Education - Channel 5 Belize

Education Minister Says Teachers Allowances and Increments are Resolved

Education Minister Francis Fonseca has given an update on the delayed increments and allowances for teachers. As we reported, the Belize National Teachers Union had threatened to take industrial action in early December when the government missed the payment deadline. The Ministry of Education then set its own deadline and honored it by paying a lump sum to the respective school managements. However, this led to new issues, with some teachers still not receiving their compensation. According to Fonseca, the matter has now been resolved.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“I think for the most part. I think there may be a few individual cases outstanding, but I think for the most part, based on our reports that we have received back from our managing authorities, we feel that over ninety-five percent of these issues have been resolved. And we have engaged with the BNTU, of course, since the start of the year and we are working on any specific cases that they bring to our attention. As soon as we find out about them, we try to resolve them. So I feel good about where we are and we’re planning another meeting, I think we’re scheduling it for the twenty-third of this month, January, where we will, it’s called a stakeholder meeting, an all-day meeting where we will have the Ministry of Education, we’ll have the BNTU, managing authorities. We’ll also bring in the treasury department, the accountant general, social security, where we will have an all-day sit-down to discuss any outstanding issues and address any concerns moving forward.”

Government Sends Teachers Missing pay, Some Teachers yet to Receive it

Tonight, teachers are still demanding their overdue allowances and increments from the Government of Belize. Despite years of promises from the Ministry of Education, the issue remains unresolved. On December twentieth, it seemed like a resolution was finally in sight as the government issued the outstanding pay. However, several teachers claimed that the money was being withheld at the managerial level. We spoke with the CEO of the Ministry of Education, Dian Maheia, who assured us that there are no barriers preventing payment. She told News 5, “Payments were issued to the managing authorities last week as scheduled, and the disbursements to teachers happened as planned. The ministry has confirmed that some disbursements are still happening for the larger managing authorities”. Maheia further explained that the Ministry is carefully investigating the cases of teachers with additional concerns. She said, “As of this morning, three teachers had reached out with queries that reflect issues going back more than five years. As is the practice now, those cases are being reviewed and will be addressed as promptly as possible”. The Ministry has committed to providing a full update at the end of the year.

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Teachers Still Waiting for Payments Despite Promises

PM on BNTU: “For everything dehn wahn strike”

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Education assured the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) that all outstanding allowances and increments for teachers will be paid by December twentieth. This announcement came after the BNTU threatened industrial action in January 2025. It looks like the Briceno administration has managed to avoid a crisis. When we spoke with Prime Minister Briceño today, he remarked that the union seems quick to threaten strikes rather than sitting down to negotiate calmly.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We’ve always been willing to sit down and meet with the BNTU and I don’t think it’s teachers and if I said teachers then I misspoke. I was meaning the leadership or some leaders in the BNTU. For everything dehn wahn strike, dehn wahn strike. I mean, come on mein, we have more important things to do. Let’s sit down, we have a government that’s prepared to work with you and listen to you and do as best as we can. I think this has been the most open government that the BNTU has ever had and one of the best ministers of education that we’ve had under Minister Fonseca, and he gets out of his way to try to deal with them, to meet with them to work with them and try to meet the request and in some instances their demands. In some of these instances, the cases are merited, I’m not in any way suggesting that it’s not merited, but what is that merited to say if we don’t get it we wah strike? Come to us and see how we can get it worked out. And in many instances, it is not us, it is the management that has not been sending all the information, so we see the BNTU or more importantly the teachers as our partners. We are in this thing together and I appreciate that at the end of the day level heads prevailed.”

G.O.B. Commits to Paying Outstanding Debt to Teachers

The Briceño administration is stepping up for teachers, promising to cover increments and outstanding allowances within the next nine days. This commitment comes after the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) took a strong stance last week over unpaid allowances. You might remember B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz stating that the union was gearing up for street protests in January 2025. On Monday, Chief Executive Officer Dian Maheia responded to Caliz, acknowledging the letter sent to Minister of Education Francis Fonseca on December 6th. C.E.O. Maheia highlighted the significant achievements of the union’s partnership, including resolving the Collective Bargaining Agreement Proposal 22. She also admitted that the current system is outdated and bogged down by bureaucracy. Earlier today, we spoke with Caliz.

Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.

“Yesterday, the ministry responded to our written request. They stated that they will provide teachers with their increments and outstanding allowance by the twentieth of December. The only grey area for the union, though, is that we don’t know if the teachers who have outstanding increments from 2015, you some from 2018, if all of those years will be covered. That’s the only grey area, but we are happy. We are happy that the teachers have gotten what they wanted.”

Isani Cayetano

“I presume that this effectively staves off whatever action would have been planned for January 2025.”

Nadia Caliz

“I am not supposed to say yes or no to that question at all. There are other parts to it. First, the increment and then we need to sit down and dialogue concerning the change of the system. Since the black and white did not state a date for us to meet, as a responsible union, we wrote them a letter requesting a meeting next week to discuss how we can address this antiquated system that has our teachers that has our teachers suffering, the compensation for those who were unfairly removed from the system due to CPD issues which had a lot to do more with the ministry than the teacher because the teacher met the criteria. When the ministry did not furnish a license, the managements, based on the rules and procedures in place, the managements removed them from the payroll.”

B.N.T.U Says Its Position is not Political

Caliz mentioned that she needs to meet with the union’s executive team to give them an update. When asked if the government’s quick response was influenced by the upcoming general elections, she clarified that the B.N.T.U.’s stance is purely about the issues at hand and not political.

Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.

“After meeting with the government, I’ll then meet with my council to update my council and then we will know how we proceed from there. But let me reiterate this point, we are very happy that government is making progress, they have addressed the issue of the outstanding increment, especially for those for 2023, 2024 and 2022-2023. I’m quite certain of those two years. We are only concerned about the others who have been coming to us about, you know, waiting. 2015, I haven’t gotten it, 2017 and all those years. There are outstanding years beyond the frozen years.”

Isani Cayetano

“Cynics would easily argue that this has to be rectified ahead of general elections coming in 2025. How do you respond to that?”

Nadia Caliz

“Well when we met with Minister Hyde on Saturday, I have to say this, he made reference to this is the season that everybody comes after the government because elections are around the corner. For the BNTU, this has nothing to do with elections being around the corner and it would be very nice for government to solve it before then. But if you look at the current state of affairs, I would say only somebody who cannot reason will not be able to predict in which direction elections will go. Everybody wants stability. If you look at the parties and the persons offering themselves, if you look at who is more stable, who is more organized. I don’t think what we’re doing will have any impact on any election. What we’re doing is ensuring that teachers get what is right.”

PM Says Evidence Doesn’t Point to Immigration Wrongdoing

Today, the House of Culture in Orange Walk unveiled USpace on the upper floor of the Banquitas House of Culture. This new facility offers students a chance to explore their potential and allows everyone to connect the past with the present through innovation, history, and culture in a digital-friendly setting. It’s all part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology’s Access 501 initiative. News Five’s Marion Ali was on the scene and filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology introduced USpace, a platform that combines technology with history, culture and innovation. The project represents a collaborative effort between the Ministry’s Science and Technology Unit and the National Institute of Culture and History, NICH, in partnership with UNICEF Belize. Its goal is to empower communities by promoting digital skills. The initiative received support from UNICEF, whose Education Officer Natasha Manto says the children who use the resources will do so under supervision.

Natasha Mantock, Education Officer, UNICEF

“UNICEF’s collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology – did I miss something? Culture. Why – at the House of Culture and NICH continues to expand as it contributes to the realization of the rights of children and adolescents to quality, holistic, and relevant early childhood development, lifelong learning, especially for the most disadvantaged. The Science and Technology Unit, you guys are reimagining education with innovative practices, initiatives such as the Youth Spaces, Access 501, ConnectED, GIGA, and much more. More than just a physical space, youth spaces are a safe space for children. They’ll access resources, they’ll be connected, they’ll be supervised.”

