Approximately 1,000 – 1,300 teachers, more than a fifth of Belize’s education corps, converged on Independence Hill outside the National Assembly in Belmopan just before 10:00 on Friday morning, loudly calling on Education Minister Patrick Faber to hold back the reforms to the education laws that would see the elimination of corporal punishment in schools, without a replacement system ready for implementation.
“Who need fi get lash, so they could listen?” one chanter questioned.
“Faber!” the crowd shouted back.
The majority of protesting teachers Amandala spoke with, some with decades of experience at all levels of the education system, seemed to agree on two things: 1) that corporal punishment does work, especially because it is not used that often; and 2) that the Ministry, should they wish to remove it, must consult the Union and teachers generally on replacements and solutions.
The protestors—rallied by the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU)—included teachers of varying ages from all over the country. Veteran teachers were very prominent in the mix. There were also some high school and sixth form and university teachers supporting the cause of the primary school teachers.
The call and response chanting continued through the bullhorn as the protesting teachers converged on Independence Hill, their comments directly targeted at the Education Minister.
“Vacancy?” the chanter shouted.
“Minister of Education!” the crowd responded.
“Qualifications?” the chanter asked.
“Common sense!” the crowd replied.
“Other duties?” the chanter asked.
“Listening to us!” the teachers replied.
Port Loyola area representative and Minister of Works, Anthony “Boots” Martinez, emerged from the National Assembly meeting hall around 11 o’clock.
The irked crowd told him, “We no want you; send Faber!”
“Run over, run over, please send Faber right over,” the teachers also chanted, making a play on a popular playtime rhyme.
After the first hour and a half of the protest, the teachers paraded down the steps of Independence Hill and then along the pathway, near the market, and returned to the firing line, where they were held off by police officers.
At the height of the demonstration, when they thought Faber was peeping out of a window, the teachers told him, “Come out, Faber!”
The protest lasted until shortly before 2:00 p.m. (the time when their permit expired), and the mass of teachers retreated to the Belmopan Civic Center even before the debate on the new education bill ensued. It was there that the teachers had gotten fired up with an early morning rally, before staging the public protest.
Fortunately, there were no tensions between protestors and the police.
Citing the “arrogance” of the Ministry, BNTU national president, Jaime Panti, maintained that this is a fight the BNTU will take to the finish, regardless of Friday’s outcome; that is, notwithstanding the passage of the bill by Parliament.
Former Union president, John Pinelo, of San Ignacio, who has taught for 35 years at the primary and secondary level, told Amandala that teachers are not promoting corporal punishment as the only solution to problems of student discipline. He nonetheless maintained that it should be kept on the books as is—as a “last resort.”
Can discipline be taught to students without the use of corporal punishment? Amandala asked.
“Yes,” replied Pinelo, adding that in his 20 years as a principal, he rarely had to spank any student.
When Amandala asked what proposals the union had for alternative measures to corporal punishment, Pinelo said that such measures would require “a team effort” between the union, school managements and ministry personnel. He claimed that the ministry had not been consulting with the union effectively, leading to the current deadlock.
Teacher of St. Matthew’s Anglican School in Pomona, Stann Creek, Fabian Gongora, revealed the big “elephant in the room” at today’s demonstration, maintaining that the provision, which he opposed, had everything to do with money – a supposed loan by the International Development Bank (IDB) to the Government that would be effected if corporal punishment is abolished immediately.
Faustino Juchim, currently teaching at San Carlos School in Orange Walk and a 25-year veteran, said the key to discipline is finding out what problem lies behind the childish behavior. “Not one of the teachers here – and as I look around I see teachers with years of experience – none of us would ever abuse a child… we know how to handle the situation.”
Many of the teachers at the march are also parents. Would they agree with the use of corporal punishment on their child?
Francelia Linarez of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Institute (ANRI) in Stann Creek told us she would have no problem with it if her child is caught doing wrong, stating that Belize as a society needs to further enforce discipline. The removal of corporal punishment would lead to “chaos” in society, she told us, reminding that the difference in each child’s behavior is often due to the environment in which they were raised.
Itinerant music teacher, Mario Gonzalez, based at Holy Ghost Primary in Dangriga, agrees. In fact, he told us, although corporal punishment is still on the books, his colleagues in the Culture Capital prefer to exhaust other means of discipline, such as line-writing, kneeling, or even doing schoolyard chores, before resorting to lashings.
“Corporal punishment is a form of discipline, but abusing it is detrimental (to its continued use),” Gonzalez told us when we asked his position. It may hurt, he added, “but only for a little while.”
The rally continued for much of the morning, with the crowd occasionally getting rowdy in their repeated challenges to Faber, but the Collet rep and former high school teacher never showed (though we understand he spied on the march from the safety of the inside of the National Assembly).
All 10 branches of the union were represented, but some of the teachers from the Belize City and Ladyville area were delayed in getting to the march when they were stopped at a Hattieville checkpoint near the Everyday Supermarket, across from the village police station.
Police claimed that they could not proceed without a road permit. However, union executives later intervened to get them released.
The teachers have indicated that despite the passage of the bill on Friday, they will not relent in their fight.