Barbados’ Ministry of Education is moving forward with a planned overhaul of its secondary school entrance system, rolling out a phased approach that has drawn questions from parents during recent public engagement sessions. At a transformation-focused town hall held Thursday, education officials detailed the proposed framework that will replace the long-standing Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination, more commonly known as the one-day Common Entrance test. Under the new model, student evaluations will span the final two years of primary education – Classes Three and Four – blending ongoing in-class assessments with nationwide standardized tests, moving away from the high-stakes single-day examination that has long defined primary-to-secondary transitions for Barbadian students. During the open forum, one parent pressed officials on the timeline of the rollout, asking why formal assessment under the new system would not launch as early as Class One, rather than bringing Class Three students into the new model first. Responding to the concern, Acting Chief Education Officer Julia Beckles explained that the phased timeline was crafted around child development principles and the existing progress of curriculum integration in primary schools. Beckles emphasized that education planners have concluded Class Three students are uniquely positioned to adapt to the new assessment framework, thanks to their level of academic and social development after several years of primary schooling. She added that while formal evaluation will not start until Class Three, foundational preparation for the new model will begin much earlier, aligned with the parent’s suggestion. “We will be training all educators and rolling out preparatory work starting with current Class One students,” Beckles confirmed. The acting chief education officer noted that early primary years will be focused on building the skills students need to succeed under the new model, particularly project-based learning, which is a core component of the updated assessment structure. Since 2024, primary schools across Barbados have already integrated project-based learning activities into their curricula for early primary grades, meaning current Class Three students have already had years of practice with this learning style – making them the ideal first cohort for the formal assessment. Currently, the Ministry of Education is hosting a series of public consultation sessions across the country to collect feedback from parents, educators, and other key stakeholders before the new transition model is finalized and implemented permanently.
分类： society
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Four-Lane Highways? Infrastructure Minister Says Belize Isn’t There Yet
Amid growing public outcry over a sharp spike in deadly road accidents, Belize’s top infrastructure official has confirmed that a full conversion of the country’s busiest highways to four-lane divided roads is not on the immediate agenda, pointing to insurmountable financial constraints and low current traffic volume that fail to justify the massive project.
In 2025 alone, Belize recorded 3,300 road traffic collisions across the country, 94 of which were fatal. The devastating death toll has reignited fierce debate over the safety of Belize’s existing two-lane highway network, which is the primary intercity transit backbone for the small nation. Currently, the government is allocating millions of dollars to rehabilitation work on two of its most critical routes: the George Price Highway and the Phillip Goldson Highway. Road safety campaigners and everyday motorists have repeatedly questioned why these costly upgrade projects do not include a full shift to four-lane construction with a central median to separate opposing traffic streams, a design change that would eliminate the risk of deadly head-on crashes, the leading cause of fatal highway incidents worldwide.
In a recent public address addressing these demands, Minister of Infrastructure Development Julius Espat laid out the government’s rationale for the incremental approach, breaking the decision down into two core issues: population size and overall project cost. Espat explained that nearly all major infrastructure projects in Belize rely on funding from international financial institutions (IFIs), which have strict requirements for approving large-scale investments. Before greenlighting financing for highway expansion, these institutions dispatch independent technical and financial experts to conduct on-the-ground assessments of current and projected traffic flow to determine whether the scale of the requested project aligns with the country’s actual needs.
“When a highway is being designed, you cannot simply approach an IFI asking for a six-lane route and expect automatic approval,” Espat noted. “Their experts run detailed analyses to confirm whether the existing traffic volume, tied directly to our country’s population size, actually justifies a road of that massive magnitude.”
Beyond technical justifications, Espat emphasized the stark financial reality that the government faces, noting that even current two-lane rehabilitation projects already draw heavy public criticism for their high price tags. A full conversion to four lanes would send costs soaring to unsustainable levels for the small Central American nation. “If we are already complaining that the cost of current highway upgrades is too high, just imagine what four lanes would run us. The total cost would be tremendous, far beyond what our national budget can accommodate at this stage,” he said.
Instead of a full four-lane expansion, the government is rolling out a more modest, targeted upgrade: adding passing lanes to select high-traffic sections of the George Price Highway. This design allows drivers to safely overtake slower-moving vehicles without the massive land acquisition and construction costs of a full four-lane conversion. Unlike a continuous divided highway, these passing lanes are staggered across the route: one direction gets a second lane in one segment, while the opposite direction gets an extra passing lane in a different section, matching the most common problem areas where dangerous overtaking maneuvers regularly occur.
