The Leader of the Opposition also weighed in on the plight of teachers who are facing issues with their salaries, as well as hours accumulated for continuous professional development. The Belize National Teachers Union called a press conference last week where they informed that as many as one hundred and thirty teachers are being affected. Barrow places the blame squarely at the feet of the Briceño administration, particularly the Ministry of Education. Here’s what he shared on the issue.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“It is startling and reprehensible that a hundred and thirty teachers have not been paid and have been compelled to hold a press conference with the BNTU president to demand their payment. This is in conjunction or on the heels of the teachers protesting on Independence Day due to the lack on increments. Remember, we had an increment freeze in 2020 due to COVID-19. But the honorable prime minister bragged and boasted to anyone that had listened that the economy was recovering robustly and, in his words, the economy has grown every quarter since the People’s United Party has taken office. Thus, the teachers want to know, with such great economic activity, why can’t they get their increments. Now we have instances of teachers not being paid, as I said with the BNTU president, the national president, at the head table in a press conference demanding pay for the teachers. This then follows with the continuous development hours that the teachers have not been able to get due to cost of living, due to not getting their increments, due to not getting their pay on time and we see no solution for this government.”
The Ministry of Education has issued a press release emphasizing the importance of timely teacher payments. They acknowledged that the current salary processing system is outdated and prone to delays, often due to incomplete or late submissions. The ministry provided several clarifications in their statement. Firstly, they noted that one hundred and twenty-two teachers were scheduled for an off-cycle payment, which the Treasury Department confirmed would be deposited into their bank accounts by this evening. Additionally, the ministry pointed out that a few names on the B.N.T.U.’s list of ninety-nine teachers were duplicates. Of the remaining names, forty-four were already included in the off-cycle payment and should have received their payments by now. For the last batch of forty-three teachers, the ministry found that nine had already received their September salaries, three were secondary or tertiary-level teachers processed through a different system, and four were being finalized for the next payment cycle. The remaining twenty-seven teachers required further attention, and the ministry is working with school management to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. Today, B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz reiterated the union’s stance and explained what prompted them to address this matter.
Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.
“What really broke the camel’s back was when our teachers came forward and said there was an agreement with the ministry that we would not be kicked out of the system, but we were kicked out. We didn’t receive our salary. We were paid in the month of August and now in September no salary. What happened? And we started to query with the ministry what was actually going on. We did not get the kind of response that we wanted. We stand by our one-thirty [list]. We stand by our one-thirty. We went through our listing, cause they called us, we went through our listing, and we do have one-thirty. Three of those though, we will admit, were paid because those teachers actually were increments and we mistakenly submitted that. But if you look at the BNTU’s press release, it said one hundred and thirty plus teachers in this country. One hundred and twenty-two teachers are going to be paid today, but you still have like an outstanding thirty-five or so. And up to this morning, we have teachers calling and saying, “I did not fill out that form because I had no faith in the system. But now that we see so many persons being paid, could you please add my name onto that list?” So again, we’re receiving another list of persons. It’s not about the numbers. For us, our teachers are suffering. They have worked. They deserve to be paid. Teachers should not be going through this. There are things that I can’t even say publicly that teachers have shared with me that they’re doing so they can survive, and some of it is very unethical. I’ve visited teachers who called me, crying, asking for assistance. All I want to see come October, that our teachers don’t go through this.”
A month ago, several schools reported a shortage of teachers as the new school year began. Among them was Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Maskall Village, which faced a loss of three teachers across its pre-school, middle, and upper divisions. Fast forward a month, and the school has made significant progress, securing one teacher and on the verge of hiring a second. However, they are still searching for a teacher for their pre-school department. Today, Principal German Ramirez shared with News Five the strides the school has made towards full staffing and how they have been managing the ongoing shortage.
German Ramirez
German Ramirez, Principal, Our Lady of Lourdes School, Maskall Village
“We have managed to secure one teacher coming this way to help us with our teacher shortage. We have been doing everything we can from our end to ensure that he remains in the community. It’s not something easy for him, but he’s adapting and we’re lucky to have him here. We’re still short of two teachers. We’re working on one, trying to make sure that we get his license. The license application process goes through some bureaucracy, and I guess some vetting. And so that is probably what is keeping us back from getting the other replacement in this community. We’re still working to try and secure the replacement for the preschool as well. So I work along with the general manager of Catholic public schools to try and see if we can secure the replacements as early as possible.”
