Belize - Belize News - Channel5Belize.com - Great Belize Productions - Belize Breaking News
Home » Education, Featured » Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, lashes out at teachers
Jan 22, 2014

Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, lashes out at teachers

Patrick Faber

On Friday, teachers in the Cayo District will rally under the banner of the Belize National Teachers Union and take to the streets. It is the third such industrial action since the beginning of the year by the union and its members, and it has become apparent that while the salary adjustment may be the catalyst, there is widespread discontent with different social issues affecting the country. The Ministry of Education has continued to frown on the action, stating that on one hand, it is unnecessary…and on the other, it is irresponsible to close schools in such fashion. Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, has come under sustained fire from teachers, and today in the House of Representatives he fired back…maintaining his mantra that teachers are, for all intents and purposes, ungrateful.

FOR VIDEO CLICK HERE: FABER RESPONDS TO BNTU RALLIES

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“If it is Mister Speaker that these rallies that are distracting the progress of our children in education are being held because they are not getting a raise, then that is bogus because we know that the raise is coming. If it is that they are invoking industrial action because the negotiations have broken down, then that is a lie because I will tell you that there is no breakdown in community between the union and this government at any level. My friend, the Minister of the Public Service is not in this honorable house, but I am sure that he will tell you that there is no breakdown between the Public Service Union and his ministry in terms of communication. I will tell you that before that Friday rally in Orange Walk and Corozal, the officials of the Belize National Teachers Union were in the Central Office of the Ministry meeting with my C.E.O. and the Chief Education Officer about when next we can meet as the ministry and the union together. And that was set for the final week in January and Mister Speaker we will be meeting on the twenty-seventh. So why this action? That is what puzzles us; that is what behooves us. What is this all about? Well they have said that it is about the other issues you see; other issues that the teachers are now taking on these issues that are larger than just the salary issues. Well in fact, it is not even about the salaries at all. Well I don’t know what you think Mister Speaker but every step that they make, every one of those rallies, ninety percent of the talk on the rostrum—apart from bashing the Minister of Education, who has done nothing but love them and been very generous with the ministry’s resources and the people’s sources in helping them to get training, helping them to get…I mean Mister Speaker if I take the time to tell you all that we’ve done for the teachers in this country—and I am not saying anything about ungratefulness because they would try to pick that out of my mouth—but Mister Speaker the nation needs to know. The nation needs to know what has been done under this administration for the teachers of this country.”


Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.

Advertise Here

3 Responses for “Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, lashes out at teachers”

  1. Joe Blank says:

    Yeah uno do a whole heap fu dem, like fu the rest a we. Whole heap a bukut uno give dem and all a the rest a the country. Thanks Faber, but no thanks. Uno to thief!!! So, all a we not greatful, lol!

  2. Elgin Martinez says:

    The Belizean people has finally woke up.

  3. Junie says:

    LOL, We Teachers watch pay day and Faber watches elections day!

Comments are closed