Espat emphasized that modernizing Belize’s road network is a long-term, incremental project rather than an overnight transformation. The current government is laying the groundwork for future expansions, he said, and subsequent administrations will be able to build on that progress as the country’s population and traffic volume grow to justify larger investments. “It’s a gradual process,” Espat explained. “By the end of our term in office, we will have delivered the upgrades we can afford right now. Hopefully, the next government will take what we’ve built and make it even better. That is how you steadily improve a country’s infrastructure over time.”
For road safety advocates, however, the slow, staged approach comes at a continuing cost of preventable deaths. While the government’s proposal addresses the risk of collisions during overtaking, it does not eliminate the threat of head-on crashes that make two-lane highways far more dangerous than divided alternatives. The debate over how to balance public safety and fiscal responsibility is expected to continue as the rehabilitation project moves forward and more data on accident rates becomes available.
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Turf Club urged to vet who takes retired racehorses
A disturbing incident of animal abuse captured on camera at one of Barbados’ most popular public beaches has sparked a joint police investigation and pushed the island’s top horse racing governing body to revise its long-standing protocols for rehoming retired racehorses.
The case first came to widespread public attention earlier this month, when Barbados TODAY published graphic footage recorded by a British tourist and animal welfare activist. The video shows two young men violently mistreating two former racehorses on Pebbles Beach, located in the parish of St Michael. Within days of the video going public, law enforcement launched a formal inquiry, with prosecutors already laying groundwork to file criminal charges against the abusers. As of the latest official update, no arrests have been announced, but investigating authorities confirmed that steady progress is being made in the case.
Dr. Mark Trotman, Barbados’ Chief Veterinary Officer, has emerged as a leading voice pushing for systemic change in how retired racehorses are placed with new caretakers after their racing careers end. In a public briefing this week, Trotman revealed that his department has already held coordinating meetings with police investigators, and is currently working directly with the Barbados Turf Club (BTC) to overhaul its outdated rehoming policies.
Trotman also drew attention to a growing, underreported crisis of equine abuse across the island, noting that the Pebbles Beach incident is far from an isolated case. His department has seen a steady rise in reports of neglect and abuse of discarded former racehorses, a trend he attributes largely to the Turf Club’s loose screening process for new owners. For years, the organization has rehomed retired racehorses with minimal vetting, often placing the animals in the hands of people unprepared or unwilling to provide proper care. Until now, authorities have struggled to build cases against abusers, as offenders typically avoid mistreating horses when veterinary or law enforcement officials are present, Trotman explained. The Pebbles Beach footage marks the first time investigators have obtained concrete, on-the-record evidence of this ongoing abuse.
In response to the investigation and public outcry, BTC officials have announced they will implement immediate changes to their rehoming protocols. Kyle Edwards, the Turf Club’s financial controller, confirmed that the organization will introduce far stricter vetting for prospective caretakers going forward. The organization will immediately end the practice of transferring retired racehorses to young, unvetted individuals, and will only place animals with mature applicants who can demonstrate the ability and commitment to uphold proper equine welfare standards. Edwards added that the Turf Club is conducting its own internal investigation into the Pebbles Beach incident, and will cooperate fully with law enforcement to hold accountable anyone involved in the abuse.
Trotman emphasized that the investigation into the Pebbles Beach abuse remains active, and his department will continue pressing the Turf Club to formalize stronger safeguards for retired racehorses to prevent future incidents of cruelty.
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New CARICOM initiative to build youth leadership capacity across the Caribbean
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has kicked off a groundbreaking regional capacity-building initiative designed to elevate youth development work across the bloc, with an estimated 180 youth-focused professionals set to gain critical skills over the next 24 months.
Officially launched in June 2026 under the full title “Strengthening the Youth Development Landscape: A Capacity Building Programme for Strategic and Sustainable Action,” the programme targets youth directors, frontline youth officers, and community youth leaders from all CARICOM member states, according to an official press release from the CARICOM Secretariat.
Delivered entirely through online platforms to ensure broad accessibility across the geographically scattered Caribbean region, the training curriculum focuses on equipping participants with hands-on, practical expertise to build, run, and maintain high-impact youth-focused initiatives. Core training modules cover a wide range of in-demand skills, including end-to-end project design, compelling grant proposal development, systematic project monitoring and evaluation, adaptive leadership development, mental health first aid for young populations, and strategic use of social media to boost youth engagement.
The CARICOM Secretariat notes that the new programme was developed in direct response to two key trends shaping the region’s youth sector: rapidly shifting challenges facing Caribbean young people, and rising demand from member states for stronger institutional and professional capacity to address those challenges.
