CUT Says Ministries of Education Not Prepared for CXC Exams
Elena Smith
The regional union says that it has seen no evidence of any action plan by Ministries of Education in the region, which suggests that they have adopted any approved set of standards specific to the reopening of school. Elena Smith agrees.
Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U.
“In Belize we have not yet come up with what would be the necessary things to have in place for schools to reopen. There was a discussion just on Monday with Doctor Manzanero and ministry, unions, management and other persons to look at what would be some parameters and we would need to have to put in place before we could consider reopening of schools. And so then having had those discussions, asked those questions and have been given some idea when would be the best time to reopen schools. The advice given was certainly not July. So if it is that we are having our students physically sit an exam it means that they must go to school. So how will that work if we are not yet prepared for that to happen and if the advice coming from the Ministry of Health was that we would be able to open not July but after that. So the two are not matching. I don’t see how we can agree on a date for exam even before we met with the Ministry of Health officials to discuss what will need to be in place to reopen schools. Us, as a country, we need to be the ones to dictate to the CXC when we are prepared for that exam. Not the other way around and so again for the Ministers of Education and the Ministry personnel who attended that meeting and who accepted to have the sitting in July without properly having consulted with the key stakeholders, the unions, the teachers and to just say yes we will go ahead without having things properly put it place. It makes you wonder what was the reason behind accepting such a date.”
The CUT is calling on the governments of the region to be mindful not to rush the process for the re-opening of schools to facilitate the writing of CXC Examinations, unless they have instituted all measures outlined by the reopening of school protocol.
