 were enrolled in preschool institutions throughout the country. Data also indicated that there was a greater proportion of females (29.7%) than males (27.3%) enrolled in the preschool system for this year. Table 35: Preschool Net Enrolment Rate 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 2,254 8,254 27.3 Females 2,412 8,132 29.7 TOTAL 4,666 16,386 28.5 15.2 PRESCHOOL GROSS ENROLMENT RATE: The statistic below measures the total number of children enrolled in preschools as a propor- tion of the population of preschool aged children (3-4 years old)3. Formula: TOTAL ENROLMENT where: TOTAL POPULATION TOTAL ENROLMENT = Number of students enrolled in preschools TOTAL POPULATION = Total population of 3-4 year olds The preschool gross enrolment rate for 2005-06 was 29.7%, only slightly higher than net enrol- ment rate for the same year, indicating that 3 and 4 year olds comprised the vast majority of to- tal preschool enrolment. The gross enrolment rate for females was similarly higher than that of males (30.8% compared to 28.5% for males) for the period. Table 36: Preschool Gross Enrolment Rate 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 2,356 8,254 28.5 Females 2,505 8,132 30.8 TOTAL 4,861 16,386 29.7 3All Population figures by age group were estimates based on the Central Statistical Office’s Mid-Year Estimates. 57 15.3 PRIMARY SCHOOL NET ENROLMENT RATE: Primary school net enrolment rate measures the proportion of primary school aged children (5- 12 year olds) that are actually enrolled in the primary school system. Formula: PE where: PT PE = Number of primary school aged children (aged 5-12) enrolled in Infant 1 to Standard 6 PT = Total population of 5-12 year olds The proportion of the 5-12 year old population that was enrolled in the primary school system in 2005-06 was 88.1%, indicating that 11.9% of children aged within this range were either en- rolled in other institutions (preschools, secondary schools or vocational schools) or were not enrolled in any educational institution at all. As was the case at the preschool level, a slightly higher proportion of females belonging to this specific age group (88.5%) were enrolled in pri- mary school institutions than their male counterparts (87.8%). Table 37: Primary School Net Enrolment Rate 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 28,160 32,082 87.8 Females 27,579 31,162 88.5 TOTAL 55,739 63,244 88.1 15.4 PRIMARY SCHOOL GROSS ENROLMENT RATE: The primary school gross enrolment rate measures the total number of children enrolled in pri- mary school institutions as a proportion of the total 5-12 year old population.. Formula: TOTAL ENROLMENT where: TOTAL POPULATION TOTAL ENROLMENT = Number of students enrolled in Infant 1 to Standard 6 TOTAL POPULATION = Total population of 5-12 year olds The 2005-06 primary school gross enrolment rate (inclusive of all primary school students re- gardless of age) was 101.1%, some 13 percentage points higher than the net enrolment rate for this same period. This indicated that a large number of spaces within the primary school sys- tem were being filled by children who fell outside of the 5-12 year old age range. Table 38: Primary School Gross Enrolment Rate 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 32,659 32,082 101.8 Females 31,256 31,162 100.3 TOTAL 63,915 63,244 101.1 58 15.5 PRIMARY SCHOOL REPETITION RATE: The primary school repetition rate measures the proportion of primary school students enrolled in a given year who repeat the same grade in which they were enrolled in the following school- year. Formula: R t where: E t-1 Rt = Number of repeaters in year t Et-1 = Total enrolment in year t-1 The overall primary school repetition rate for the 2004-05 school year was 9.5%. At 10.8%, the proportion of males that repeated the same grade that they were enrolled in during 2004-05 was some 2.5 percentage points higher than that of females (8.3%). Table 39: Primary School Repetition Rate 2004-05 Gender Repeaters Enrolment Repetition Rate Males 3,507 32,594 10.8% Females 2,549 30,880 8.3% TOTAL 6,056 63,474 9.5% 15.6 PRIMARY SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE: This statistic measures the percentage