Maya Mopan Villagers to Protest School

Constancio Teul

The villagers of Maya Mopan in Stann Creek District are tonight sending a message to the management of the government primary school in community. The parents have been up in arms with the principal and teachers at the institution for some time now, over an issue as simple as when classes begin. There has also been instance where the students were locked out of the classrooms when teachers did not show up to school. Alcalde, Constancio Teul, wrote to the school’s management in November of last year, requesting intervention, but has not received any response. So the parents have agreed not to send their children to school for a week starting this coming Monday. Teul is asking the Ministry of Education to get involved and has since written a letter to the Minister Patrick Faber. Today, he came to News Five’s studios and spoke out on the contention.

Constancio Teul, Alcalde, Maya Mopan Village, Stann Creek

“Up to date, there has been no response to the letter from the general manager and so the parents say that you know what, we need now the intervention of the Ministry of Education. So I sent a letter to Minister Faber and he has not responded yet, but I believe he will do so soon. We have more issues and concerns with the teachers of the school. It has changed, but it changed when the parents did not send their children to school for one day. And we thought that the general manager would come, but ti was only the local manager, Walter Garbutt, who mediated this meeting with us and there was the change of time then. But it is more than that and that’s what we want to discuss with the relevant parties involved. It is issues between teacher/parents, principal/PTA, principal/parents, student/teachers. Those are the issues that we have at our school. We are demanding now the ministry to come and have a meeting with us at our village on the thirteenth of January.”

Ewart Caballero is the principal of Maya Mopan Primary School.