Coal Belize is a small often overlooked country in Central America with an incredibly diverse multilingual community. However, amidst its rich history and captivating people, Belize’s education system faces problems resulting in systemic inequality. 

In Belize, only 45 percent of secondary school-aged children attend school. Of that group, only 60 percent complete school within the standard K-12 timeline. Because of slow completion and high dropout rates, many people struggle to transition into the labor market. While many privately-run schools in urban areas have better support and resources for their students, public schools in rural communities have lower attendance, completion and performance rates. 

This summer, HXP Builders will construct two additional classrooms for an overcrowded primary school in the Cayo district. Currently the school houses two classrooms that are divided into four learning spaces. These spaces are much too small to accommodate the number of children that attend. The addition of the new classrooms will help decrease student-teacher ratios, create a space for students to gather during and outside of school hours, and improve the quality of education for current and future students. 

Source: Inter-American Development Bank