Jacklyn Burns Writes Appeals Tribunal Regarding Leave Rejection

Jacklyn Burns

On Tuesday, we reported that an application for leave without pay by the United Democratic Party’s Belmopan mayoral candidate Jacklyn Burns was rejected by the Teaching Services Commission.  Burns, a teacher at Belmopan Comprehensive High School, has since written the appeals tribunal regarding the denial of the application which sought time for Burns to campaign in her city ahead of the March sixth municipal elections.  Earlier today, we caught up with Minister of Education Francis Fonseca and sought his position on the matter.

Francis Fonseca

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“The TSC is, by law, an independent entity, authority.  So I imagine you would have to speak with the chair of the TSC, but I really don’t know anything about that matter.  All I would say is that, you know, we’re not above the rules and we’re not below the rules, everybody should be treated fairly.  But you can’t be, just because you’re running for politics doesn’t mean you’re exempt from certain rules.  I don’t know what the particulars of those cases are, but I would imagine, you know, campaigning, I don’t see why you have to campaign during school time.”