Last week we told you about University of Belize students' fight against government's planned takeover of their School of Engineering located on Freetown Road. GOB plans to build a much hyped $40 million center for technical and vocational training or IT-VET. The students were also up in arms because registration fees were reported to once again be shooting up. Today more than one hundred students from the city ditched classes, jumped on buses, and took their fight to the central campus in Belmopan where the University's Board was meeting. 7NEWS was there and Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting
UB's Board of Trustees met behind this closed door today. It was tightly guarded by four security officers, led by UB Security Chief John Gutierrez, to fend off this crush students who traveled from Belize City to Belmopan and had a message for the board.
Student: 'We just came here because we hear rates gaan up and we really can't afford that...we hope they will take the rates back down.'
But when Chairman Louis Zabenah opened the door, by the show of his fingers, only two students would be allowed inside. Those students were student activist/politician Phillip Willoughby and engineering student Derricia Castillo. They remained in there for about 90 minutes until Willoughby emerged with a letter.
Phillip Willoughby, UB Student
"This is the faculty and staff position, they are not willing to give up anything to IT-VET people so they can pass this to Ernest Raymond."
That's a letter that Chairman Zabenah would later dispute when he invited the
media into the boardroom for a press conference. Topic one was the issue of fees and he had good news there.
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Chairman of UB
"The government has committed to pay the fees for next semester and that one of the recommendations from the higher education conference that took place in early September was for us to develop a loans program so that students can access loans to be able to cover more of their costs. So the University has its resource needs, that's a reality, but at the same time we are a national university and we are concerned about access, we are concerned about having students having the resources to access this level of education."
But chair Zabaneh was unflinching on the issue of the IT-VET and the technical college campus. For him the proposal is best described in two words - "win-win."
Dr. Louis Zabaneh,
"We mentioned to the students that this started over a year ago when the board got a presentation from the Ministry about this potential win-win situation where we could have our faculty and students at the Technical Campus benefit from a sizeable investment in technical and vocational training that will bring equipment and that will bring upgrading to the facilities there."
CEO in the Ministry of Education Marion McNab sits on the UB Board of Trustees. She says gob needs $40 million to build the IT-TVET and to borrow the money they need the title to the prized piece of real estate that was once the Technical College.
Marion McNab, CEO - Ministry of Education
"It is a very central location and the matter of collaboration between the government of Belize and UB was a big issue. I know that the talk has been that the land is being given to IT-VET. IT-VET is just a set of programs that the Government of Belize is running through the Ministry of Education. So IT-VET in and of itself cannot stand. It is a program administered by the government of Belize.
One of the conditionalities of the CDB, whenever they are issuing a loan to construct any facility, the title has to be that of the government of Belize. They will not approve the construction of any facility on any land that is not the property of the government of Belize. And so negotiations were entered into for the property to be transferred back to the Government of Belize. It was initially, as you are aware, the property of GOB. Now all we are asking is transfer
it back to us and have us construct these facilities there and have us work together collaboratively to get these programs off the ground."
And that is when we get back to the letter which Willoughby spoke about it. It is reportedly written by a 'Faculty and Staff Association' of the university but both President Dr. Corinth Morter-Lewis and union activist Jackie Willoughby, who sit on the board as an NTUCB rep, support the project.
Dr. Corinth Morter-Lewis
"I am comfortable with it in terms of what we have to complete. We had made the agreement that we will transfer the land. We had made an agreement with the MOU that will cover all the concerns that the program of engineering had."
Jackie Willoughby, UB Board Member
"The property is going into the government's hand. We are not looking to move students from anywhere. We're looking to protect them if anything, that is the reason we are cordoning it off. Perhaps the message that ought to be carried from this board for correctness and completeness is that it goes into the government's hand, the students still will remain, and while the construction phase is going on, we are finalizing the issues of curriculum and how we will collaborate the two programs together."
That was enough to convince Fern Gutierrez. She is the only student who actually sits on the board and she says that they'll have her vote.
Fern Gutierrez, UB Board Member
"Most students weren't, myself being that I am new to this board, we weren't as educated as we should have been about the IT-VET program and what it meant for the university and at first it felt like a fright to students to think that you will lose your campus and you'll lose your program. To me, we have reached a point where I could say I understand what IT-VET means for the country of Belize and I understand what it means for UB."
But while fern left the meeting satisfied - Phillip Willoughby didn't.
Phillip Willoughby,
[To Students] "Students do we want any raise or tuition increase in any semester?"
Students: 'No.'
Phillip Willoughby,
[To Students] "Do we intend to let up on the Technical/UB Campus?"
Students: 'No."
Phillip Willoughby,
"This is the democracy we live by."
Willoughby discarded accusations from UB board members that he is deliberately
exploiting the issue. He says a deferred fee increase won't cut it and the issue of IT-VET is not even up for debate.
Phillip Willoughby,
"We came here with two positions: we will not let up on the Belize Technical College Campus and we will not accept any raise in fees or tuition in the following semester. They say they are going to forego the rate increase for this semester but what about a clearly articulated vision in terms of addressing the issue with fee increase. We will not accept any fee increase without a clearly articulated vision for us to develop the formula that will incur these costs. Remember now that the government wrote off millions of dollars in taxes, they mismanaged countless amount of money."
Keith Swift,
But people will say that is political. We are dealing with school fees here.
Phillip Willoughby,
"This is the reality and that is the government."
Keith Swift,
[Referring to Fern Gutierrez] This young lady sat in on the board meeting, she disagrees with you.
Phillip Willoughby,
"She has that right."
Fern Gutierrez,
"I have never said that I disagree with Phillip and that I must. What I am saying is that the fight with the fees is not a UB fight. To me it is about time our government steps in and do for the education system."
Keith Swift,
You represent these students, what is your message to them.
Fern Gutierrez,
"My message for them is that I have one good news for you today, this coming January we don't have to pay the increase but at the same time what I am saying with you..."
Keith Swift,
They don't seem happy.
Fern Gutierrez,
"I wouldn't be happy as well because I do pay fees just like them."
And these students aren't happy - just ask nursing student Genee Thompson and engineering student Derricia Castillo.
Derricia Castillo, Student
"If education is the key, like what Richie Spice says, if education is the key, why is the key so high that the majority of us can't reach the key."
Genee Thompson, Student
"We did not accomplish anything here today because to me to leave the fees as it is for January semester is not enough, it is really not enough and it is sad."
Nothing accomplished but if today's turnout is any indicator - these students already have the numbers - but are lacking in leadership.
GOB will pay UB a little over half a million dollars to cover next semester's rate increase. Chairman Louis Zabaneh did not meet with the students today but he plans to do so at a forum planned for tomorrow. Unless there is a sudden change of heart, construction on the Technical Campus should begin shortly after a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Belize and the University is finalized. We don't know what's in it for the students but the board says the cherry for teachers is that they'll get a chance to upgrade their degrees courtesy the University of Belize.
We must note that despite the fairly impressive turnout of students, firebrand activist Moses Sulph was noticeably absent.
