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When government changes, there are many postings that have to change too, and it happens everywhere, all across the board, and in each government department. It’s a political reality – but ask the Teachers Union and that reality shouldn’t affect schoolchildren. And that’s why in the past few weeks, there’s been an uproar about 43 transfers of teachers, the re-composition of school boards, and then the sudden firing of two vice principals at Toledo Community College. Those issues were taken up in outrage by the Belize National Teacher’s Union. And that’s why today it was a surprise to see the union and the Ministry representatives sitting together at a Ministry press conference. We found out about the respectful, if still brittle truce.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
They sat at the front table shoulder to shoulder, Union and Ministry assuming a peaceable position after talks yesterday.

Jaime Panti, BNTU President
“We met with Ministry of Education on Wednesday to finally address our concerns and to finally address the issues of transfers, the state of school boards, and the issue at Toledo Community College. We presented eight cases of these transfers for the Ministry of review and consider and I must gladly say that almost all the cases have been or are about to be resolved. On the issue of school boards, we maintain that all efforts must be maintained to have genuine credible and people of integrity to form these boards. We may need to review the selection process and to have people accountable. We cannot afford to have any principal or any school board to have our education system hostage. On the issue of TCC, it is our understanding that the vice principals have been reinstated to their respective positions. No principal has any right to remove any vice principal, it is the school which has that right.”

And while those matters have been or are being resolved, the Minister admits politics does play a role in how things are run.

Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“Yes I am a politician, yes there are political pressures, and yes I will try to do things in terms of getting benefit for sake of politics but I will not do it when it comes at the detriment of our children, I will not do it when it comes at the detriment of our education system. So once we can get away with politics, yes, fine but let us not do it at the cost of reducing the quality of education of the children of this nation.”

Jaime Panti,
“It is time that we join together to ensure that education influences party politics and not party politics influencing education.”

George Frazer, BNTU General Secretary
“We want to see the political tribalism ended and as educators we have to take the lead.”

Hon. Patrick Faber,
“If there is this belief that political interference is there let us bring it out, let us suggest that it be put in the rules, that it be put in the Education Act so that this can not continue in the future.”

But it is not politics that is causing Mahogany Heights school children to be left without a bus to attend school in the city, that’s economics.

Hon. Patrick Faber,
“Our policy is that where there is a school in your area, that is the school you should send your children. It is not fair nor practical to expect that if you choose to send your child to school elsewhere, especially thirty miles away, that the Ministry of Education and the government of Belize should be responsible for this. Imagine what would happen if everyone decided to do so. What we’re saying here is basically that there is a school in La Democracia, a primary school that is short of numbers if you will, that people can send their children to. Instead what is happening is that people are deciding we want to send our children to Belize City and there are forcing the government to provide transportation to Belize City and it is unfair to the government that we should find another bus to accommodate.

So you’re right, the problem came up when people started clamoring that the Ministry of Education needs to do something. As long as it was serving the purpose, we would have closed our eyes to it and say okay fine but now there are clamors for the Ministry to do more, far more than what is required of us. So we had to say, hey, listen the buses are being overcrowded and if you don’t have space for the children to ride on the bus then those who don’t belong on the bus need to get off.

If you choose to have your children attend a school in Belize City then it should be your responsibility to get them to school.”

The Ministry declared that a bus run will be provided to enable Mahogany Heights students to attend school in La Democracia.

One sticking point between both sides is that the union wants to have a meeting between itself, the government and the opposition. Education Minister Patrick Faber says he doesn’t see that as productive.