Faber on Teachers Missing School for UDP Rally

Patrick Faber

Earlier in our newscast, Minister of Education Patrick Faber spoke about the Petrocaribe funds, defending his government’s use of those monies. But he’s had to be defending himself in another forum. Faber went on record in past months to condemn teachers for missing school during the BNTU rallies countrywide. But on Tuesday the government is holding a rally simply to support their spending of the Petrocaribe monies, and while it is a work day, all, including teachers and public officers, are being encouraged to come out and paint Independence Hill red. Not surprisingly, Faber said the two instances are different.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“Yes indeed but there is no official cancellation of schools, people have a right if they see it in their own right, that is fine, that is not closing down schools, and bringing out all the teachers. You have heard me make no call to shutdown schools across this country to tell teachers to come out. If in their own personal right they decide they want to come, that is fine with me. I am hoping that this won’t have any kind of mass effect on the education system, I firmly  believe they would do that. Many of the people who are going to come out on Tuesday are the people whose lives have been affected by the Petrocaribe. Some of the workers who in fact received temporary jobs and who are in temporary positions right now and who depend on these funds to make sure that quality of life are improved. These are the people who will come out and of course the Belizean people who view the hypocrisy of the P.U.P. as damming and view the P.U.P. as trying to turn things backwards for Belize.”

The rally, maybe sponsored by those same Petrocaribe funds, will be held outside the National Assembly on Tuesday, when a special sitting of the House is scheduled.