of primary school students enrolled in a given year who dropped out of school during that year. Formula: D t where: E t Dt = Number of students who dropped out during year t Et = Total enrolment in year t-1 EMIS data indicated that some 0.9% of all students who were enrolled in primary school institu- tions during 2004-05 dropped out of the school system during that year. However, it should be noted that this data might not provide a completely accurate picture of the dropout rate as some primary school principals, from which this data is obtained, are admittedly often unable to dis- tinguish true dropouts from the system from children who have transferred to another school. Table 40: Primary School Dropout Rate 2004-05 Gender Dropout Enrolment Dropout Rate Males 350 32,594 1.1% Females 245 30,880 0.8% TOTAL 595 63,474 0.9% 59 15.7 APPARENT INTAKE RATE (AIR): Apparent intake rate measures the total number of new entrants to Infant 1, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children aged 5 (the official age of entry into primary school) in the country. Formula: N t where: P t Nt = Number of new entrants in Infant I in school-year t Pt = Population of official primary school entrance-age, in school-yeat t The Apparent Intake Rate (AIR) into Infant 1 was 100.3% for the 2005-06 school year. Although there were fewer female than male new entrants, their numbers constituted a higher proportion of the total population of female five year olds than their male counterparts. This resulted in a slightly higher AIR for females (100.7%) than for males (99.9%) in 2005-06. Table 41: Apparent Intake Rate 2005-06 Gender New Entrants Population AIR Males 4,176 4,181 99.9% Females 4,123 4,095 100.7% TOTAL 8,299 8,276 100.3% 15.8 NET INTAKE RATE (NIR): The Net Intake Rate measures the total number of new entrants into Infant 1 who are of the offi- cial primary school-entrance age (5 years old), expressed as a percentage of the population of the same age. Formula: Nt where: Pt Nt = Number of children of official primary school entrance age who enter Infant 1, in school-year t Pt = Population of official primary school entrance-age, in school-yeat t The Net Intake Rate (NIR) for 2005-06 indicated that 66.9% of the country’s 5 year old popula- tion were new entrants into Infant 1. In contrast to the AIR (above), the NIR for males (68.9%) exceeded that of females (64.9%) by some 4.0 percentage points. Although the NIR may be perceived as being low in comparison to the AIR, it should be noted that a number of 5 years old were also enrolled in higher grades in the primary education sys- tem while others were still enrolled at the preschool level. This also reflects the fact that a num- ber of children who entered Infant 1 in 2005-06 had not yet turned 5, while others had already turned 6. Table 42: Net Intake Rate 2005-06 Gender New Entrants Population AIR Males 2,879 4,181 68.9% Females 2,656 4,095 64.9% TOTAL 5,535 8,276 66.9% 60 15.9 PRIMARY SCHOOL SURVIVAL AND COMPLETION RATES: Primary school Survival and Completion Rates are indicators of the efficiency of the primary school education system. Survival Rate estimates the percentage of a cohort of students enrolled in Infant 1 who are ex- pected to complete Standard VI, based on repetition and dropout rates corresponding to the year in which they entered the primary school system. Completion Rate estimates the propor- tion of a cohort of Infant 1 students who are expected to complete their primary education within the prescribed 8 years, also based on repetition and dropout rates. Formulas: Survival Rate = Std 6 grad Inf 1 98 Completion Rate = Std 6 05 Inf 1 98 Where: Inf 198 = Cohort of students entering Infant 1 in 1998-99 Std 6grad = Students of the INF 198 cohort that complete the primary cycle Std 605 = Students of the INF 198 cohort that complete the primary cycle in the 2005-06 school year The primary school Survival Rate for 2005 indicated that approximately 90.9% of students who enter the primary school system are expected to complete the full cycle of primary education. Females were slightly more likely to do so than males, with survival rates of 91.7% and 89.4%, respectively (a