B.N.T.U. President Says Schools Are Not Ready to Open

The B.N.T.U. President also told News Five today that schools are not ready to reopen.  In an interview, Smith expressed serious concerns, saying that many schools across the country will not be adequately prepared to resume classes on August tenth.  The Ministry of Education has provided safety guidelines for schools to adhere too when students return to the classrooms, but Smith says that guidelines are a cut and paste job taken from other countries in the region and forced to fit a Belizean setting.  Smith also says that school managements have passed on the burden of purchasing necessary items to the principals.

Elena Smith

Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U.

“I don’t think that our schools are ready. I have spoken to a few of our principals and our teachers have been reaching out to us with concern of August tenth. The principals they are at a point where because managements seem to be saying that they can’t afford to provide all the things that are being asked of them to provide for the schools in the guidelines that principals are now being given that burden to find those things. I was told that a memo was sent out to principals and vice principals informing them that they are responsible and somewhat saying to them if you can’t these things done in time of August tenth then you are incompetent. That was one of the person’s interpretation that it is from a principal. That was the way it was interpreted. Clearly our schools are not going to be ready based on the guideline. As a matter of fact the guideline, the guideline is not truly set for our Belizean setting. It seems to be we are using guidelines from another country and we are just taking out portions that seem to look as if though they would link to our situation. For that reasons a lot of the things that are being requested, the schools simply can’t afford them.”