Today, a Facebook post informed that the ITVET compound on Freetown Road was closed because eleven instructors stayed away from classes after they had not collected their salaries at the end of January. But when we showed up at the institution, we found that while some of the instructors had indeed not shown up, some did and classes were in session for those who were in attendance. The instructors started complaining on Wednesday that the Ministry of Education has not paid them from the start of the school year in September, but they have been getting paid from the school itself. Later on Wednesday, one of the instructors called us to inform that they had all collected their salary for January. The problem with ITVET instructors, according to C.E.O. in the Ministry of Education, Dian Maheia, is a complex one that dates back a while, but that efforts have been made to rectify the problem and that come the end of February, all instructors will start to receive their salary through the Smart Stream system.
Dian Maheia
Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Minister of Education
“It took too long for their contracts to have been signed. In the interim, while theemployment process was going on, the institution supported the instructors by providing them advances. We are at this stage now where we have done our best to rectify. We’ve found out where the errors were, we have found out where the omissions were. We’ve corrected those errors. We have made every effort to support the different people who are involved in this process because it’s not just a Belize City IT-VET process. It’s not just a Ministry of Education process. We have other ministries who are also involved, other units of other ministries, and they have also made every effort to be supportive so that we can correct the mistakes that have happened. Now, where we are now with this process is that they have all been added now to Smart Stream. They’ve been added to the ministries – to the Treasury’s payroll. So they now are going to be paid automatically through the Treasury and not through the school.”
Marion Ali
“So from the end of February, everybody should be paid February 29th on time.”
Dian Maheia
“Whatever day is the payday. So what I expect is that the administration has found a way to keep everything going because I have not been told that there has been any sort of closure or negative impact to the students that are there.”
Maheia informed that there were no classes at IT-VET this afternoon because of a meeting for all faculty and staff.
Earlier this week, thirty students attending the Orange Walk ITVET were reportedly sent home after several months of being unable to pay their school fees. It is a decision that is frowned upon by the Ministry of Education and today, C.E.O. Dian Maheia explained that the students were not suspended from school, but were in fact asked to return with their parents to discuss a payment plan.
Dian Maheia
Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Ministry of Education
“My understanding was that the ITVET Orange Walk had concerns because they had students with outstanding fees, parents who had not kept up with the payment arrangements and so they chose to ask the students to go to get the parents to come and confirm how they are going to handle their payment arrangements.”
Marion Ali
“So those students are for nonpayment of school fees.”
Dian Maheia
“My understanding is that they are not out of school, that they were asked just to get the parents so that they could have a conversation regarding outstanding school fees.”
Marion Ali
“For the students whose families absolutely can‘t afford it, will they be asked to stay at home until they can?”
A second electric bus was scheduled to arrive in country today, ahead of the start of a pilot project to introduce e-buses to the public transportation landscape in Belize. Those buses will be used in Belize City and overseen by the Belize City Council under a project that is funded by the European Union. According to eTransit Startup Coordinator, Neil Hall, the plan is to eventually expand the project by adding more buses to the fleet of e-buses that will be operating in other parts of the country.
Neil Hall
Neil Hall, e-Transit Startup Coordinator
“The funding is coming from the EU, the European Union. The thought that Belize would be a dynamic location to have a pilot project such as this, moving us away from the buses that we currently have which are antiquated and spewing lots of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases and to try out and see if electric buses would actually be a good investment for the country of Belize. Belize City will be receiving two buses, nine meters in length, with capacities of about forty-seven passengers with standees and sitting passengers. Yes, the laws must be amended. While the larger buses will be twelve-meter buses, I’m not sure of their capacity because I’m not a part of the national program and have that information on hand. There are two buses and they will be charged at night and then during the day when they come out, obviously they will not be charging and roughly fully charged and be able to traverse the entire city without having to stop back at the charger and recharge. However, again, being a pilot project, these things are dependent on weather, on how the driver drives, on several different factors, on congestion in the streets, for example, so there might be situations where it’s necessary for the buses to pull in and charge and in situations like that, we estimate that it would be out of service, quote on quote, for one lap, and then would just rejoin like nothing happened.”
Hurricane safety awareness is a year-round endeavor, says the Belize City Council, which recently completed the annual inspections of Belize City’s Hurricane Shelters. These inspections are a necessary part of hurricane preparation, which isn’t reserved for just hurricane season. We spoke with Melony Dawson, the City Emergency Management Organization’s Liaison Officer, for more information.
