PM Assures Teachers of Their Benefits in Due Course

While the B.N.T.U members decided to demonstrate, Prime Minister John Briceño expressed his disappointment today. He told reporters that the government has been working with the B.N.T.U, especially regarding denominational high school teachers who haven’t received their retirement benefits. The government had to step in to get school managements to agree on a benefits package for their teachers. The PM mentioned that Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca, explained that the delays are partly due to sloppy information provided by the school managements. Briceño assured that teachers who have earned their benefits will receive them in due course. He also pointed out that an outdated payment system inherited by the Ministry of Education is further slowing down the process. The government is trying to upgrade the system, but if the B.N.T.U still wants to proceed with their demonstration, he hopes they do it during the Christmas holidays to avoid disrupting classes.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Minister Fonseca explained this issue about some teachers that are being paid their increments, and so forth, and allowances. A lot of it is that the managements have been taking long in sending the right information to the Ministry of Education. The Minister pointed out also that this is a problem that we inherited, and what’s important for Belizeans to understand is that – and even for teachers to understand – that we have been clearing up a backlog as far as 2018, before our government, and now we’re up to 2023 coming into 2024. So while I do understand and I respect the teachers’ frustration and saying they need to be paid and we want to pay them – I wish there would be at least some members within the leadership – I think we should be more open and be able to explain more to the teachers what is being done. We want to pay the teachers and we will pay them.”

 

Marion Ali

“So in terms of a timeline, I guess that’s the biggest frustration, you know. They keep hearing the same thing – the system is outdated, it needs to be updated. But how long would you say because I know the ministries are being digitized as well.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Well, I don’t see why we’ve – sometime next year we should be able to catch up because we’re coming to the end of 2024. I think we’ve already finished 2023, so we’re coming into 2024. But it also requires the cooperation of the management that they could send the right information and complete information for us to be able to work on it. It is not an issue that we don’t want to do it. We’re working towards it and we’re going to get it done. And I’m appealing to the teachers to – if they want to protest, maybe they should protest during the holidays so that our students do not lose a day in school because, especially since many of our students lost many days and we still need to play catch up.”

 

Marion Ali

“So it’s not a matter of the ministry or the government denying some teachers?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“No, it’s not. As long as they can prove that these teachers deserved the payment, we’re going to pay.”