difference of 2.3 percentage points). In contrast, only 44.8% of students entering primary school are expected to complete the cycle within the prescribed 8 years, indicating that a considerable amount of students will repeat at least once during their time in the primary school system. Again, females were more likely to complete primary school in eight years (46.2%) than were males (38.6%), a much wider differ- ence of 7.6 percentage points. This was consistent with a higher male primary school repetition rate, as has been observed for the last few years. Table 44A : Primary School Survival Rate 2005 Gender Survival Rate Males 89.4% Females 91.7% TOTAL 90.9% Table 44B: Primary School Rate of Completion Within Eight Years 2005 Gender Completion Rate Males 38.6% Females 46.2% TOTAL 44.8% 4Survival and Completion rates for primary was estimated using UNESCO reconstructed cohort method. 61 15.10 PERCENTAGE OF TRAINED PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS : This statistic measures the proportion of primary school teachers who have completed profes- sional training in education. Formula: TOTAL TRAINED where: TOTAL TEACHERS TOTAL TRAINED = Number of primary school teachers who have received formal professional training TOTAL TEACHERS = Total number of teachers at the primary level In 2005-06, the percentage of primary school teachers who were classified as Trained (those who had completed their Level One training or higher) was 46.7%. The Corozal and Orange Walk Districts reported the highest percentage of their primary school teachers as being trained, with 63.1% and 56.0%, respectively. The Toledo District, where only 36.0% of primary school teachers had completed this level of professional training, reported the lowest. Table 45: Percentage of Trained Primary School Teachers 2005-06 District Total Trained PercentTeachers Teachers Trained Belize 816 370 45.3 Cayo 621 278 44.8 Corozal 339 214 63.1 Orange Walk 398 223 56.0 Stann Creek 363 131 36.1 Toledo 292 105 36.0 TOTAL 2,829 1,321 46.7 15.11 PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO (STR): The student-teacher ratio (STR) indicates the number of primary school students that are en- rolled per teacher for a given year. Formula: TOTAL ENROLLED where: TOTAL TEACHERS TOTAL ENROLLED = Number of students enrolled at the primary level TOTAL TEACHERS = Total number of teachers at the primary level The overall primary school student-teacher ratio (STR) was 22.8 for the 2005-06 school year. With an STR of 21.4, the Orange Walk District had the fewest students per primary school teacher. The Cayo District reported the highest with 24.8. Table 46: Primary School Student-Teacher Ratio (STR) 2005-06 DISTRICT STUDENTS TEACHERS STR Belize 17,853 816 21.9 Cayo 15,388 621 24.8 Corozal 7,668 339 22.6 Orange Walk 8,527 398 21.4 Stann Creek 8,633 363 23.8 Toledo 6,447 292 22.1 TOTAL 64,516 2,829 22.8 62 15.12 SECONDARY SCHOOL NET ENROLMENT RATE: The net enrolment rate for secondary schools measures the percentage of the country’s secon- dary school aged children (13-16 year olds)5 who are enrolled in the secondary education sys- tem in a given year. Formula: S E where: S T SE = Number of secondary school aged children (aged 13-16) enrolled in secondary school ST = Total population of 13-16 year olds The secondary school Net Enrolment Rate for 2005-06 shows that approximately 45.3% of all children between the age of 13-16 years were enrolled in the secondary education system. Of the total 13-16 year old female population, 48.8% were enrolled in secondary schools in 2005- 06—some 6.9 percentage points higher than the percentage of males of this age group that were enrolled (41.9%). Table 47: Secondary School Net Enrolment Rate 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 5,896 14,065 41.9 Females 6,627 13,592 48.8 TOTAL 12,523 27,657 45.3 15.13 SECONDARY SCHOOL GROSS ENROLMENT RATE: The secondary school Gross Enrolment Rates measure the total number of students enrolled in secondary schools as a proportion of the country’s total 13-16 year old population.. Formula: TOTAL ENROLMENT where: TOTAL POPULATION TOTAL ENROLMENT = Number of students enrolled in secondary school TOTAL