BNTU President Leads Rally for Teacher Rights and Systemic Change

“Over 3,000 plus teachers are here today. And I haven’t seen this level of support for the BNTU in years,” said the president of the BNTU, Nadia Martin-Caliz. She told News Five that the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) came out to demand systemic changes in the education sector. During their demonstration, the members of the union expressed frustration with ongoing issues in teachers’ working conditions, pay, and recognition.

“It is clear that their mandate is exactly what we’re standing up for: value teachers. We matter. They matter. They are the backbone of education,” said Martin-Caliz.

She added that “today is the launch of a campaign” by the teachers. The “Value Teachers We Matter” campaign aims to address not only salary discrepancies but also the deep-seated challenges teachers face daily, from fundraising for school supplies to paying utilities.

One of the key issues discussed was the inefficiency in managing teachers’ compensation. Despite acknowledgement from the Ministry of Education, Martin-Caliz said, “While they want to be able to give teachers what is rightfully theirs, there is no documentation to support some of those things.” This, she said, delays necessary reforms.

According to her, some important issues have yet to be addressed. She stated, “If I say that we have not been making strides, then the union is being disingenuous.” She added that if the government doesn’t act in good faith on these unresolved issues, the union is prepared to take stronger action, stating that the union is prepared to “take it up a notch.”