Celebrating our Independence

HFLE Manual Removed from Schools

As you know, Jason has been sharing in the High Schools and sits beside Loius Wade on the show Rise & Shine.  The HFLE Manual has been a prime topic of discussion on the show for the past two weeks.  Plus Tv (and the nation) received "No comment" from the Ministry of Education on September 8th when asked about their stance on the matter.  Yesterday morning on the show Jason said - There are two things the Minister of Education can do, either give the public and explanation for why this highly inaccurate curriculum is being taught to our children or withdraw the manual from the schools.  Late yesterday afternoon, in a press conference the Minister or Education announced that the HFLE manual is to be removed from the schools!  Thank you God for this victory, and thank all of you who prayed!  Our children are valuable and we will continue to stand as watchmen on the walls, fighting for their destiny.  (Below you find the news report from PlusTv http://www.plustvbelize.com/Featured/NewsDetails/tabid/63/ArticleId/3913/Controversial-HFLE-manual-withdrawn-by-MOE.aspx).

"There is very good news to report this evening which is as a result of a press release sent out today by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS). The release clearly states that HFLE Slide 1 "a decision has been taken by the Ministry to withdraw the teachers' manual, Education Today for a Healthy Tomorrow: Teacher's Guide: Lessons for the HFLE Curriculum in its current form as a resource for teachers in support of teaching aspects of the Health and Family Education Curriculum (HFLE)." Rise and Shine Show host Louis Wade Jr. and partners had been agitating for a sober review of the manual for the past two weeks, and a ground swell of support has been steadily building in the education sector as much of its content was revealed to be inaccurate. The release further stated that "In response to concerns raised in certain segments of the media and community in December 2011, the MoEYS requested those who were at the forefront of these concerns (a committee spearheaded by Pastor Wade) to submit these concerns and feedback on the teachers' manual in writing." That action was taken and concerns on manual content were submitted to the ministry in January of this year. The Ministry of Education moved to convene a committee comprising representatives from the Ministry, the Review  Committee, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Human Development and the stakeholder bodies of the National Council for Education and the National Council for Technical and Vocational Education. "The main task of this committee was to review the manual to assess its fit with the objectives/learning outcomes of the HFLE curriculum, the accuracy of its content and the age appropriateness and cultural sensitiveness of specific content and on the basis of such assessment to make recommendations for possible revision of the guide and strategies to more effectively engage parents in schools as it relates to HFLE and in particular to educating pupils about Sex, Sexuality and Sexual and Reproductive Health (S&RH)."The ministry has taken a decision to withdraw the manual in its current form and will be now be convening the representative review committee which was composed earlier this year. The release ends by saying that "The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports remains open to honest, productive dialogue as it has always been provided that such dialogue does not undermine the educational good of our people and country." Viewer interest in the manual had spiked as there were 850 downloads of the document from plustv's website. Our newsroom attempted to secure a comment from the ministry official, Arlette Gomez, but was unable to reach her by phone."

Mr. Andrews Back Where He Belongs

It's been a while but he's back in the schools! We are so excited for this upcoming school year. So far, Jason will be sharing in two schools, one of which is the largest high school in Belize. Please pray with us that Jason would find the right words to share and that God would prepare the hearts of the students.

First Day of School 2012-2013

Well, here they are, one year older!  They finished the first week of school on Friday with big smiles.  Keilah is in 8th grade, Judah is in 5th grade and Elijah is in 3rd grade, all at Belize Christian Academy.  We are so thankful for the teachers and staff at this school.  Our prayer is that our kids would thrive at BCA educationally, emotionally and spiritually.  

The cost for BCA is expensive, plus monthly trip to Seattle for Judah's doctor appointments.  We are praying for, and asking God for partners to come alongside us and sponsor one of our children for school this year.  If you are interested in helping with monthly school fees please let us know.  We would be happy to discuss it with you.