The Politics of the Public School 

The phrase "Public School" means something different in England (and Belize) and the US.

Semantics 

In the US, public schools are paid for out of school taxes which are collected uniformly from property owners.  Additional funds will come from land revenues or taxes.  The general idea is that everyone is entitled to an education and we should all (collectively) pay for it for the general welfare.  (An educated person is not as likely to become a criminal.)  Schooling (public or private) is mandatory until the child reaches sixteen.  Generally, students (i.e. parents) buy the books, although most states furnish books at the primary level.  Land Grant colleges have very nominal tuition, and often this has been supplanted by veteran's programs like the G.I. Bill, which allowed virtually any veteran to get a college degree. 

In Belize, public schools are partially funded by the government, but every student pays something.  This gives the student motivation.  The something is usually nominal, but it is something.  Additionally, in all of the lower schools, students wear uniforms, furnished by the parents.  Books are bought by parents.  In college (high school) the tuition is a little higher, and the books are a LOT higher (sometimes $150BZ a book). 

Politics

In the U.S. everyone can go to school.  Everyone.  Little Mexican aliens, barefoot, raggedy, can go to school.  Okies, Arkies, Crackers, and the hosts of black and brown children, can all go to school.  When the Declaration of Independence says "all men are created equal", it means "everyone has an equal chance at the beginning" and all Americans pay more than lip service to that idea in the form of property taxes.   

In Belize, as in Britain , there are Private Schools and then there are the "Public Schools".  Almost all of the primary schools in Belize are run by churches; they are public in the sense that everyone can attend, but everyone takes Catechism or "Scripture" because the school is an outreach of the church.   Standard (i.e. primary) school is mandatory, but there are no truant officers -- enforcement is social rather than legal.    To go to college (high school) students must test, and the fees are higher.  Fees for a good college would be about $250BZ per semester.  Property taxes, on the other hand, are miniscule.

So -- this is where the "Public School" concept becomes less than egalitarian.  Children from poor -- I mean dirt poor -- six kids and Mom and Dad in a one-room thatched hut -- can't afford any tuition.  So, the children stay home.  Children from the lower and middle classes can afford standard, but not college.  This system tends to stratify people, keep the lower class people in "their place" and reward the upper class people with better jobs and better lives in general.  This is true in Britain, as well.

Socialized Medicine

In the U.S. we have Medicare (for retirees -- called "pensioners" in Belize) and Medicaid, for "needy people".  Medicaid is a joint program between the Feds and the State, and is different in every state.  It tries to fill in the cracks between HMO's, private medical insurance, veteran's hospitals, and Medicare.  Basically, we can say that everyone can get medical care if they need it, but it isn't seamless.  The Clinton Administration had a proposal to replace the existing system with a seamless national health program, but it was flawed in concept and preliminary design, incredibly optimistic, and we probably couldn't afford it.  In summary, the US has free schools, but not universal medical care.

In Belize, we have socialized medicine.  Everyone is entitled to medical care at no cost.  In actual practice, there are some modest fees charged for a number of services.  In general, I would say that these fees are a lot less than the "co-pay" that an HMO member pays in the states for a doctor visit or to fill a prescription.    The quality of the care, and the condition of the hospital, is something else.  The hospital here in Corozal looks like something out of the Civil War.  The doctors are reasonably well trained, but until recently, there was no separate administrator -- a doctor did it in his spare time -- and he didn't have much spare time.  So, Belize has "free medical" but you have to pay to go to school.

The Bottom Line

I do not mean to claim that the US is somehow better than Belize.  The US is more egalitarian, and Belize is perhaps more humanitarian, to the practical extent that it can be. 

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor or a lawyer, and I looked some of this stuff up.  If you believe I'm in error about some of this, please let me know.  

Sr. ric

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