Melony Dawson
Melony Dawson, CEMO Liaison Officer, Belize City Council
“We had our annual shelter inspection last week. It took us merely a week and this is comprised of a team to inspect these shelters within Belize City. This is to make sure that these shelters are structurally sound. It’s basically to provide safe space for the shelter we use during times of any disaster. What we do is, a team of us, we go out. And this team is comprised of our city engineer, our city planner, we also have our building inspectors, and in addition to that, we do this in collaboration with NEMO, of course, and the two NEMO coordinators, along with the police department, and the fire department, so everyone has a technical part to do whenever we go out to do this inspection and also to make mention we have Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education who assist us as well.”
Reporter
“What exactly are you checking for when these inspections occur?”
Melony Dawson, CEMO Liaison Officer, Belize City Council
“So we go by the National Standards for Emergency Shelters and we basically have to ensure that these buildings are structurally sound, like I mentioned. We want these buildings to be up to standards in the event of any storm. And thereafter, we have to ensure that the, for example, We look for simple things like the windows to make sure they are working well, the doors, they have the proper locks and different stuff like that.”
Reporter
“How many shelters were checked recently across Belize City?”
Melony Dawson
“We did, last week we inspected nineteen shelters and, in addition to that, after the inspection, we do our reports and these are basically findings for each of the shelters we did. We write the report and then thereafter we send it to NEMO headquarters and then from there, they do vetting of the listing and then they make their approval from there and thereafter that is where NEMO published the shelters.”
The month of February is recognized as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness month and tonight’s story highlights a young man whose life is a testament to resilience and the uplifting power of music. Despite being born with a congenital heart defect, Aiden Aranda has forged his path as a gifted musician, self-taught and versatile in playing multiple instruments. Here’s this week’s Look on the Bright Side.
Sabreena Daly, Reporting
The impact of music resonates universally, touching the depths of every soul that consumes it. Though the influence of music extends to all, only a select few possess the artistry to convey its enchantment.
Aiden Aranda
Aiden Aranda, Musician
“Since I was five years old, I have been around music and playing music. The instruments that I can play are guitar, drums, any variety, the recorder, the flute, the steel pan, which is my main instrument. And I’m learning to play the sax, the clarinet, and the bass guitar.”
Sixteen-year-old Aiden Aranda is a talented musician who realized early on that he had a special bond with music. He kicked off his musical journey at the age of five with the steel pan and has since taught himself to play several other instruments. Like many musicians, he believes that music originates from the rhythm of his heart.
Aiden Aranda
“That boop boop sound, music is attached to it. The heart is attached to music in a very passionate way because it depends on how a person feels. The genre of music they listen to, it depends on, like, their emotional status.”
The heartbeat and music share an innate connection, a rhythmic symphony that taps into the pulse of our emotions. In Aranda’s case, the heart’s connection to music is much more personal. His mother Indira Bartley would know.
Indira Bartley
Indira Bartley, Mother
“I took him to the pediatrician and what happened was the doctor looked at me and said miss Bartley, what kind of medication is your baby on? I said medication for what doc? He said don’t you know that your baby has a hole in his heart?”
The medical prognosis for someone born with a congenital heart defect is typically bleak, but Aiden, with the support of his family, medical professionals and The Gift of Life Foundation, underwent two surgeries and an open-heart procedure to beat the odds at the age of two.
Indira Bartley
“It was two days after his second birthday. He had his first open heart surgery for eight hours. The doctor came and he looked at me and he said, Miss Bartley, we need to call the priest. And I asked him, call the priest for what? He said the surgery did not help the baby. He said, we need to pray for him because we don’t know if he’s gonna make it out for the night. I got up in that hospital bed and I started talking in plain English. I said, God, you did not bring me here for this. You took me away from all my family and all my friends to kill my baby when I have no support. And I said, I claim the life of my baby in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Since then, Aranda has carried on as a normal teenager but with stents in his heart to stay alive. In 2020, he was taken to the Cayman Islands to replace the tubular support that collapsed and, as recent as 2021, another operation was done to balloon that stent again.
Indira Bartley
“They’re waiting until he’s eighteen or nineteen. Because the entire right valve for his heart needs to be changed. And also the stents need to be replaced. But right now he’s a bit young. They don’t want to do that. They are waiting until he becomes an adult, so that when he’s done with that, he’s done with surgeries for good.”
It’s a heavy load to carry emotionally, but Aranda has found ways to cope and find peace in his prognosis. If you ask Andrew Green, a mentor to Aiden, he’d tell you that he believes music is Aranda’s comfort.
Andrew Green
Andrew Green, Mentor
“I’ve known Aiden for a couple years and being a mentor to him, it makes me feel happy because seeing him playing various instruments and having fun on stage alongside him, it’s amazing to see how he recovers and how he heals himself, just channeling through that music.”
Aiden Aranda
“I processed it a lot better with, you know, my connection with music. And basically, I would say to other kids that have the same heart conditions and things as me, I would say to them, don’t let it hold you up. You have, if you have potential, you go do it. Don’t let it hold you up.”
