Thousands of students across Belize remained out of school today as teachers countrywide continued a nationwide strike in protest of the new tax increases and the plan to delay increments. Today was the third day that there was no school and today we went out in the community to find out how it is affecting families.
Keith Swift Reporting,
It is a Monday morning and in the city students were on basketball courts hanging out on fences or climbing trees instead of sitting in their classrooms. And other kids around the city were playing games of "Pitty Pat" instead of learning their math. Again today there were no classes because teachers are on strike. We met two parents who were affected by the strike.
Sandra: It really is affecting me right now because some of the children are behind in their learning. So for there to be no school, it will affect most parents because everyone's child isn't smart. So even though you are trying to let your child get an education, this is what is happening right now so it's totally wrong.
KS: How many kids do you have home today?
Sandra: I have about 15 so you know its affecting us bad.
KS: How are you occupying your children's time being that they are home from school?
Sandra: Well right now they are playing a little card game there, that is the only thing we can do to keep them inside the yard.
KS: I see you are bringing home your daughter from school. What happened today when you took her to school?
Shirlett: Well the school was locked up. No teachers were there so I brought her back home.
KS: So didn't know that there was not going to be school today?
Shirlett: According to the radio last night they said that all Catholic students are supposed to return to school today but when we went to the school, no teachers were there.
KS: So how is this going to affect your day?
Shirlett: This affects me a lot because I had plans for today and now I have to stay home with my daughter.
The strike is also affecting students like Melissa who is losing out on invaluable classroom time. Melissa says she is torn because she is enjoying the holiday but she is also at a critical juncture in her high school education.
Melissa: I feel relieved in a way but all the same too I am in fourth form at Wesley College and this will disrupt my education because like I am taking my SBAs and CXCs and all those things I will need to go back in school so my teachers can prepare me. Right here in February we will take our ATLIB and we will need to be prepared through evening classes. But like how there is no school, we won't be able to get evening classes. So we will be missing out so much things that we need to prepare for the ATLIB and all of that could make us fail the ATLIB and fail the CXC and all that too.
KS: What are you doing with all this free time on your hand?
Melissa: It is my fault too because in a way I am liking it and I am not even trying to like go into my books and thing. I like it right now. I really like the free time right now.
KS: You would want to be back in school?
Melissa: Yes because like I said I am in fourth form and I want to come out. If this continues, I don't know when we will get to graduate.
It was much the same in Orange Walk with schools across the town closed. At one school, classrooms were empty while students swung in makeshift hammocks outside. BNTU President Anthony Fuentes says the school closures are part of a nationwide strike by his union.
Anthony Fuentes, BNTU President
"We called on a total shutdown of all the schools and we also encourage parents not to send their children to school. I would say again its effective in that the Minister of Education has called me as President of the Belize National Teacher's Union for us to dialogue and meet."
Keith Swift,
How long do you expect to keep this us?
Anthony Fuentes,
"Well as I've said over and over, we need to dialogue. We will keep it as long as the teachers and our membership request and we will need to dialogue with the Ministry so that we could settle this problem."
And though there is a universal growing discontent among parents and students with the strike action, there is also surprisingly growing support for the teachers.
Sandra: I blame the government. I am not on any political side but they caused this.
Shirlett: I don't give the teachers wrong anyway because government is responsible for what is going on.
KS: But you would want your daughter back in school?
Shirlett: Of course but then we can't have a school without teachers. Teachers are the first priority and government refuses to accept that.
KS: This is the 3rd day your daughter is not in school, how longer can you go like this?
Shirlett: Hmm. I have no idea because we depend on the teachers.
That is perhaps why Fuentes pleads for parents and students to bear with and support the strike action which he says is for a greater good.
Anthony Fuentes,
"To the parents I say they must understand our position of the union. We are standing up for our rights. In fact with the meeting we had with the Minister of Education last Wednesday we mentioned to him that the teachers are more than willing to make up days that have been lost due to this strike action. To the students, I am sure that tbey have a lot of books that they could review during this time. So they could take the time out to continue to study."
As BNTU president Anthony Fuentes noted in the story, he has a meeting scheduled with Education Minister Francis Fonseca for tomorrow morning. And while there is no accurate count of how many schools were closed countrywide, the union states that the majority were closed.
For its part, the Ministry of Education today issued a rather quaint release informing parents that police will be stepping up patrols at all schools. The release also notes that at larger schools, police officers will actually be posted at these institutions. The release ends by asking for children to return to the classroom where they will be safe and productive. The Special Envoy for Children Ambassador Dolores Balderamos-Garcia also weighed today via a press release. Balderamos-Garcia opined noted that both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and our national commitment require that children not be deprived of their education.