Michele Small Bartley, the CARICOM Secretariat’s Youth Development Programme Manager, underscored the critical value of investing in the professionals who directly design and deliver youth services across the region. “As youth development issues continue to emerge and become more complex, there is a growing need to equip key youth stakeholders with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools required to design, implement, monitor, and sustain effective programmes and interventions that respond to the needs of our young people,” Bartley explained in the press statement.
Beyond upskilling individual practitioners, the initiative is also strategically aligned to advance broader regional youth development goals: it supports the rollout of the updated CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) and the regional Youth Development Index, while working to strengthen the institutional frameworks of youth-serving organizations across all member states.
Looking ahead, the CARICOM Secretariat outlines a clear long-term vision for the programme: to build a connected, well-resourced network of youth practitioners who have the skills and resources to lead innovative, sustainable youth programmes, and advance a resilient, forward-thinking youth development agenda that meets the evolving needs of Caribbean communities for years to come.
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Why are the BDF and the University of Belize Teaming Up?
On June 26, 2026, a groundbreaking collaborative agreement was formalized in Belmopan between two key national institutions: the University of Belize (UB) and the Belize Defence Force (BDF). The signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) marks a cross-sector partnership that brings unique mutual benefits to both organizations, opening new doors for service members and elevating the university’s athletic and wellness programming simultaneously.
Under the terms of the partnership, BDF soldiers gain access to a full spectrum of scholarship opportunities across every academic program offered at UB, spanning from entry-level associate degrees all the way through graduate-level master’s programs. This initiative removes financial barriers to higher education for active service members, supporting their long-term professional and personal development while they continue to serve the nation. In exchange, the BDF will deploy two full-time commissioned officers to the UB campus, where they will lend their expertise to strengthen physical training, student wellness, campus discipline, and athletic development for the university’s student athlete programs.
Dr. Vincent Palacio, President of the University of Belize, shared that the announcement of the partnership was met with overwhelming enthusiasm from the university’s student body, particularly athletes. When Palacio first previewed the collaboration during a meeting with student athletes one month prior, the room responded with an immediate outburst of applause. “They’re excited; they’re looking forward to it. So that motivates me even more,” Palacio noted of the positive campus reaction. He emphasized that the partnership aligns directly with the university’s core institutional mission: expanding educational access and investing in the growth of those who dedicate their careers to serving Belize.
Beyond educational opportunities and athletic support, the agreement also outlines plans for the development of joint academic programming centered on national security and defense studies, creating additional pathways for research and knowledge sharing between the two institutions that will benefit both current service members and UB students interested in national security careers.
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Chef Orlando awarded British Empire Medal in King’s Birthday Honours
A legendary culinary figure from Saint Lucia has earned one of the United Kingdom’s highest civilian honors, marking a major milestone for both his decades-long community service and his mission to elevate Caribbean cuisine on the global stage. Veteran chef Orlando Satchell, owner of the popular Orlando’s Restaurant and Bar in Soufrière, was named a recipient of the British Empire Medal (BEM) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list, recognized specifically for his lifelong work advancing community development and poverty reduction across his home island.
In an interview with local publication St Lucia Times, Satchell expressed deep humility and gratitude for the recognition, saying the award carries extra meaning because it originated from a nomination by the government and people of Saint Lucia. “I feel honoured to be recognised by the Saint Lucia government because the government of Saint Lucia, or the people, had to acknowledge me and put me forward. That in itself gives you a different sense of acknowledgement,” he explained.
With more than four decades of professional experience as a celebrity chef and over 45 years honing his craft, Satchell says every accolade he receives presents a new opportunity to shine a spotlight on the diverse, vibrant culinary traditions of the Caribbean region. He believes public recognition of his work does not just honor his own efforts, but draws much-needed attention to the rich food heritage that makes the Caribbean a unique culinary destination.
While the BEM formally honors Satchell’s contributions to community uplift and anti-poverty work, the chef is quick to redirect praise to the unsung backbone of the Caribbean hospitality and food sectors. “The people we don’t see… the fishermen, the farmers, the food vendors, the persons who are in the kitchen,” he named, emphasizing that every person along the supply chain and behind the scenes plays an equally critical role in the industry’s success. He also offered guidance for young people just starting their culinary careers, urging them to never overlook the contributions of entry-level and behind-the-scenes workers. Even a small gesture of gratitude, like thanking a dishwasher for their work, he says, can foster a more respectful, collaborative industry culture.
Far from planning to retire or slow down, Satchell says his mission to lift up Caribbean cuisine and nurture emerging culinary talent is far from complete. One of his top ongoing priorities is advocating for the creation of a dedicated culinary school in Saint Lucia, an institution that would provide structured, culturally rooted training for the next generation of local chefs. “I really want to continue to help train young people to become chefs. Even if you leave the Caribbean, you don’t lose the essence of the Caribbean flavour in your cooking,” he said.