Prime Minister John Briceño was on hand to view the project and was impressed with what he saw.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Belizeans from all over the country can come or go online, or come here physically, and archive any reference they may have. Could you imagine five, ten years from now, and the wealth of information that we can have from all across this country? I think it’s quite an exciting initiative.”

The Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca reminded the gathering of the importance of culture and shared some of the plans to grow culture as a business in Belize.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Culture, Technology

“This Briceño government will expand and invest more In the Belize culture fund, we will develop an immersive and artistic Belize music, music museum. We will develop a plan for a children’s museum focusing on exploration and creativity. We will develop a new arts program, integrating it into STEAM education, and we will collaborate with our entrepreneurs across the country.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

Fonseca on Outstanding Teachers’ Increments, “Frustrating Situation”

The Belize National Teachers’ Union has had enough. In a press release on Thursday, the union expressed its frustration over the government’s lack of progress in delivering the overdue increments to teachers nationwide. We asked Minister of Education Francis Fonseca how the government plans to respond to this outcry. He acknowledged the issue, saying the government shares the teachers’ frustration. Here’s more on that.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“It’s a frustrating issue. And As I have repeatedly said to the BNTU, everyone at the ministry of education. In fact, everyone in the government of Belize is committed to resolving this matter We don’t get credit for it, but this is a matter that goes back to 2018, 2018. We, our government, our ministry of education, working along with the treasury department and the accountant general, have brought back all of that from 2018 up to 2023. So what we’re dealing with now is 2023 and the current air trying to deal with those issues. Now we’ve almost resolved everything for 2023 So there are other issues in terms of 2024, but we are working tirelessly. Everyone is working and BNTU knows this because we have regular meetings with them to discuss this matter. So we’re trying to address and resolve this matter as quickly as possible. Obviously, we know that teachers want and deserve their increments, their allowances. So everybody’s focused on getting it accomplished. And we certainly hope that it will be resolved at the earliest possible time.”

Britney Gordon

“They asked to have it paid tax-free. Is this a feasible option?”

Francis Fonseca

“Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t want to speak on that because that’s something I would have to discuss with the Ministry of Finance. They’re the ones who would have to make that decision. But I’m certainly willing to have that conversation with the Ministry of Finance.”

Stann Creek Teachers Protest Not Getting Increments

Bridging the Gaps in Education Caused by Covid-19

All Saints Anglican is now officially a Doodle Learning School. It’s been four years since the COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down, forcing communities into isolation and pushing education online. This shift left many young children with gaps in their learning. But today, there’s good news. The Ministry of Education donated several Chromebooks to the school, allowing students to fully participate in the Doodle Learning program. This innovative initiative gives students the chance to boost their Math and English skills. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Early childhood development is crucial, as these years lay the foundation for a child’s entire academic journey, especially when it comes to learning how to read. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shift to online classrooms, which hindered many children’s academic progress. Today, the Ministry of Education took a big step to address this by handing over Doodle Learning Tablets to All Saints Anglican Primary School in Belize City. This initiative aims to bridge the gaps left in the wake of the pandemic.

Collin Estrada, Principal, All Saints Primary School

“During COVID we lost some time even though we had online classes. And when we had done Even our own internal assessments. We know that how some students are behind. And so this program will aid in terms of being able to fill the gaps that are there. So that our students will be able to be at level.”

The tablets are equipped with Math and English lessons, targeted for standard four students. The program is licensed by the school for one year so that the current standard three students will benefit as well when they advance to standard four.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“Students in that age group of say ten to twelve were most affected. And then it also highlighted, no surprise to us, it also highlighted that in these foundational areas of math and language, reading spelling, timetable those things were specific areas that were identified as areas that were weak. And those are obviously foundational subjects and foundational areas. So we had to come up with a plan to target that, and this is a part of that response. It’s not, obviously it’s a part of a much larger response to this issue that has been ongoing for many years.”

