The future of Excelsior High's 13 teachers and over 200 students is still uncertain tonight. As we've reported, the Ministry of Education is taking over the school and will convert it from a 4-year high school into a 3 year junior high school. The teachers got the news on Friday and today the Ministry of Education broke the news to parents and students. Only 7NEWS was there to gauge the reaction.
Keith Swift Reporting, [keithkswift@gmail.com]
Chief Education Officer Maud Hyde flanked by her Deputy Alan Genitty arrived on the campus of Excelsior High School this afternoon to give parents and students the news first hand that Excelsior High will become Excelsior Prep. Hyde faced parents who before the meeting told me the news comes a little too late.
Parent #1,
"I think the change is not fair and they haven't given the parents enough notice because I have two sons coming to Excelsior. One is going to Third form and the other is going into fourth form so where will I find space at this time for my two sons to finish high school. I don't think its fair. Even if the government took it over, they should have left it as a high school."
Keith Swift,
What are you going to do with your two sons?
Parent #1,
"Well I don't know what we are going to do, we just have to listen to what they'll say in the meeting because we've already paid part of our registration and I don't know what they will do about that anyway."
Parent #2,
"I am not satisfied with the way how they are doing it right now. I have my daughter who is going into third form and I didn't have plans to send her anywhere else. I have a niece and a nephew who graduated from here and I intended to leave her here. I just don't agree because I already got some uniform sewn and I guess I'll have to put that aside and just get new ones."
Parent #3,
"Well it doesn't matter if we're happy or not but I guess it has to be that way there."
And its not only the parents - current Excelsior students are also vocally opposed to the idea of having to change schools in the middle of their high school careers.
Tasha Garcia, 3rd form Student
"I really think its simple because it doesn't make sense for them to put third formers and fourth formers with Sadie Vernon School. I don't really want to go to another school. I want to stay right here and finish what I started."
Karen King, 3rd form student
"I think its sad, definitely sad because I guess all third and fourth formers will have to get used to a whole different atmosphere and a whole new teaching. I am taking it real hard because at first I cried. I cried because I had already gotten used to the teachers and I had already gotten used to everybody else. To go through that its very hard for me to know that I will be the last Miss Excelsior. I didn't really expect to happen so quickly. I heard the rumors but I didn't expect it."
Yatise Ferguson, 4th form student
"I think it just really doesn't make no sense because then I think if it is financial problems, financial problems are everywhere in the world. I just think it really doesn't make sense and they should have think twice before they made the decision. They should have thought about the students on a whole and what would happen if the students would come out of school because of this."
But Chief Education Officer Hyde says the changes are in the best interest of the students because excelsior high school was simply unmanageable and government had to come to its aid.
Maud Hyde, Chief Education Officer
"When we were approached by the Board to take on Excelsior management, it was largely from the perspective of the Board's inability to continue to run the school. So in that case, in any situation, the Ministry would have to step in because our responsibility is to ensure that education is delivered. So when a Board decides to they cannot run a school anymore, we have to take over. But we have to take over in a reasonable way, which will afford the students the best opportunity. So hence the discussion and I assure you that all the young people who are enrolled in this school and want to continue their education, we will ensure that they are able to do so."
Keith Swift,
What's going to happen to the 13 teachers?
Maud Hyde,
"They had a job with the last administration, we are really the new administration coming into the picture and it's not an automatic transfer. The institution will now become a government institution so normally if you come from a private or granted-aided management, you have to apply to become part of the government administration. So its a process that needs to happen for us to take over their employment at any rate. And I think as the new employer we have a right, or an opportunity, to determine they are best qualified for what we hope to offer at the school."
Keith Swift,
Will they be paid off for their years of service with the prior Excelsior management?
Maud Hyde,
"Well actually we're being very generous with respect to that because it was made very clear by the former Board that they don't have the money to pay them. But we feel they've been teachers in the system and a teacher is supposed to be guaranteed an entire year's salary so we're prepared to look at what needs to be done to ensure that they are paid at least to the end of August."
Keith Swift,
But what about payment for the years of service in terms of their gratuity or pension etc.?
Maud Hyde,
"They certainly will be compensated."
Keith Swift,
By government?
Maud Hyde,
"Right, by the government of Belize."
And so while some see it as a regrettable or unfortunate turn, it's now a matter of fact, in September Excelsior Prep will be opened, and Excelsior High loyalists will be left with nothing more than a sore memory.
Excelsior High only has 200 students because enrollment dramatically dropped last year. Our information is that one of the reasons why the school's board handed over management to government is because there are over $32,000 in outstanding school fees owed by students. Of course in the broad scheme of things, government has in the past shown that it is very tolerant of bad debts as it will use your money to cover millions of dollars in debt for Godfrey companies and the Port of Belize Limited this year alone.