His mother, witnessing Aiden’s musical journey intertwined with his health battles, speaks of the special connection between his heart and the rhythms he creates.
Indira Bartley
“I can’t explain the talent that he has, cause he would listen to something, and then he’ll pick up the keyboard, and you hear that coming out of the keyboard. He picks up the song and if he wants to play, you know, he sits and he plays with the guitar until he gets that sound. The doctor says, you know, the rhythm of the drum helps his heart to keep a rhythm. So with that, I can have him play the drums all the time. I have no problem with that.”
Aiden Aranda
“The different sounds that come from the instrument, when you hold different: notes, it’s a different melody every time, so, yeah, it goes with your emotions.”
And maybe it is the case. Aiden Aranda, born with something special in his heart, would turn its rhythm of adversity into a symphony of strength.
Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly
In an immediate update to this story, we note that Aiden Aranda may have to seek an emergency operation earlier than expected.
Earlier this month, at the start of our Belize on Reel feature on conservation efforts across the country, we looked at Crooked Tree and its importance as a Ramsar Site. The protected area is made up of over fourteen thousand acres of waterways, logwood swamps and lagoon. It also provides a habitat for over three hundred species of resident and migratory birds. Tonight, we look at a story put together by freelance journalist Jose Sanchez.
Belize City resident Kenrick Gill narrowly escaped grave injury when he was fired upon by an unknown assailant on Thursday night. He was riding his bicycle in the vicinity of Hunters Lane when someone emerged on the scene and let loose a hail of bullets in his direction. Gill was injured in the shooting, but his wounds were not life threatening. He was treated and released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. According to the Regional Commander of Eastern Division, investigators are following several leads.
“On Thursday, January 18th, 2024, police responded to a shooting incident at Hunters Lane in Belize City. Upon their arrival, they found Kenrick Gill with gunshot injuries to the shoulder. Kenrick Gill reported that he was riding a bicycle when he was approached by a male person who fired several shots towards his direction, causing his injury. He was taken to the KHMH where he was treated and has since been released. We are seeking one suspect in regards to this shooting.”
Reporter
“Sir, was this a gang-related shooting?”
Hilbero Romero
“No, we do not consider it a gang-related shooting. We are following up on several leads.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
There was a shooting in Ladyville over the weekend and the victim is a thirty-one-year-old woman. Anna Haylock was inside her home on Yellowtail Street when someone began firing several gunshots at her residence. When the shooting subsided, she realized that she had been injured.
“On Sunday, January twenty-first, police responded to a shooting incident at Yellowtail Street in Ladyville Village where they met Anna Haylock, thirty-one years old, with gunshot injuries. Anna Haylock reported that she was inside her house when she heard several loud bangs and then realized that she had been shot. She was taken to the KHMH where she is in a stable condition at this time. We are seeking one suspect in regards to this shooting.”
Reporter
“No motives?”
Hilberto Romero
“No motive at this time. She was at home when she was targeted.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
A home invasion on York Street here in Belize City has resulted in a pair of thieves making off with an undisclosed sum of money, as well as jewelry and a cell phone. Derone Locario told investigators on Friday night that he was at home when two armed men barged inside, held him up and ransacked the property.
“Derone Locario, forty years old Belizean of York Street reported that he was at home when two persons armed with firearms entered his house. They proceeded to hold him up and then they searched the house and stole an amount of cash, jewelry and a cell phone. The two male persons then fled from the area on bicycles. We are seeking two suspects in regards to this report.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
Two Belize City men stand accused of robbing a businessman of his firearm on Friday morning. Twenty-four-year-old Edward Saldano and twenty-one-year-old Elan White, a maintenance worker of Ladyville, were charged jointly for robbery after they allegedly held up Dennis Morey and stole a Smith and Wesson brand revolver from him. The duo appeared unrepresented in the lower courts earlier today where they pleaded not guilty to the charge. On January nineteenth, sixty-four-year-old Dennis Morey visited Precinct One where he reported to police that sometime after 8:30 that morning he was approached by a pair of men riding on separate bicycles. According to the villager from San Juan, one of the men placed a gun at his head while his accomplice proceeded to relieve him of the revolver. This afternoon, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero spoke on the incident.
“On Friday, January 19th, 2024, Dennis Morey reported that he was on Plues Street conducting business when he was approached by two male persons armed with firearms. The persons then proceeded to hold him up and they stole from him one .38 revolver and then made good their escape. Aa investigation was carried out and we have since arrested and charged Edward Saldano and Elan White for the crime of robbery.”
Britney Gordon
“Was that the only thing stolen from the [businessman]?”
Hilberto Romero
“That was the only item stolen.”
Saldano and White were denied bail and remanded to the Belize Central Prison until April 22nd, 2024.
