G.O.B. to Cover Full Salaries of Teachers at Grant-aided Schools

Francis Fonseca

This morning in the House of Representatives, it was also announced that the Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Education, will be covering the full salaries of the faculties and staffs of all grant-aided secondary and tertiary institutions across the country.  The announcement which came as welcome news to the Grant-aided Management Authority of Schools was made by Education Minister Francis Fonseca. 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“I will provide a brief statement on what I regard as a very, very important and historic decision by the Government of Belize, the Ministry of Education, our Cabinet, and that decision is to pay the full, one hundred percent salaries and service benefits of all grant-aided secondary and tertiary level educational institutions in Belize.  Now, Madame Speaker, this is a longstanding issue, one I have long regarded personally as an injustice really, a historic injustice to the teachers who have been affected by it.  Now, I want to be very clear in what we are doing.  The Ministry of Education requested Cabinet’s approval and support for meeting, and this again is all tied to part of our negotiations and discussions over many years with the joint unions and the Belize National Teachers Union in particular.  I will refer to it shortly, but the current CBA is outstanding for fourteen years and so what this decision does is really providing for the Ministry of Education, the Government of Belize to pay the full one hundred percent salaries and service benefits of all grant-aided secondary and tertiary level institutions in Belize.  So teachers and administrators, all teaching staff will benefit from full, one hundred percent pension, allowances and service benefits.”