Some Teachers Still Awaiting Increment, Allowances A Day Before Christmas

Nadia Caliz, president of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU), explained that some teachers have reported not receiving their increments. She told News 5 via phone that there is a concerning trend in discussions with some school managers, who were initially asked by the Ministry of Education to submit a list of teachers for increments.

She said that the list was returned with alterations, and additional names were added. According to Caliz, managers indicated that while the funding had been provided for those names, they were facing challenges distributing the funds to the teachers. Caliz expressed concern about the mechanism being used to ensure teachers received their increments and allowances and stressed the importance of proper documentation, including signatures, to confirm receipt of funds.

She also urged teachers who had not received their increments to report the issue to their management to ensure a record was made. She encouraged teachers to visit education centres in their districts to register their complaints to help the union gather accurate data on the situation.

Caliz questioned whether the slow rollout of payments was a result of managers trying to prioritise certain teachers. She added that many complaints were coming from Catholic schools, where teachers were facing significant delays in receiving increments and allowances.