National Security Strategy of Belize 9. Improve and expand nationwide access to education up to the tertiary level “ Strategic Concept: The Government of Belize’s vision for education is grounded in three basic principles: • Education for Self: Education must prepare each child to be the best he/she can be to create meaningful and happy lives; • Education for the Strength of the Nation (The Common Good): Education must prepare all Belizeans to enter, participate and contribute ethically to an economically strong, socially rich, culturally proud, politically just societ; and • Education for Life and Change: In a changing world, we must provide opportunities for life-long learning no matter why or when a person left formal schooling. We are never too old to learn or too old to start. Belizeans of all ages must enjoy educational opportunities as we create a country founded on the intelligence and education of its greatest assets, the people who are ready, willing and able to lead and confront changes in our world. The barriers to realizing this vision are many. The direct and indirect costs of education hinder access to education at all levels. It also impacts the provision of sufficient human and material resources. This combined with inadequate quality and lack of relevance of education undermines the effectiveness of the system to produce productive citizens able to contribute to the development of our society. To overcome these barriers the following strategic action have been defined: “ Strategic Action: Start Strong: Ensure Every Child Starts School Ready to Learn • Create and provide access to high-quality preschool programs designed to prepare children for primary school. The first target in achieving this goal will be to expand access by attaching preschools to primary schools, especially in disadvantaged areas. • Ensure that the preventative health care needs of every child are addressed through school immunization programmes. • Introduce a National School Feeding Program at the primary school level in partnership with the private and social sectors. The Strategy 24