Calling himself “a chef on a mission,” Satchell reaffirmed his long-term vision for Caribbean food: “The long-term objective is to make sure that Caribbean cuisine is the number one cuisine in the Caribbean. We cannot come to the Caribbean for the best of everything else. You come to the Caribbean for the best of the Caribbean.”
Before concluding his remarks, Satchell paid tribute to the people who supported him throughout his decades in business. He remembered his late friend Diana Theodore, who played an instrumental role in launching his restaurant in its early years, and extended gratitude to all current and former staff at Orlando’s Restaurant and Bar, as well as the loyal patrons who have supported his work over generations. “You have to acknowledge that, without the staff, you can’t build. The staff helped to build,” he noted.
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$581K Preschool Opens in OW’s Santa Cruz Village
In a landmark step toward advancing educational equity across rural and urban communities in Belize, a new $581,000 early childhood education facility has officially opened its doors in Santa Cruz Village, Orange Walk District. The Santa Cruz Government Preschool, inaugurated in a formal ceremony on Thursday, rounds out a complete educational corridor for the area after the opening of the adjacent Santa Cruz Government Primary School just eight months prior in October 2025.
The purpose-built modern facility is designed to meet the developmental needs of young learners, featuring spacious open-concept classrooms, accessible child-friendly restrooms, a commercial-grade kitchen for meal preparation, dedicated administrative office space, wheelchair-accessible ramps to serve children with mobility needs, and a secured outdoor playground for recreational play. The total project investment came out to $581,626.69, delivered through a collaborative funding partnership between the Belize Social Investment Fund, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and Belize’s Ministry of Education.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Minister of State Ramon Cervantes framed the project as far more than a construction achievement, calling it a critical milestone in the government’s ongoing work to expand access to early childhood education for every Belizean child. “This project demonstrates the government’s unwavering commitment to upgrading education and educational infrastructure, and to guaranteeing that rural communities can access the same equitable, quality public services that urban areas enjoy,” Cervantes said. “This is not just a building. It is an investment in human capital, in the residents of Santa Cruz Village, and across the entire Orange Walk North constituency.”
Elbert Ellis, portfolio manager at the Caribbean Development Bank, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that early childhood investments generate long-term, nationwide benefits that extend far beyond individual students. “Early childhood education is one of the most powerful investments any society can make,” Ellis explained. “When we invest wisely in these formative early years, we do not just improve individual life trajectories — we strengthen families, anchor local communities, and drive better national development outcomes overall.”
With the new preschool located directly beside the recently completed primary school, the development creates a continuous, seamless early learning pathway for children in Santa Cruz Village from their earliest educational years through primary education, a full ecosystem that Ellis called a “full early learning corridor” for the rural community. Backed by both national government and regional development stakeholders, the project reflects a growing consensus that targeted investment in rural early childhood education is a core strategy to narrow persistent social and economic gaps between rural and urban populations across Belize.
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Shock and solidarity in the eastern hotel sector after the Viva fire
A devastating fire that broke out last Friday, June 19, at the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham hotel in Bayahibe, La Romana, has sent ripples of grief through the Dominican Republic’s key tourism industry, according to the leader of the region’s top hospitality trade group. Ernesto Veloz, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism Projects of the Eastern Zone (Asoleste), described the incident as a major blow to the sector, saying the widespread images of the blaze and the disaster itself have left the local tourism community reeling.
In the immediate aftermath of the emergency, coordinated cross-industry support swung into action to contain the fire and support affected visitors. Veloz confirmed that firefighting teams from the Puntacana Group were quickly deployed to the scene, with all stakeholders working to provide whatever aid possible while adhering strictly to instructions from official emergency authorities. Hospitality leaders have prioritized supporting the tourists caught up in the disaster, implementing every feasible measure to reduce the psychological trauma experienced by those who were staying at the hotel during the fire.
While most guests escaped the incident without serious harm, Veloz confirmed the tragedy has claimed one life, a loss that the entire tourism community deeply regrets. Despite the pain and damage caused by the fire, Asoleste has expressed unwavering confidence in the leadership and team of Viva Wyndham Resorts. Veloz highlighted that Rafael “Papo” Blanco Canto, executive vice president of the resort brand, has remained hands-on and fully responsible throughout the response effort, consistent with his track record of crisis leadership.