Marion Ali
Explain to me how it’s been over the past month in getting the curriculum delivered in an effective way to these students with the shortage of three teachers.
German Ramirez
“It’s not been easy, I mean, we tried to stay in alignment with what we have to be doing for the month of September but jumping out of a classroom and going into another, you don’t get to do what you need to do as effectively as possible. So, what we try to do is to ensure that our children are busy, getting their printed packages for them to be working on while I’m there. I can explain while I’m out, they work on their own with some limited supervision from the teacher nearby.”
Many tertiary institutions in Belize are still finding their way through the transition to fully online education. For secondary schools, the challenge of offering a virtual option is even greater. Initially, we assumed that primary-level education in a virtual setting was non-existent. However, we stumbled upon a school that not only offers this service but does so with an innovative twist that piqued our interest. This month, our ‘On The Bright Side’ series shines a light on unconventional education. This week, we feature La Isla Carinosa Academy, one of only two fully online primary schools in Belize.
Sabreena Daly
Sabreena Daly
In 2020, our dependence on technology became indispensable as the world abruptly transitioned online for work and education. Since then, many have adapted in various ways—some reverting to their pre-pandemic habits, while others have embraced changes that could forever alter our lifestyles and work environments. While many have resumed traditional methods, a significant number, particularly in the education sector, have fully embraced this digital transformation. So when we discovered that there was a primary learning institution in Belize that transitioned to online learning and stayed there, even after having the option to return to face-to-face learning, that sparked our interest. And to speak to the persons guiding this process, you’d imagine, we had to jump online as well.
Eryn Peters was only six years old when she made the switch from traditional classroom learning to online education at La Isla Carinosa Academy. That was four years ago.
Eryn Peters
Eryn Peters, Student, La Isla Carinosa Academy
“In standard one, we have learned a lot more information than I have gotten in face to face learning and I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but when I go over to other schools and ask what they’re doing in their classroom, they tell me something that I’ve already learned in my class, even though we’re in the same classroom.”
She embarked on her online learning adventure in Standard One, while her mother, a dedicated teacher at a traditional school, courageously chose to keep her daughter in this innovative and unconventional educational path.
Reena Peters
Reena Peters, Parent “To me, it helped the children to be more prepared for the future especially in this era in technology. They probe the children to think outside the box, to be creative, to be free thinkers, critical thinkers. And, I love that about the way they deliver their lessons. And so I thought tha La Isla Cariñosa is the perfect place for my child.”
Dr. Alberto August, a passionate career educator, has devoted his entire life to the field of academics. In 2015, he realized his dream by founding an educational institution on Caye Caulker. When the pandemic struck, Dr. August was quick to adapt to the changing landscape of education. Since then, his academy has seamlessly transitioned to a permanent virtual platform, now enrolling over fifty students from within the country and abroad. This innovative online learning model has become an invaluable and far-reaching resource, offering primary level education to a diverse student body.
Alberto August
Dr. Alberto August, Founder, La Isla Carinosa Academy “It started out as a physical school on Caye Caulker in September 2015. We had practices, for example, away from the traditional. We had no bell, so we had clocks. We had no lineup, so the children learned orderly how to go to classes and how to respect each other’s space. We didn’t have a roll call of attendance. We had a small class size. We had technology embedded and we didn’t punish children. That was one of our big things. We focused on positive reinforcement besides punishing children. We got enrollment from Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, Toledo; all six districts. As a matter of fact, some of our enrollment were students from Guatemala, from Mexico. From the United States, we had students in our program. Yes. So it was that. And that was how we delivered across, not just Belize, across the region.”
The teachers at La Isla Carinosa are equipped with specialized skills tailored for online learning—a challenge that many traditional educators would have faced during the Covid Pandemic. Tanisha Lawrence has been an educator with La Isla Carinosa Academy her entire teaching career.
