Julian Cho Technical High shuts down; there is no science teacher
In the south, a demonstration was held this morning by parents and students of the Julian Cho Technical High School and tonight, the school has closed its doors. It stems from the lack of science classes to students in the last two years of high school, who are preparing to sit the 2014 CSEC exams. And it revolves around a teacher who has been kept away from the classroom because the Ministry of Education has not granted him a license to teach. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has that story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Over a hundred students attending Julian Cho Technical High School took to the streets of Punta Gorda Town today where they protested the absence of a physics and chemistry teacher in the third and fourth forms. According to Carlos Galvez, of the Parent Teachers Association, they are currently at the mid-semester and upon reviewing the reports they noticed that grades for both subjects were missing. That confirmation prompted a demonstration from disgruntled students and parents this morning.
Via phone: Carlos Galvez, PTA, Julian Cho Technical Institute
“The demonstration was very peaceful. It stemmed over the issue of the last six weeks, this week will make it seven weeks since the third and fourth form science department students haven’t gotten a teacher in the classroom. What happened is that the students haven’t been told or haven’t been given the relevant information as to why this teacher is not able to be in the classroom teaching them. A teacher who had been teaching, Mr. Abdullah, over the last ten years at this institution with a tremendous success [rate] in terms of CXC passes over the last ten years. Now, as I understood, we were at a meeting on Saturday to receive midterm reports, not knowing that on the report card where it states physics and chemistry they had what is called N/A. I don’t know if it means not applicable but we took an issue with and that was when it was made to us even clearer that indeed this teacher is not in the classroom. Apparently there is some issue with his passport but the fact of the matter is that they are not being clear with the issue. They only tell us that the Ministry of Education refused to grant him a teacher’s license and we know how it works, without a work permit no teachers license then no teaching. We decided that as parents we can intervene and do a peaceful demonstration to get facts in regards to this whole situation and to ensure that all these kids they deserve a proper education.”
According to Galvez, a science teacher is desperately needed to fill the void in the classroom since preparations for the annual CXC examinations are ongoing.
Isani Cayetano
“What’s to happen next Mr. Galvez?”
Via Phone: Carlos Galvez
“Well, we are saying that we want some direct answers from the ministry. The point here is that we want to ensure that these students have a teacher in their classroom immediately. They have to prepare for CXCs, as a matter of fact we are at the midterm and they have no physics and chemistry grades.”
Isani Cayetano
“So even if it’s not Mr. Abdullah you guys need a teacher in the classroom at this point?”
Carlos Galvez
“That is paramount. That is important. We need a qualified physics and chemistry teacher for the third and fourth formers. If there is a major issue with Mr. Abdullah then we can understand that but we cannot deprive these students of a proper education.”
Galvez says they have been granted a permit for the protest to resume on Wednesday should Abdullah not be reinstated or replaced. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
contreass, gasper, castro, penner, …. the scandal makers stumble in their strong effort to get the last dollar stolen into their pockets.
We forget about Faber, and his drunk driving brother who wrecks new GOB vehicles off duty from his easy GOB job.
Minister Faber, the smart guy, a possible future PM. Under his leadership they fumble this science teacher’s passport, so the have to close the school and all these kids loose a year.
It is all ok, in the ministry of education and youth, your pupose in life is to grow up as stupid, ignorant sheep. This is what is needed to be a gang member: All you need to know is how to aim a gun and kill someone on command for your initiation, like what happened to Giovanni Chi. Forget science, that is for thinking people. UDP does not want thinking people, they want docile sheep to rule over, keep them poor in the head and poor in the pocket.
Belize is at the buttom for education of youth in the Caribbean. With Faber’s next goal, we got a new bottom to get to.
Why be at the bottom on that list when you can set a new bottom for the world?
Thank you minister Faber! Also special thanks for Dean Barrow for having given this fool the opportunity to destroy Belize’s education and the future of its youth.
UDP: out to stoke corruption and raze education.
My, my, how easily it is to ignore the glaring truths in this story.
The man has been in the country for ten years and couldnt arrange his immigration status?
UB pumps out so many bachelor’s degrees every year and we need a foreign teacher to teach kids in Toledo?
Sad that we can get the kids to jump up and down liked trained monkeys to further someone’s agenda.
Sad that the kids are the ones suffering.
cruffy- after 10 years I would think the govt knows how to deal with his work status.
the glaring truth I get from the aricle, is that the ministry of education was asked to help in some GOB snafu at best, but being Toledo is PUP probably a way to screw with Toledo, we are talking politics, corruption and the UDP.
As for your argument that UB cranks out top science and math talent, well there is an open position in Toledo that the ministry of education knows or caused or should know about. Because a school has to close pretty much condemns the ministry as incompetent or corrupt. Being Toledo is mostly Mayan and the poorest district, I doubt many new teachers want it, it is the backwater even in Belize thinking.
to carry your logic further, Belize has all these great medical schools, get rid of the Cuban doctors. Peace Corp, gone. Japanese and Taiwanese Teachers, hogging jobs, boot them out, fill the positions with people who have the worst rated education in the Caribbean. Belize can do it all by itself. GO UDP! to the bottom as the voters wanted. corrupt, poorest, ignorant and most foolish is the course before you.
kind of wonder if you got a grudge against this teacher. seem to be pretty familiar with his legal status. do you have a cush job at UDP?
It is an awful situation that there isn’t any chemistry or physics teacher(s) at the high school at this time. It is even worst that the parents and students are protesting and closing down the school because Mr. Abdullah doesn’t have his documentation in place. The only person that can be blamed for all of this is Mr. Abdullah. I think that something should be done to get qualified teachers to fill that position so that the children don’t suffer. Adults should be held responsible for their own actions or lack thereof.
please take out the politics out this….what have you guys have done if you child was in this situation, your honest opinions!
another thing Cruffy,
This Abdullah guy spent ten years of his life teaching Belizean kids in the less glamorous location in the Jewel.
Which is ten years more than Kim Hongwong doodle ever did.
Ten more years than that Hezbollah Belizean Mennonite, that Penner waived a wand over.
Mennonite, Penner, money, UDP: get it? the Hezbollah connection?
Cruffy, think about it, over 100,000 Belizeans live in the US out of 300,000; most Belizeans I talked to would be totally ok to move out of Belize and visit once in a while.
So if you find people who come to Belize to make good things happen for Belizean children, treat them with respect. This is the kind of guy who could teach new UB teachers how to be effective in classrooms.
Abdullah’s problem appears to be that he could not afford Barrow, Hulse, Penner, Contrerass, or the other corruption officers that Belize has elected. sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
meantime, crawl back under your UDP rock.
PgGial-
read what Galvez says: they need a teacher. They have been neglected by minister Faber and crew.
If not Abdullah, then somebody, Cruffy says science teachers are falling off trees. where are they?
Ten years, now paperwork problems?
Sounds like the UDP screwed up the paperwork on purpose, and are dealing with $$$ applicants who want citizenship in a couple days who can’t be bothered to at least come to Belize, much less improve the country.