Brief History
The relevant education of Agriculture Production Programme (REAP) proved to be successful in the Primary Schools. However, students who were motivated to continue in the field of agriculture could not do so before 1984. It was from that concern that the idea of a school of agriculture originated. Fortunately, through the cooperation of Rotary Club, who financed REAP and supported the establishment of an agriculture school; the Roman Catholic Mission, who willingly leased the land; USAID who provided finance, Peace Corps who administered the grant and provided teachers, Ministry of Education who also provided teachers; the Ministry of Agriculture and the community who expressed their support for a school of agriculture. Belize Junior School of Agriculture was founded by Peace Corps Volunteer, George LeBard on July 4, 1984. Since then, they found that the school's operation has been a working and learning experience. Besides having learned, they have had problems. The main problem was a tendency to lose sight of the original goals of the school. They kept seeing a tendency from the parents, students and teachers to place more importance on the academic subjects. This was supported by the community at large by giving the opportunity to our ambitious graduates to continue their Secondary School Education. The Ministry of Education indirectly pushed us in this position by requesting us to follow the new Secondary School Curriculum Policy developed by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Belize Association of Principals of Secondary Schools of which B.J.S.A. was a member. The original goals of BJSA were to offer primary school leavers, especially from REAP schools an education in agriculture, to encourage diversified farming and to promote self sufficiency through participation in income generating projects. Some of the original goals were changed to meet the demands of the more ambitious students. However, the main focus of the course is still agriculture. The Board of Directors/Managing Committees of BJSA realized that they had to be flexible with the goals and objectives of the school. As a result; a request of at third year was made to the Ministry of Education in 1986 and 1987. Unfortunately, the government was not in a position to support it at the time. However, the Ministry of Education expressed the ideas that if they were to expand BJSA, it would be to a four year secondary school. Since 1989, the Ministry had this issue on their desk. Nevertheless, because of the many changes in the Ministry's administration and BJSA without a Managing Committee in 1989/90, the issue was not been followed up seriously. In 1991, the Chief Education Officer promised to set up a committee to evaluate BJSA so as to then make recommendations regarding the future of the school. In 1994 the Ministry of Education gave approval for the expansion of Belize Junior School of Agriculture to a four year High School. In September of 1994, the first phase of the expansion took place to add a third year. In September 1995, a fourth year was added and the name was changed to Belize High School of Agriculture. The first commencement exercise of the four year high school was held on June 1996.