Tanisha Lawrence
Tanisha Lawrence, Teacher, La Isla Carinosa “The major difference is, getting to meet all the different people from around the country, having all of those, you know, personalities, those lives in our classes as well. I honestly don’t see it as very different because It’s the same amount of work. You still have to do the same planning, you still have to do the same reflecting, you still have to do the same amount of work. But. It comes with experience. This is my fourth year teaching online and everything is just super easy now and I get to enjoy it more.”
Dr. Alberto August
“I have a group of wonderful experienced teachers, and one thing that I found was key to that is the constant connection. For example, at our school, we have a CPD session weekly. That was something we started in 2015. Even today, this week, we have a CPD session where we train our teachers. It’s not just a meeting for a meeting sake. It’s sharing strategies. Sharing research, sharing ideas to develop our lesson, our lessons, our school. And so we have weekly PD sessions, which, which most schools in my, in Belize do not have.”
You might wonder, do these students genuinely feel a sense of achievement and fulfillment within this distinctive educational system? A LICA education could be the perfect fit for those eager to leverage the benefits of technology-driven learning. While students may not meet face-to-face, their connections transcend physical boundaries, creating a global community. The school’s motto serves as a powerful reminder of the core values that guide our interactions and how we should treat one another.
Eryn Peters “Based on my experience, I would say that it’s very fun and I think that it would be a nice adjustment to any child that’s in primary school to do online primary school because during online primary school everybody, they’re so nice to you because our golden rule in the entire school, basically our motto is Be kind to others and be treated how you want to be treated. So, knowing from that, you can know that it’s a very kind and sociable experience and environment.”
The Ministry of Education issued a late afternoon response to the Belize National Teachers Union’s concerns. The release starts by saying that the ministry recognizes and share the concern for ensuring that our teachers are paid in a timely and efficient manner. The release went on to say that the Ministry has submitted the names of one-hundred and twenty-two teachers for an off-cycle payment run to address the delayed salaries. It notes that the Treasury Department has confirmed that these salaries should be deposited into the respective teachers’ bank accounts by the evening of October fourth. According to the release, the B.N.T.U. provided a list of ninety-nine teachers to the Ministry which it claimed had not been paid. M.O.E says that upon review of the list they found that twelve names were duplicates, leaving eighty-seven cases to resolve. Of these, forty-four teachers are already included in the off-cycle payment, meaning their payments are expected this week. The release went on to say that the remaining forty-three teachers were investigated further. Nine teachers were found to have already received their September salaries, and three were secondary or tertiary-level teachers, who are processed through a different system. An additional four are being finalized for salary processing for the next payment cycle. Based on the ministry’s numbers, this would leave twenty-seven teachers from the B.N.T.U. list requiring additional attention. The Ministry says it is committed to working with school managements to sort these through posthaste so that these salaries can be processed later this month. The ministry also acknowledged that the current salary processing system is antiquated and prone to delays, especially where paperwork is incomplete or submitted late. M.O.E says it understand the frustration that these delays have caused for the affected teachers, and that they are committed to working closely with the B.N.T.U. and all stakeholders to address these challenges swiftly.
The United Democratic Party has also issued a release condemning the delay in payment. The release refers to the delay as an attack on teachers and the B.N.T.U. by the “Briceño-Fonseca administration”, unquote. The U.D.P. says it stands in solidarity with the teachers, adding “the recent occurrence has painfully reminded us that this uncaring government has no good intention for teachers and public officers”. The ends saying “The United Democratic party calls 0on the Minister of Education and the many senior officials on all expense paid tax payers’ funded luxury vacation to return home and immediately resolve this crisis”.
On Wednesday night, we revealed a troubling situation: over one hundred and thirty teachers have been tirelessly working without receiving their salaries. Dreadfully, some have been unpaid for more than six months. During a press conference at the B.N.T.U. headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, it was disclosed that these teachers are being systematically removed from the Government of Belize’s Smart Stream system. The union alleges that this system is being manipulated to target their members. There’s also a link to the highly controversial CPD hours that teachers must complete to renew their teaching licenses. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us the full story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
On Wednesday, the Belize National Teachers Union President accused the Ministry of Education of attacking its membership.
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.
“It is an attack on our teachers and an attack on the BNTU.”
