Tubal Trade School needs financial help

If you have been on the Northern Highway, you would recognize the Tubal Trade School. It was opened back in 2001 by Belize and Mrs. Lyndon Bailey to give underprivileged youths a shot at education.  It’s nine years since it first opened and the school has grown in numbers. But the economic hard times are hitting it hard and at least four teachers could be fired in the next few days. News Five’s Jose Sanchez headed to Tubal and has a report.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

The Tubal Trade School was celebrated by Belize Bank when the founder Lyndon Bailey won the bank’s Unsung Heroes award.  The school caters to trade students who have not been successful in other institutions throughout the Belize District.  But funds have dried up and according to Tubal’s P.R. Officer, they may need to fire teachers.

Michael Novelo, Public Relations Officer, Tubal Trade School

“Mister and misses Bailey have been putting in their personal money into the school, but at the end of the day, the well will run dry and the well has been dried up now. So we deh inna wah crisis weh we have to decide what are we going to do? We need to let go instructors so that the school can run on the budget that it has. We have employed seven instructors and a hundred and sixty students at this facility that you’re seeing here. Now we are at the risk that we have to release four of our seven instructors. Now have in mind that seven instructors with a hundred and sixty students is a great challenge already, so to take away four out of that seven and leave only three here with that hundred and sixty students, I can see a high rate of drop out.”

The school’s founder says that the school has grown and the government subventions aren’t enough to sustain the growth.

Lyndon Bailey, Founding Director Tubal Trade School

“For about the last five years we have been getting ten thousand dollars and the school has grown, materials get expensive and so we find our self in a difficult positions. We realized if a student gets put out of school or dropped out of school who takes care of these students? These students are just left in the street and they develop in the system where older people use them to run drugs, to hide guns and deal with all sorts of negative things that affect society. So when we opened this school, we started with nine students and then I used to pay an instructor out of my money. I used to pay an instructor with the money out of my pocket, me and my wife. Then the school grew over the years and we ended up with about fifty students in the second year and the school continued to grow and grow and grow. Now we have one hundred and sixty students.”

Michael Novelo

“We have currently automotive, we have  I.T., we have two electrical classes; one and two – first and second year in the electrical department, we have hospitality and catering management and newly enrolled is the construction, A.C. and refrigeration component.”

The students all had testimonies that when others were closed, Tubal’s doors were open for them.

John King, student, Tubal

“I was going to ACC and got kicked out right and I am a good football player and they chose to make me come to this school. I really like going to this school because it teach me to be a better person and ih teach yoh bout church and ih teach yoh bout God and I think dis school dah wah good school fi mek people weh noh go dah school come.”

While King was at school, there were other students who were doing ‘on the job’ training.  We stopped and visited them at Guerra’s Engineering Limited and the Police Department.

Inspector Christopher Noble, Vehicle Fleet Manager

“Tubal asked us to do some training with them and the students studying this field have been brought here to try to enhance their way of work. We have our mechanics here and our mechanics deal with our vehicles on a regular basis and they have been doing some training with them to see what Tubal has been giving to them on paper and with limited resources both sides, they have been working hard at what they can do in the shop.”

Ernie Pratt, student, Tubal

“I mi di go to Ladyville Tech di tek agriculture but I drop out ah school. So I come tek mechanic dah Tubal.”

Jose Sanchez

“You’re here at the Police Department, what are you doing here?”

Ernie Pratt

“Well, I di train fi mechanic. I deh pan job training right now di do mechanic and I di learn. We fix four vehicle already right.  We fix shocks, we change oil and thing.”

Rosenda Chen, Office Assistant, Guerra’s Engineering Ltd.

“The students from tubal they are here to practice their skills that they have been trained to do. What they come here is they go out with the technicians to get a look and the experience of what the guys are doing out there. When they come here, we treat them just as how we treat the technicians here at Guerra’s.”

Jose Sanchez

“How do you find the students this yea?”

Rosenda Chen

“The students this year, they are very punctual and very manerful. The feedback that I get, they are hardworking.”

Dion Gutierrez, Student, Tubal

“The first day we went to some houses and service up some A/Cs. This time we’re doing some engineering, tighten up the screws for safety for the electrician and stuff.”

Jose Sanchez

“When it comes to the servicing of the AC, what is it that you do?”

Dion Gutierrez

“Alright, you take off the face, the screens and stuff and clean them with water. You take orange oil and just spray it out for the odor that it has after a while.”

Jose Sanchez

“Being a student of tubal how has it benefitted you?”

Dion Gutierrez

“Well, you know it keeps you off the streets from doing stupid stuff and they have very good subjects that you can take.”

Even though the school is facing tough times, the students and faculty still think of others in need. Tubal raised and donated one hundred dollars to Red Cross Haiti relief fund.

Lyndon Bailey

“Despite of what is going on here, we have a good staff here and the same young men and women of this school are willing to give a dollars, two dollars to help people that are in need. So we had raised one hundred dollars that we will send to the Red Cross to help our young brothers and sisters in Haiti.”

Jose Sanchez

“You are glad that there is a Tubal school out there.”

Dion Gutierrez

“Yes sir, very much.”

Tubal is giving to the community.  It’s time for the community to give back.  Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.