The project, sponsored by the International Development Bank, is set to expand and reach students across the country.

Francis Fonseca

“It’s going to target six students across the country from seventy different schools, seventy government and grant aided schools. It’s going to be for three years certainly in the first instance. So it’s a good initiative and the whole idea is to make, to take a very interactive, fun, experiential kind of approach to learning because we know that’s how young people today learn.”

Recent graduates of the school were not able to benefit from the program as it was launched after their graduation. Estrada assures us that while these children were at the school, they received all the extra help the school could offer at the time.

Collin Estrada

“One of the things that we at this institution tried as much to do during that period was that we had the Google Suite and even up to the point that we had here whereby we were able to lend students computer to be able to take home so there won’t be that much of a deficiency. Okay, so I could tell you while we are going through COVID during that time, we because of a donor, Anwar Barrow and our barrio, we had repurposed some funds and we were able to get in computers. And so we were able to loan them to our students who were in standard 5 and 6 at the time.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

St. Joseph RC Primary School Learning Robotic Through FIFA Donation

Saint Joseph RC Primary School is on a mission to educate the next generation of STEAM experts. Today, the school received forty robotics kits and other supplies from the Ministry of Education. This generous donation is part of FIFA’s Digital Education Program, a three-year initiative introducing computer science and robotics to primary schools worldwide. Belize is the first country in the region to participate, representing one of six continents. At the ceremony earlier today, Minister of Education Francis Fonseca explained how Belizean students will benefit from this exciting project.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“This is, as I said, a collaborative effort between the Government of Belize, the Ministry of Education, Football Federation of Belize, and the FIFA Foundation. The whole objective is that We’re trying to, of course, continue the work of ensuring that we’re equipping our students and teachers with competencies in programming, robotics, computing. So this is a program, we’re doing it here at St. Joseph’s today, but it will affect about ten thousand students across the country, and three hundred teachers are being trained. The entire objective of the program is, as I said, to ensure that our students are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to fully participate in this new world of technology.”

Britney Gordon

“And we heard them say on the podium that Belize was the country chosen for this entire continent. How did that come about?”

Francis Fonseca

“Yeah, that’s very interesting. Yeah, it really, we have to give credit to Prime Minister Briceño. He had a meeting with both the president and chairman of FIFA in New York, I think about two years ago. And so that really was the beginning of this process. He established that personal contact with them. And so it was out of that relationship that Belize was eventually. And so we followed up on that. We have to give credit to the Prime Minister.”

Closing the COVID-19 Learning Gap

Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education worldwide, Belize’s Ministry of Education has taken a step to address the learning gaps that emerged during that time. All Saints Anglican Primary School in Belize City officially became a Doodle Learning school, receiving a donation of Chromebooks to fully implement the program. Designed to enhance students’ Math and English skills, the initiative marks an important stride in improving foundational learning post-pandemic.

Early primary education lays the groundwork for academic success, as children develop critical reading and comprehension skills during these years. However, the transition to online learning in 2020 due to the pandemic significantly affected students’ academic progress. Principal of All Saints Anglican, Collin Estrada, emphasised the impact: “During COVID, we lost some time even though we had online classes. And when we had done even our own internal assessments, we know that some students are behind. This program will aid in terms of being able to fill the gaps that are there so that our students will be able to be at level.”

The tablets, equipped with targeted lessons in Math and English, will initially benefit standard four students, with plans for current standard three students to use them in the following year. The program’s license ensures continuity for a year, offering students a structured way to catch up on critical areas of learning.

Minister of Education Francis Fonseca noted that students aged ten to twelve were among the most affected by the pandemic: “It also highlighted that in these foundational areas of math and language, reading, spelling, timetable—those things were specific areas that were weak. And those are obviously foundational subjects. So we had to come up with a plan to target that, and this is a part of that response.”

The Doodle Learning initiative is part of a broader response funded by the International Development Bank. It will extend to 6,000 students across seventy government and grant-aided schools over the next three years.