POPULATION = Total population of 13-16 year olds In 2005-06, the gross enrolment rate for secondary education was 60.4%, some 15.1 percentage points higher than the net enrolment rate. This indicated that there were a number of students enrolled in secondary schools across the country who did not fall within the 13-16 year old age range. As with Net Enrolment Rate, the female gross enrolment rate (63.8%) was 6.8 percent- age points higher than that of males (57.0%). Table 48: Secondary School Gross Enrolment Rate 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 8,021 14,065 57.0 Females 8,675 13,592 63.8 TOTAL 16,696 27,657 60.4 5All Population figures by age group were estimates based on the Central Statistical Office’s Mid-Year Estimates. 63 15.14 SECONDARY SCHOOL REPETITION RATE: The secondary school repetition rate measures the percentage of secondary school students enrolled in a given year who repeat the same grade in which they were enrolled in the follow- ing school year. Formula: R t where: E t-1 Rt = Number of repeaters in year t Et-1 = Total enrolment in year t-1 The secondary school repetition rate for the 2004-05 school year was 7.4%. There was a higher incidence of repetition among males, with a repetition rate of 8.4% compared to 6.4% among females during this period. Table 49: Average Secondary School Repetition Rate 2004-05 Gender Repeaters Enrolment Repetition Rate Males 659 7,883 8.4% Females 532 8,267 6.4% TOTAL 1,191 16,150 7.4% 15.15 SECONDARY SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE: This statistic is a measure of the proportion of secondary school students enrolled in a given year who dropped out of school during that year Formula: D t where: E t Dt = Number of students who dropped out during year t Et = Total enrolment in year t-1 Data for 2004-05 indicated an even greater incidence of dropping out than of repetition, with 10.4% of all secondary school students enrolled during 2004-05 being reported as having dropped out of school during that school year. With a dropout rate of 12.1%, males were more likely to drop out than females (8.9%) Table 50: Average Secondary School Dropout Rate 2004-05 Gender Dropouts Enrolment Dropout Rate Males 952 7,883 12.1% Females 735 8,267 8.9% TOTAL 1,687 16,150 10.4% 64 15.16 SECONDARY SCHOOL COMPLETION RATE6: Secondary school Completion Rate is an indicator of the efficiency of the secondary education system. This statistic estimates the proportion of a cohort of Form 1 students who are expected to complete their secondary education within the prescribed 4 years, also on repetition and dropout rates at the time they enrolled in Form 1. Formulas: Completion Rate = Form 4 05 Form 1 02 Where: Form 102 = Cohort of students entering Form 1 in 2002-03 Form 405 = Students of the Form 102 cohort that complete the secondary cycle in the 2005-06 school year The secondary school completion rate for 2005 indicated that an estimated 59.7% of students who enter secondary level institutions are expected to complete their secondary education within the prescribed 4 year period. As was the case at the primary school level, females were much more likely to complete this stage of their education in four years than were males, as in- dicated by completion rates of 65.6% and 53.9%, respectively (a difference of 11.7 percentage points. Table 51: Secondary School Completion Rate 2005 Gender Completion Rate Males 53.9% Females 65.6% TOTAL 59.7% 15.17 PERCENTAGE OF TRAINED SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS : This statistic measures the proportion of all secondary school teachers who have completed for- mal professional training in education. Formula: TOTAL TRAINED where: TOTAL TEACHERS TOTAL TRAINED = Number of secondary school teachers who have received formal professional training TOTAL TEACHERS = Total number of teachers at the secondary level During the 2005-06 school year, trained teachers (those who had completed a university de- gree in education, or who had completed Level One or higher of the teacher training program) accounted for 34.8% of the total secondary school teaching force. The Belize District reported the greatest percentage of its teachers as trained (44.2%), while the Stann Creek District re- ported the lowest percentage (20.3%). Table 52: Percentage of Trained Secondary School Teachers 2005-06 District Total Trained % Teachers Trained Belize 428 189 44.2 Cayo 266 84 31.6 Corozal 144 44 30.6 Orange Walk 138 43 31.2 Stann Creek 118 24 20.3 Toledo 76 23 30.3 OVERALL 1,170 407 34.8 6Completion rates for secondary was estimated using UNESCO reconstructed cohort method. 