The Belize National Teachers Union today achieved a milestone: it is a historic fifty years. The powerful watchdog union is celebrating its golden anniversary under the theme, “B.N.T.U. @ 50: Defending, Empowering and Transforming Teachers, Students, and Nation” – fitting for a union with tremendous power and stamina. Over the years, the B.N.T.U. has defended […]
It is no secret that Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, has had some bitter moments with the Belize National Teachers Union. Both have been bucking heads over a myriad of issues and sometimes it has become personal. But Faber is now the Leader-elect of the ruling United Democratic Party so we asked B.N.T.U. National President […]
A new academic year is set to begin on August tenth, after five months of leave from school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the reopening of schools however, there are many concerns being raised by parents and students alike. Those anxieties include social distancing, the sanitization of classrooms, as well as hygiene practices […]
COVID-19 has also prompted school managements to put in place specific protocols that relate to children coming down with the seasonal flu. Aside from those procedures, Chief Executive Officer, Deborah Domingo, of the Ministry of Education, also emphasized that there will be fewer children in the classroom this upcoming school year and a scheduling system […]
For children in the lower levels, those in kindergarten and the infant division, the Ministry of Education is advising teachers to wear face shields in instances where certain subjects are being taught, including phonics and reading. Deborah Domingo, C.E.O., Ministry of Education “As I said earlier, whatever the regulations say with regards to the […]
Eighty-six Belizean students on scholarships in Cuba say they are faced with extreme hardships and don’t know what will be their next step. The students say they are in urgent need of food and hygiene products but the COVID-19 pandemic has made their situation difficult to navigate. The students in Cuba have made a public […]
The reopening of schools is weeks away on April tenth; it comes just before the re-opening of the Philip Goldson International Airport which can usher in new cases of the COVID-19. So there is trepidation over the risk that children may be facing. But at an event today by the Ministry of Education, general managers […]
There were happy faces at the Biltmore Plaza today; more than two thousand four hundred children will benefit from tuition relief given to eighteen schools. The scholarship comes at a critical time since at households across the country the economic situation is grim due to COVID-19. The initiative is courtesy of the Lifeline Foundation, headed […]
The annual Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate was pushed back as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students across the region have been out of the classrooms and schools had to resort to online learning to prepare fourth form students for the regional exams. The Caribbean Examination Council, after consultations, decided on mid-July for the exams […]
Attorney Norman Rodriguez is also representing the Board of the Claver College Extension in Punta Gorda in a lawsuit brought against the church. According to Rodriguez, the Saint Peter Claver Parish issued a notice of eviction to the institution for the end of June 2020. Due to quick legal action, a stay has been secured […]
Today, the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union was officially certified as the Bargaining Agent for Full-time and Temporary Assignment of Faculty and Staff employed for two consecutive twelve-month contracts. The certification included a virtual segment where the Union representatives and UB management witnessed the signing at the Labour Office in Belmopan. A release issued […]
Minister of Education Patrick Faber has been fairly silent on the UB matter. Aside from government cutting the subvention for the national university amid the resulting economic crisis from COVID-19, there has been no official word from the Barrow administration on the standoff between the UB Faculty and Staff Union and the university’s senior management. […]
B.N.T.U. National President, Senator Elena Smith has come forward to say that a majority of schools across the country will not be ready to reopen their classrooms on August tenth, the date scheduled for the commencement of the 2020 academic year. Several reasons have been cited, including a lack of financial resources to assist teachers […]
Going back to Sunday’s leadership convention, a number of U.D.P. area representatives have also shifted their support from John Saldivar to Patrick Faber, including Cayo Central’s Rene Montero and Erwin Contreras. While Faber was defeated earlier this year by a margin of well over a hundred votes, he says that a minimum of sixty votes […]
On Thursday, the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union held a demonstration to help amplify their voice for the senior administration of UB to engage them in cost-cutting measures as a result of a projected loss of seven million dollars in cash flow. The union, which has yet to be officially certified by the […]
The Union is also dissatisfied about the way in which Doctor June Young was removed from the UB Board of Trustees when the financial crisis announcement was made. The U.B.F.S.U. felt that it was a strategic move to silence the faculty and staff rep on the board so that they cannot be a part of […]
Since last week we’ve been reporting on a growing dispute between the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union and the University of Belize’s administration. The U.B.F.S.U. is only acknowledged as an association because its union certification hasn’t been published and handed over. So, they say that they are being shut out of the university’s […]
As you heard in that story, the President of the U.B.F.S.U. says they are being shut out due to the lack of certification to show its union status. We caught up with B.N.T.U. National President, Senator Elena Smith who joined the protestors today. We asked Smith for her thoughts on that matter and also got […]
There’s new development into the University of Belize’s management issues. Late this evening, the President of the UB Professor Clement Sankat issued an invitation via a press release to the Academic Council, Senior Management, Directors, UB Faculty & Staff Association to announce that there will be an online meeting on Monday morning where he will […]
National President of the Belize National Teachers Union Senator Elena Smith this afternoon met with the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union in Belmopan as it prepares to protest this Thursday. The powerful B.N.T.U. has been invited to take part in Thursday’s demonstration and show support to its sister U.B. Faculty and Staff Union. […]
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 […]
According to Smith, teachers who are willing to return to classes are also expressing concerns for their safety and the safety of their students especially since the P.G.I.A. will reopen a week after schools do. Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U. “In terms of the safety portion of it, they are very concerned. They are […]
Seventy students of San Antonio RC School in the Orange Walk District today received an assortment of back to school supplies as part of the Belize Tourism Board staff’s community outreach programme during the COVID-19 crisis. The happy students received a knapsack, composition books, hand sanitizers, face masks, pencil cases, and a variety of other […]
As the crisis at the University of Belize continues to fester, the executive of the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union met at length with the president and management of the tertiary institution to discuss U.B.’s financial records amid looming pay cuts. The U.B.F.S.U. which is not formally recognized as the sole bargaining agent […]
The failure to have the union certified, according to Doctor Pio Saqui, falls squarely on the Department of Labour since a letter sent to U.B.F.S.U. on January twenty-ninth indicated that all requirements for the body to be formally recognized had been met. Despite the postponement of the certification ceremony, assurances to provide the U.B.F.S.U. certificate […]
