“Sick Out” by Sadie Vernon Teachers confirm many problems at school
And while officials of the Ministry of Education met today in Dangriga regarding the protest by some four hundred teachers, in Belize City, a high school is having its own share of problems. Last week Thursday, sixteen of the eighteen teachers at the Sadie Vernon High School in the St. Martin De Porres Area were absent from classes and some two hundred and fifty students were sent home. Two of the teachers were ill, but the remaining fourteen as they say “mi di bang hooky”. At the root of the sickout is the multitude of issues the teachers are having with the current administration and management board. Officials of the M.O.E. and the Regional Education Council met on Tuesday and Manager of the District Education Centre, Jahmor Lopez, says there are many challenges.
E’Jahmor Lopez, Manager, Belize District Education Centre
“We figured that there was some issue and we felt that it was incumbent on us to show up to find out what’s going on. And so yesterday, we started the process of dialoguing. We do know that some of our schools are challenged by lack of resources, not getting as much support as they ought to whether it might financial or otherwise.”
Duane Moody
“That’s what I meant.”
E’Jahmor Lopez
“Certainly what I shared with the teachers yesterday because I sat in the meeting, I do know of some of the challenges that the school has been faced with and we have been working with resolving those, in m my view will not know what is going on if nobody says there is a problem going on and in my mind I felt that things were improving. They’re faced with many challenges and there seems to be a dividing line between the staff the administration and board and so we need to collect all the evidence, we need to hear from both parties. We need to then put a report together, certainly there will be an independent investigation and then recommendations will be made. The teachers believed that their actions were justified. We shared with them that there could have been other measures, there could have been other actions taken to get our attention. In their view they felt that they had tried so many different things and nothing has worked out so they felt they had to take a united stand and take this action and they felt that because we showed up to meet with them, that it was successful, It was worth, it was justified. I cannot say at this point in time what the penalty will be for their absence. That will be a matter for the chief to decide. But certainly in our handbook of policies and proceedings, you cannot absent yourself from school without just cause. We will continue to dialogue. There will be a follow up meeting. We will have an independent body go in to do an investigation to look at those allegations that have been raised. And I can assure you that the problems will be resolved. We want to assure parents that teachers will be there everyday and also to encourage students to report to school, to attend school and to work with their teachers.”
George Frazer, Executive Secretary, B.N.T.U.
“It’s a matter, I believe of better communication and also awareness of the challenges that the school. The last board had been appointed—the high school boards there are appointed for two years and I understand the last board for over a year has not met with the staff that is a no-no. There are challenges which need special attention and the ministry also have to lend its support some more to the–what’s going on in our schools, including government schools in terms of maybe special interventions to assist the school and also to the bring the staff and the board together and I think this has been part of the problem festering of hard feelings of the past board.”
The ministry says the challenges will be resolved in time for the new school year in September.