65 15.18 SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: The student-teacher ratio (STR) indicates the number of secondary school students that are en- rolled per teacher for a given year. Formula: TOTAL ENROLLED where: TOTAL TEACHERS TOTAL ENROLLED = Number of students enrolled at the secondary level TOTAL TEACHERS = Total number of teachers at the secondary level The overall secondary school student-teacher ratio for 2005-06 was 14.3. Toledo district had the most students enrolled per teacher at this level, with an STR of 16.0, while Belize District had the fewest, with an STR of 13.6. Table 53: Secondary School Student-Teacher Ratio (STR) 2005-06 DISTRICT STUDENTS TEACHERS STR Belize 5,805 428 13.6 Cayo 3,775 266 14.2 Corozal 2,082 144 14.5 Orange Walk 2,044 138 14.8 Stann Creek 1,773 118 15.0 Toledo 1,217 76 16.0 TOTAL 16,696 1,170 14.3 15.19 PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN AGED 12 IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM: This statistic measures the proportion of all 12 year old children who were enrolled in the edu- cation system for a given year, at either the primary or the secondary school level. Formula: TWELVE E where: TWELVE T TWELVEE = Number of 12 year olds enrolled in either primary or secondary schools TWELVET = Total population of 12 year olds During 2005-06, an estimated 89.8% of the country’s total 12-year old population were enrolled in the education system, either in primary or secondary school. This indicated that some 10.2% of children of this age group were not participating in the formal education system. There was a slightly higher percentage of 12-year old males enrolled in the system (90.0%) than there were females of this age group (89.7%). Table 54: Percentage of 12 Year Olds Enrolled in the Education System 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 3,437 3,821 90.0 Females 3,291 3,670 89.7 TOTAL 6,728 7,491 89.8 66 15.20 PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN AGED 14 IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM: Similar to the previous indicator, this statistic indicates the proportion of all 14 year old children who were enrolled in the education system for a given year, at either the primary or the secon- dary school level. Formula: FOURTEEN E where: FOURTEEN T FOURTEENE = Number of 14 year olds enrolled in either primary or secondary schools FOURTEENT = Total population of 14 year olds In sharp contrast to the corresponding statistic for 12-year old children, only 71.3% of all the country’s 14-year olds were enrolled in the education system during the 2005-06 school year— a difference of 18.5 percentage points For this age group, the percentage of all females that were enrolled exceeded that of males, with 72.9% and 69.8% of their respective 14-year old populations participating in the formal education system. Table 55: Percentage of 14 Year Olds Enrolled in the Education System 2005-06 Gender Enrolment Population % Enrolled Males 2,512 3,598 69.8 Females 2,442 3,351 72.9 TOTAL 4,954 6,949 71.3 15.21 TOTAL ENROLMENT IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM: During the 2005-06 school year, there were a total of 91,294 students enrolled in educational institutions across the various levels—from preschool to tertiary, and including vocational insti- tutions. Females comprised a slightly higher 50.2% of all students enrolled during the period than did males (49.8%). Table 56: Total Enrolment by Level o f Education 2005-06 Education Level Male Female Total Preschool 2,356 2,505 4,861 Primary Education 32,962 31,554 64,516 Secondary Education 8,021 8,675 16,696 Junior College 963 1,505 2,468 Tertiary 876 1,508 2,384 Vocational Education 295 74 369 Total 45,473 45,821 91,294 67