PM Blames Management for Teachers Not Being Paid

Prime Minister John Briceño

PM Briceño also touched on the issue of some teachers not being paid their salaries for months on end, since the start of the new school year.  That, he said, lands squarely at the feet of the respective schools management.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Now I could understand the frustration from some people, from some teachers.  There’s this issue of some teachers not getting paid.  The minister had to tell them, “We can’t pay them if the management has not sent in their names.”  A friend, Alberto from Orange Walk, a voter and supporter of mine, sent me a message, “Prime Minister, my daughter is teaching for three months and ih noh get paid.  Could you please look into it.”  I sent it to the Chief Education Officer, she said, “Let me check.”  She responds to me, the management has not sent in her name to be paid.  The issue of pensions, we called in the head of the Treasury Department, we called in the Financial Secretary and the public service too.  I said [that] I find it disgusting that people get retired and now can’t get their pension, what’s going on?  Just to find out that they are pointing out that it’s the same public service that is the problem because when you move from one ministry to the next ministry, there is supposedly a file that should be moving along and then the files are not prepared.  And if the file is not prepared they say, we can’t pay.  In many instances, what the head of the Treasury Department says is that we give them advances.  It breaks my heart when they say, “John, I can’t pay the bank.”  And when you find out, it’s the same public service that’s not doing their job properly.”