This revelation follows the alarming news that over 130 teachers have been tirelessly working in classrooms without pay. At a press conference held at the union’s headquarters, we spoke with two of these affected educators. Kimberly Lopez has been without her salary for the past five months, while Janelle Cacho is still waiting for her September paycheck.
Kimberly Lopez
Kimberly Lopez, Primary School Teacher
“Well first of all I want to say I haven’t been paid for five months. I have not been paid since May. I have been getting money from all over, my spouse, my savings. Imagine you are saving money for your future, and you have to be touching money from your future right now.”
Janelle Cacho
Janelle Cacho, Primary School Teacher
“At has caused just major distress and trauma and inconveniences on my part. You have to function as a teacher, but then you know as a person how are you supposed to be functioning as a teacher if all of these things are hindering you.”
There is a common theme in both cases, the Ministry of Education’s requisite one hundred and twenty continuous professional development hours that all teachers must meet before their teaching license expires. In Lopez’s case, there was a delay in the renewal of her teaching license.
Kimberly Lopez
“Before my license got expired, I was sending emails to verify how much CPD hours I had. I was waiting and when I finally got, they told me I have only thirty two hours. After all these years and doing multiple workshops, how will they tell me I only have thirty-two hours. So, I went into the system found all my documents. I found my certificate and sent it in and that is how I ended up gettingmy hours.”
But her license was not renewed until July. In Cacho’s case, she says that the ministry informed her a couple weeks before her license was set to expire in January, that her CPD hours were insufficient.
Janelle Cacho
“I had to step out of the classroom because of the expiration of my license. So, I was out of the classroom. I did not get back into the classroom until June. I completed the hundred and twenty hours. I applied for my license which took a month and a half. I was behind everybody at ministry. I think by now they know my name, because I was calling, emailing, trying to get some kind of assistance. At times I felt so frustrated because I was not being attended to the way I should have been.”
BTNU President Nadia Caliz revealed a disturbing trend: many teachers who haven’t received their salaries have mysteriously disappeared from the Government of Belize’s Smart Stream system, which handles payroll. Caliz highlighted that the Minister of Education had promised that school managing authorities would notify the chief education officer about any teachers needing removal from the system. However, Caliz asserts that this protocol has not been adhered to, leaving many educators in a financial lurch.
Nadia Caliz
“So when we learnt on Thursday that a number of these teachers have not been paid, we said, why is this so. Did the management submit all that they needed to and all of that. You can’t find them any at all in the system. So, for those teachers to come off the system, you have to manually go in and remove them? So, who gave the order? That is the question, when we have an agreement. Who disobeyed the agreement we have with Minister Fonseca, because he was in the meeting with us? Who did that?”
Not every teacher’s experience is the same, according to Caliz. But she argues that it boils down to an administrative deficiency within the ministry.
Nadia Caliz
“Somebody is attacking the BNTU, and they are using that system to attack the BNTU. The BNTU will not take this lightly come October 2024. If we have to muster we will muster. But something has to be done about the current system. We can no longer have people showing up to work and at the end of the month no payment, two, three, four, five, six months, no salary.”
The Ministry says that it submitted the names of 122 teachers for an off-cycle payment to address their delayed salaries. These teachers are expected to be paid by Friday evening. The Ministry added that the BNTU submitted a list of 99 teachers claiming unpaid salaries. After removing 12 duplicate names, 87 cases remained, with 44 teachers already included in the off-cycle payment expected this week. Of the remaining 43 teachers, 9 have already received their September salaries, 3 are processed through a different system, and 4 are being finalised for the next payment cycle.
This leaves 27 teachers who have not been paid and will not be paid on Friday. The Ministry says it is “committed to working with school management to sort these through posthaste so that these salaries can be processed later this month.”
The Ministry recognises that the outdated salary processing system causes delays and is committed to working with the BNTU to resolve these issues quickly.
