And today we asked the Minister of Education what he thought about Shoman's resignation, considering he's been working alongside her during her short time in office. He explained that he hadn't even heard the news, but that it's disappointing that the BNTU is losing something he believed was a strong and capable leader. But what about the allegations made against her that she wasn't even eligible for the post to begin with? Well, he said he doesn't know about all that.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education and Culture
"If that is the case, if it has been confirmed, then I'm very sorry to see Ms Shoman go, I think she has served the union for many years as a strong advocate for teachers, but I suppose that given the unrelenting pressure on her, she may have chosen for personal reasons to step aside. Our work continues at the Ministry of Education with the Belize National Teachers Union and obviously we will await any decision they make about the future leadership of the union and we stand prepared and ready to work with the new president, but certainly it's disappointing to me that a good, in my view, a good leader, who has always been around the table, that's why I found it very strange that these things came to light because Mrs Shoman is no stranger to the BNTU table, she has always been at the table, I have been the Minister of Education before as you know some 20 years ago and she was there at the table then and she's there now so but we wish her well."
Courtney Menzies:
"But what do you make of the allegations that she may have faked that she worked at the US State Department as a facilitator?"
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education and Culture
"I don't know anything about that, I have absolutely no information about that, it would be absolutely, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on something I know nothing about, those details. I've heard about back and forth but I know nothing about her employment and that sort of thing."
Reporter:
"But that 4 or 4 and half months that she was at the helm of the organization, did you guys have dialogue, meetings, how were those meetings?"
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education and Culture
"We had very good meetings, over those 4 months or so we had at least two meetings with the ministry directly but we also had, as you pointed out, other meetings which she participated in with the JUNT and all of those meetings were, I think, very productive. In the last meeting we had with the BNTU and MOE, I think we resolved many of the outstanding issues regarding the CBA which has been pending for almost 15 years and that is a result of her leadership working along with us as well as of course Senator Elena Smith, the former president who did a lot of work in that regard as well."
