Local News

‘Tis the season for graduation, but many times a number of graduates do not get the opportunity to march up with their classmates to receive that crucial piece of paper – the diploma.  Last week Thursday, all thirty students who made the graduation list for Salvation Army Primary School were afforded the opportunity to make that symbolic march up.  It isn’t because they were all in the clear with their bills, but because their Area Representative, Michael Finnegan, decided to intervene and ask the Ministry of Education to foot the bill for the eighteen graduates who would not have ordinarily been given the chance to take part in the pomp and circumstance ceremony.  Today the Housing Minister paid a visit to the school and told us that this has nothing to do with politics, especially since he had already indicated publicly that he intends to relinquish his seat in Mesop to his good friend, former Mayor, Zenaida Moya.

Michael Finnegan, Area Representative, Mesopotamia Division

“It is my philosophy that education is one of the most important thing in this world and I take it very seriously in the division that I represent and so I contacted the student and found out what was the situation and she told me it was eighteen students in all that diplomas were withheld from and so I decided to step in and make the necessary payments so that they could receive their diplomas.  I spend thousands and thousands of dollars every year in Mesopotamia.  I am responsible to educate every child in this division and the residents can tell you and I am making this public knowledge that this is done on a yearly basis by me.”

Principal of Salvation Army, Delcia Chan, says that while the children who owed were allowed to take part in the ceremony, there were some adjustments. 

Delcia Chan, Principal, Salvation Army Primary School

“The only thing we did was to hold their certificates and have them come in and try to make a plan as to how they will pay these fees that they owe to us.”

Marion Ali, Reporter

“That’s how you deal with it yearly?”

Delcia Chan, Principal, Salvation Army Primary School

“Yes, we usually do that, just hold their report cards or certificates.  We’ve been having an ongoing problem with parents who can afford to pay their fees at this school and we were fortunate this year that Minister Finnegan has offered to clear all their bills for the graduating class for this year.”

Marion Ali, Reporter

 “What is the fee?”

Delcia Chan, Principal, Salvation Army Primary School

“Well we have registration fee which is $45.00 per child, we have garbage fee which is $27.00 for the year, and we have bathroom fees, donation, exam fees and church donation.  With the graduation fee roughly the child will pay two hundred dollars.”

The students whose bills were not paid by graduation date received a blank piece of paper at the ceremony, but General Manager of Salvation Army Primary, Major Pauline King, says that if parents and guardians manage the fees from much earlier in the year, it would spare their children the embarrassment and the disappointment.

Altogether, Salvation Army Primary has an enrolment of two hundred and forty five.  The school’s student body comprises children from the poorer areas of Belize City.

------------------------------------------