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The countrywide strike by the Belize National teachers Union continued today affecting all church managed and government schools.  Thousands of teachers stayed out of the classroom for the fifth day of their strike, and tens of thousands of school children in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions stayed home – as the strike went into its fifth day.  And the news tonight is that it’s going into day six.  That’s right, this evening at the BNTU’s national headquarters the Belize District President delivered the announcement:…

Kathleen Flowers - President, Belize Branch, BNTU
"Today's meeting directed them to continue the strike action. The strike continues into Wednesday and we do day by day activities and so because we know we have parents we have students, we have the committee at large that supporting us. We are saying to them we appreciate your support, we love having you on board with us and we ask you to stay the course with us because this strike action is all in the good of our nation. The classrooms remain empty, the teachers are not going to school and we know that there are management, we know that there are persons in the administration that are asking our teachers to go back to school but we view that as a way of breaking up the movement. I say to our teachers as long as you're conviction remain firm that the BNTU is doing a fight is worthy of teachers and a fight that is worthy of this nation for our future benefit. You stay the course with us and you stay out of the classrooms and you come be a part of your union's activities."

"You're 3% remains on the table and the national agenda for good governance remains on the table. We will continue the course until we get those two things addressed. I can indicate that the Caribbean Union of Teachers has indicated in a letter written to the prime minister that we need to resolve this matter quickly and I can say BNTU is prepared to resolve this matter quickly as long as the prime minister respects us as a union and come sit and talk with us. We do not appreciate being told to go to our parents; we appreciate being told we respect you BNTU, sit and talk with us."

Flowers said the union is asking its teachers to go to their respective branch offices to engage in activities.