Today, Galen University and its partners launched a regional research project to collect data on indigenous communities in Central America and their relationship with the pursuit of higher education. The study is spearheaded by a team in Mexico and has selected Belize to be one of the focal points. Galen University’s research team provided more details about the project. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Roughly eleven percent of Belize’s population is comprised of indigenous people. Of that eleven percent, less than a third have sought higher education. A new study has been launched to analyze the factors that contribute to this trend. The Supporting Policies and Practices for Indigenous Peoples in Institutions of Higher Education and Academic Research in Central America Project was created to gather data on the phenomenon with the goal of curbing the numbers. Doctor Filiberto Penados provided us with some more details of the regional study.
Filiberto Penados
Dr. Filiberto Penados, Research Director
“It’s a regional project that involves Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Costa Rica. And it really aims at understanding how indigenous peoples are participating in higher education. And what are the factors that influence their participation or lack of their participation? With a hope to generate intervention, policy, and ideas from changing the participation the rate of participation across the region, the participation of indigenous peoples in higher education tends to be low. Again, it’s the reason for the project.”
The three-year project is led by the Social Anthropology Research and Education Center of Mexico with support from the International Development and Research Center in Canada. Universities across the region were chosen to participate in the study. The team felt it necessary that Belize be an active participant in the study because of its unique culture as the only English-speaking country in the region.
Dr. Filiberto Penados
“The first year is the data collection so both in terms of finding out from the institutions their enrollments, their graduation rates, who is participating, who is not participating, who is dropping out, who is not dropping out, and the reasons why. This, in terms of indigenous peoples, of course. And so we’re gonna collect that data. And then in year two, by the middle of next year, we should have the results. We’re going to be able to present that and invite this network that I’m talking about, who can come and look at that and have a forum where we can generate some policy and intervention ideas and then focus on the dissemination, publication of the results in the third year.”
Often, Belize is excluded form regional studies, so this project shines a light on the valuable data in the small country. Each participating country has a lead university coordinating local data collection.
Lynmara Rosado-Lino
Lynmara Rosado-Lino, Research Assistant
“The end goal of the project with the policymaking, the development of new ideas, and perhaps even new ways of addressing this concern and incorporating Indigenous people into higher education, both as students, but also as decision makers, starts from now. So the aim is to build our network.”
Galen seeks to create a network of researchers from the Mayan and Garifuna communities, as well as the country’s other tertiary level institutions.
Lynmara Rosado-Lino
“We have communicated with the Office of Indigenous Peoples Affairs as well as the Indigenous Association of Belize National Indigenous Association and other stakeholders, other groups to include them within our network so that they may assist us both in tracking down our participants, gathering our data and then thereafter in the end to help us develop those policies, help us to generate ideas, to present those possible ideas, to other stakeholders that are also involved currently, like Ministry of Education and the various universities at LIB and have a conversation among all of us into, as to what we can do with this data .”
Collecting the data is just one part of the project’s objective. The teams are working towards creating a network of stakeholders to advocate for policies that will increase the number of Indigenous people in higher education and use the data to support their recommendations. Research Assistant, Lynmara Rosado-Lino, hopes that through the data, tertiary education institutes will also adapt their curriculums to be more inclusive of indigenous students.
Lynmara Rosado-Lino
“The indigenous voice. I mean, Belize has such a rich Indigenous history. That’s where it all starts. So it is important that there’s a voice and a presence, and representation in our institutions of higher education. So it’s not jut about representation and getting Indigenous people into the schools but also that they are comfortable in these schools, that the indigenous ways of knowing are honored. So it’s not just so western-focused. These are the theories that come from outside, but also what are the theories that we have here when it comes to medicine, when it comes to social sciences. It exist, it’s a whole society. So there is definitely important ways of knowledge that can be incorporated into our curriculum and higher education systems,”
Belizeans who want to be a part of this study or know someone who may assist with data collection are invited to contact Galen University for more information. Britney Gordon for News Five.
Three years ago, his parents made the difficult decision to relocate him to the U.S. at the age of fourteen. Today, Douglas Langford Junior committed to playing college basketball at Harvard University. Langford grew up in the Culture Capital, Dangriga. His father, Douglas Langford Senior is a respected basketball player in Belize who had dreams of one day joining the N.B.A. Those dreams were never realized, but when his son came along with similar desires and the dedication to realize that dream, the best option was to get him into a high school basketball program in the U.S. Douglas Langford Junior has been excelling ever since, both academically and athletically. Life has now come full circle for his family, as Langford Junior is one step closer to the N.B.A. News Five’s Paul Lopez tells us more.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Belizean basketball athlete, seventeen-year-old Douglas Langford Junior is headed to Harvard University.