The entire eastern Dominican tourism sector has united behind the affected hotel and its team, Veloz noted. “We are very saddened in the eastern region and throughout the whole sector, but we are confident this hotel chain will emerge stronger from this difficult process, and they have our full backing,” he emphasized, adding that the industry-wide solidarity will support the recovery effort in the coming months.
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Public Prosecutor’s Office arrests leader of gang involved in contract killings, kidnapping, and arms trafficking
In a major law enforcement breakthrough in the Dominican Republic’s National District, authorities captured one of the most-wanted alleged criminal kingpins Friday afternoon following a months-long investigation into a sprawling ring linked to brutal offences ranging from contract killings to extortion.
Twenty-seven-year-old Juan Francisco Quezada Tolentino, known by his alias “Pavel”, was taken into custody without incident by law enforcement teams as he was present at a local shopping plaza in the National District. The operation was led by Andry De Los Santos, prosecutor and director of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Fugitive, Rebel and Convict Capture Unit (Ucaprec), with additional support from specialized personnel of the Public Ministry.
Two pre-issued arrest warrants, numbered 2026-AJ0020297 and 2026-AJ0038079, were executed during the operation. The warrants were approved by Magistrate Rigoberto Sena Ferreras, head judge of the Eighth Court of Instruction of the National District, following a formal request from the Public Ministry, clearing the way for Quezada Tolentino’s apprehension.
Investigative records compiled by the Public Prosecutor’s Office detail a pattern of extreme violence perpetrated by Quezada Tolentino and his still-at-large co-conspirators against victims of their criminal enterprise. Two high-profile fatal attacks tied to the ring have been a core focus of the ongoing probe.
The first of these documented attacks took place on May 10, 2026 at roughly 12:16 p.m. in the La Esperanza sector of the National District’s Los Ríos neighborhood. According to witness accounts, a group of mostly hooded attackers intercepted a group of civilians before opening fire without warning, acting with clear intent to kill. The second attack left one man dead on March 5, 2026 around 7:00 p.m. The victim, Luis Alberto Méndez de la Cruz, also known as “Nano”, was shot dead at point-blank range by armed members of the network while visiting a friend at a residence on República de Colombia Avenue, located in the same La Esperanza neighborhood. Autopsy reports confirmed Méndez de la Cruz died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.
All ongoing inquiries into the network are being overseen by the National District Public Prosecutor’s Office through its Department of Crimes and Offenses Against Persons. Quezada Tolentino and his co-defendants face a raft of criminal charges under Dominican law, including violations of articles 265, 266, 309, 295, 296, and 304 of the Dominican Penal Code, alongside breaches of articles 66, 67, and 70 of Law No. 631-16 regulating weapons, ammunition and related materials. The charges cover the full scope of the group’s alleged activity, from organized criminal conspiracy to illegal arms trafficking and murder.
Following his arrest, Quezada Tolentino was transferred to the Ciudad Nueva Detention and Care Center (Caplip-2). In the coming hours, he is scheduled to appear before the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of the National District for a formal court hearing, where a judge will consider the imposition of a coercive pretrial measure.
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Task Force Authorities report the lowest cumulative homicide rate since 2023
Citizen security efforts led by a national inter-agency Joint Task Force have delivered significant progress, with new official data showing the lowest cumulative homicide rate in three years recorded by mid-June 2026. As of June 19, the accumulated homicide rate across the country stands at 6.98 per 100,000 inhabitants — a figure that marks the lowest point since 2023, according to the task force’s official 153rd weekly crime statistics report. This milestone underscores the growing effectiveness of the national strategy that combines proactive crime prevention, targeted investigative work, and aggressive prosecution of criminal offenders.
The monthly homicide rate for June 2026 is recorded at 4.73 per 100,000 inhabitants, extending a consistent downward trajectory that has held steady for multiple reporting periods. Homicide rate is widely recognized as one of the most critical benchmarks for measuring the overall safety of a community and the success of public security policy, making this sustained reduction a notable win for national security stakeholders.
Breakdown data by administrative territory reveals just how widespread this progress has been. Out of the 34 territorial divisions that make up the country, 29 now register single-digit homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants. Only five territories report double-digit rates, which translates to 85.3 percent of the entire national territory holding a homicide incidence of 9.99 or fewer per 100,000 people.
Security officials attribute these positive results to close, ongoing coordination between all agencies participating in the Joint Task Force. The collaborative body brings together the National Police, the Armed Forces, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and multiple other state-run security institutions to implement a layered approach to crime reduction. Tactics deployed include targeted enforcement operations against high-risk criminal networks, advanced intelligence gathering to disrupt planned criminal activity, regular preventive patrols in communities, and constant real-time monitoring of crime trends to adjust strategies as needed.