Parents protest at Santa Clara School against principal
It was back to school for thousands of eager students today. But at one primary school up north, students kept away. Our team found parents taking a stand against the school management. Police presence was visible but not required for the peaceful protest at the Santa Clara Seventh Day Adventist School. The parents are threatening to keep the students out of school and transfer them to other schools. But the problem is not new, in fact in August parents also protested at the Libertad Adventist School. One of the main gripes at the Santa Clara School is the low grades. News Five’s Marion Ali was up north and files this report.
Marion Ali
“It is the first day of classes for most primary school students but not for twenty-three of the eighty who attend Santa Clara Adventist School here in the Corozal District. Today, the parents of those students opted to keep their children at home and they themselves turned out in protest of concerns they have raised against the school’s principal, Wilbert Tamay.”
Arelie Morales, parent, Santa Clara 7th Day Adventist Primary
arelie morales
“He’s responsible to give us report on financial reports cause we have made harvest, it’s a Christian school, we do harvest, trips, there’s funds on that and we do not know where does the money go. We have gone to the Ministry of Education, to our General Manager and the General Manager told us that he’s gonna pass it to our local manager and they haven’t have a response on that.”
We went looking for answers but got none. We tried to engage the school Principal, Wilbert Tamay, in an interview but he declined, saying that his lawyer has advised him not speak on the matter. We did tell him our reason for being there and asked is he was aware of the concerns. His response was that he could not comment. We then went to Concepcion Village to the home of the local manager for Adventist schools in Corozal, Pastor Marshall Tzib but we were told he was not at home. But he was seen leaving the school in the same vehicle parked in his yard while we were talking to the parents.
Our next stop was at the Ministry of Education’s office in Corozal Town but the Principal Education Officer for Corozal, Pedro Cucul, was also unavailable for comment. We did learn however, that while the Ministry is monitoring the situation, it is the Adventist Mission that must intervene since it is a Management problem. There was police presence to keep the peace, but there wasn’t any need for them, since the parents, all women, merely stood outside the school compound displaying their placards expressing discontent. The parents told News Five that they have brought up their concerns, which also deal with the students’ poor performance on the Primary School Exams, but those concerns have fallen on deaf ears. So in August they put those concerns in black and white and addressed it to the Adventist Mission’s Education Director, Pastor Leslie Gillett.
elizabeth chan
Elizabeth Chan, Parent, Santa Clara 7th Day Adventist Primary
“PSE, ok nine students took the exam, four did not pass. Five passed with minimum grades ranging fifty four percent to sixty seven percent. To us this is unacceptable. He rings the bell about quarter to nine, nine. I mean that’s really wrong, and he’s been doing this for past years ago. He’s been here six years and what we’re asking, we’re asking the General Manager, please we need a change of principal.”
Marion Ali
“It’s only twenty three children who are not in school out of seventy-five. That’s the minority.”
Arelie Morales
“I know it’s the minority.”
Marion Ali
“How do you explain that?”
Arelie Morales
“We can make the difference.”
Marion Ali
“Are the rest of the people not pleased just like you all?”
Arelie Morales
“Yeah, yeah.”
Marion Ali
“But they’re not out here.”
Arelie Morales
“No they’re not.”
Marion Ali
“The parents tell News Five that they’ve decided to keep their children away from classes for the remainder of this week, and if their request for a new school principal is not met, they are prepared to transfer their children to other schools in the district. Marion Ali, News Five, Santa Clara Village.”
News Five also tried to get answers from the Education Director, Pastor Leslie Gillett, based in Belize City, but like Principal Tamay, he told us that the matter might soon be before the courts and asked us to call him on Friday when he has been adequately briefed of what the situation is.
Parents, did it occur to any of you that the teachers could not read & understand what you wrote? Remember they passed on what they knew & from the Primary results 44% failed & the others scraped by.
When almost 1/3 of the children are absent, there is a problem. The other parents may be absent for reasons other than being in agreement with the school, some may have jobs, the others may be suffering from apathy or because of previous ex[erience may feel like they are spitting into the wind.
I agree that parents should protest against schools or teacher’s, or principal/s in this case. We as parents respect and look up to them to be good examples for our children, when they fail our children they fail our society and we must prevent that from happening at any cost.
The ministry of education need to jump on this bandwagon of mothers and help set these people in order, get rid of those …..s permanently, there is no need to keep them working at any schools, a principal witout principle, and he is misleading our kids idea’s, and threathening their kids future.
get rid of the ……..
First of all..the Adventist church doesn’t like public scrutiny. The Adventist mission has a million problem i it’s hands that they cannot control. There is a huge problem, at the Valley of Peace High School, but nobody knows about that. They keep everything hush, hush, and they make sure that their business is not exposed. If the media digs deep into the Adventist issues, you will be surprised to find out how many skeletons they have in their closets. …. ……… I am an Adventist and i am ashame to know that we are having all those problems. And ALL the pastors are doing the cover up. To tell you the truth, i have kids and the Adventist Schools are totally out of my choices for schools for my children, because the teachers are not qualified to be teachers. And i can go on and on and on. The page would not be enough. …..
parents and teachers they are like one, they teach the child, values and morality, but somtimes they fail. the present makes it as example. expectations for leaders are great and no doupt leaders some day will be charged, but why make feelings get out of control, lets take for time to acknoledge also, what our leaders in education in our country have been doing. “million problems” there will always be, but as conscious people of the future lets spent more time and energy on what we could do to help. Educatuion is not a mortal’s invention, it is the building of character, it is that which has lead our leaders in our country and I applued them. parents it is time to show our discontent on the matter but not making a whole scenery of a church. It is not this time to give up for a better future for the children, but it is time to concider were we can give someting to the children, A better future!
Very curious topic
I understand this question. I invite to discussion.