Douglas Langford Jr.
Douglas Langford Jr., Basketball Athlete
“It means a lot to finally get this accomplished, because upon arriving to America my freshman year when I was fourteen the coaches told me you have a lot of potential and you have the ability to change not only your life but your family’s life forever. It was not something I took literally. Harvard was never in my mind.”
Langford has officially committed to playing basketball at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He secured a four-year scholarship that is valued at approximately seven hundred thousand Belize dollars. Born and raised in Dangriga, Langford’s parents decided to relocate him to the U.S. at the age of fourteen.
Terri Langford
Terri Langford, Mother of Douglas Langford Jr.
“As a parent dedicated to trying to support your child as any other parent would, you make sacrifices and don’t think about them. You push through, you encourage, you hold on to their hands for as long as you can and then you let go for them to make good decisions, decisions that they will have to uphold as they grow older. For me, watching him grow into the young man they have become has been nothing short of incredible. I know people like seh “monkey nuh seh deh pikni black”? Well, the truth is Douglas Langford has always been a disciplined and dedicated young man.”
Douglas was the captain for team Belize at the FIBA Under-Eighteen AmeriCup 2024 held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in June. Standing at six feet, six inches tall, and weighing in at two hundred pounds, Langford received offers from at least six different tertiary education institutions in the U.S.
Douglas Langford Jr.
“Going into this process of hard work and just seeing how the chips were on the table, I think the best pick was Harvard. It means a lot because yes you can take away basketball, you can take away athleticism, but you can’t take away Harvard, especially a Harvard degree. That is something that will be with me for the rest of my life. That is why this was my best choice. It is just another step in my basketball journey to be a better player and a better person.”
Adding to his accomplishments, Langford was also named the 2024 MVP at the Basketball Without Borders. The NBA basketball camp brought together sixty of the top high-school-age prospects, from seventeen countries, in Brazil.
Paul Lopez
“What would you say you cherish the most, playing for Harvard as an athlete or the academic pursuit aspect at Harvard?”
Douglas Langford Jr.
“I would say, the academic pursuit at Harvard, because it is the best in the world hands down. It doesn’t get any better than that. But, playing basketball there with a head coach who I call a guru. I always had a passion for Coach K at Duke. He was the assistant coach there. And he went to being the head coach at Michigan and then he left. Now he is at Harvard. So, to me it is like if I can’t get Coach K, then I can get a sample of him at Harvard. So, that played a big role.”
We also spoke with Douglas Langford Senior. He was beaming with pride.
Douglas Langford Sr.
Douglas Langford Sr., Father of Douglas Langford Jr.
“My dream was to play in the NBA. I never made it. My son came along, and we made the decision for him to go to the states for him to get better at playing basketball, pursuing his education. It would have been best for us to let lose of him for him to go at the age of fourteen to get that start. I am so proud of him. It is like a dream come true. I would never have thought that when we sent James to the states at the age of fourteen that a day would come when he would commit to Harvard. I never had Harvard in my mind. It is a dream come true and I want to tell him congratulations.”
And his parents are not the only ones filled with joy. Langford has been receiving praises and congratulatory messages across social media from those at home. He begins his journey at Harvard in summer 2025.
Douglas Langford Jr.
“I am proud. It is just something I want to share with the people, because it takes a village to raise a child and I thank everyone for their support, for being in my circle and looking out. It means a lot to see that so many people support me and want to see me do good. So, that means a lot. I can’t let all these people down. And, I just want to say thank you Belize and Belize all the way.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
The Ministry of Sports has issued a release congratulating Langford for commitment to Harvard University. The release says in part, quote, “Langford Jr.’s journey in basketball is characterized by unwavering dedication and resilience. He has been an integral participant in the National Primary School Program, organized by the National Sports Council (NSC), where he developed both his skills and his passion for the sport. His outstanding performance at the recent Argentina Tournament further established his reputation as one of the premier young athletes in the region, ultimately leading to his recruitment by Harvard University”, unquote.
Independence Day is a celebration of political freedom and is set aside as a display of patriotism. On Saturday, however, a group of about thirty teachers felt the need to use that day to take to the streets during the Independence Day ceremony to hold a protest at the BTL Park in Dangriga. The intention was to get their message to the government officials who attended that ceremony. Today, Denise Flores-Henry, a teacher who spearheaded the protest, told News Five that teachers need their increments, and the protestors do not feel as if though the matter is being prioritized at the level of the Joint Unions’ Negotiating Team which meets with the government to discuss several concerns on behalf of public officers. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Bearing placards that addressed their concerns about not getting their increments for 2021 and 2022, and about their struggle with inflation, about thirty teachers from Stann Creek District silently protested the Independence Day ceremony on Saturday in Dangriga.
Denise Flores-Henry
Denise Flores-Henry, Concerned Teacher, Dangriga
“We wanted to voice our views and concerns of what’s happening with the increments that teachers are still waiting for. The key thing that we wanted to share is that the suffering is really to its extreme with teachers and there seem to be no urgency in this administration to try to resolve the issue. Most teachers right now are living on a salary that’s from 2020-21. The only increment – remember our increments were frozen in 2020. We were wondering, okay, why pay us for 23? Why not go 21 then 22? You understand then 23?”
The message the teachers wanted to send was that despite government’s consistent declarations of a rapidly growing economy, the reality for teachers is that they have to struggle with inflation on a 2020 salary. Denise Flores-Henry organized and spearheaded the event.
Denise Flores-Henry
“I want to give an example. I love eggs. Back then in 2020, a tray of egg was 5. 50, 6. 00. Today with the same salary from 2020, I have to purchase a tray of eggs at 9. 50, right? We’ll look at the cooking oil. The small 123 cooking oil was 3 75 in 2020. You buy that now? It’s 625, 650. Just to show you that the salary that we are still living on does not match the inflation rate and the cost of living. And so the increments that we are fighting for eases, you know, the impact, that heavy impact of inflation on us, the teachers.”
Teachers’ increments are not automatic and are earned, and Flores-Henry said that it’s only a percentage of teachers who would not receive increments, based on their performance.
Denise Flores-Henry
“The majority of teachers do qualify for the increments. We’re talking about a small number that would not qualify. So the majority of teachers do qualify and are waiting for the increments from 2022. Most teachers have gotten 2023 increment. No teacher has received 2022 or 2021 and that’s the issue.”
And while the event was not organized by the Dangriga branch of the Belize National Teachers Union, Flores-Henry is the Dangriga branch president of BNTU and explained that teachers in that district are more vocal about the issues.
Marion Ali
“Why is it that only the Dangriga branch or the southern zone, I’ll say southern zone, teachers that protested over the weekend?”
Denise Flores-Henry
“Because we’re just a vibrant branch. We have always been trendsetters. You understand? We’re not afraid to speak up. The other branches, you see, it’s all about the leader. You understand? It’s all about the leader. I tend to like action. There is a problem. We’ll find a solution. We need to act. That’s me.”
The demonstration went ahead without disrupting the Independence Day ceremony, but the teachers who protested are hoping that they at least got the attention of officials at the Ministry of Education. Flores-Henry says that now with only a 2023 increment, their salaries are not where they ought to be.
Denise Flores-Henry
“If they had given us the salary in, um, the increment in 2021, then when we would have gotten another increment in 2022, it would have, that increment would have increased, the amount would have increased, because your salary would have, right.”
Today, we contacted the Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca on the teachers’ protest. He is currently away, but he messaged us to say, and we, “we respect their right to protest but even the BNTU knows how much we have worked on this issue and resolved virtually all outstanding issues. If there are individual teachers who have not had their issue resolved they should visit with us at the Ministry of Education so that we can address it,”. We also contacted the BNTU National President, Nadia Caliz, who informed us that this matter is still on the table at the Joint Unions’ Negotiating Team. Caliz explained that the BNTU is quote, waiting on the Cost-Savings Committee to share their findings in November, unquote. She added that for the record, the BNTU has never reneged on the reinstatement of these two increments and that they regularly update their Council Members on the progress. Marion Ali for News Five.
