Photo: Ruth Shoman – National President, Belize National Teachers’ Union

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Aug. 29, 2023

The last we reported on the challenge to the legitimacy of the presidency of Ruth Shoman, at the helm of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) by a small group of 25 teachers, was that the group had written to the regional umbrella organization of teachers’ unions on July 9, 2023, asking for a review of the matter. They pointed to an undetermined issue regarding Shoman’s BNTU membership, given that the Union’s Constitution speaks to a member being a teacher in active service in a public or private educational institution. They reported that Shoman indicated to the Union’s Council of Management that she was employed by a United States government entity as a facilitator. Last week, an official of the U.S. Embassy in Belize told Amandala that this had never been the case. Shoman, we are told, had simply participated in an online certification course for facilitators and she remained as a volunteer trainer thereafter. While the group of teachers saw this update as damning evidence against Shoman, she has dismissed the revelation. Both in an interview on August 29, and in a Facebook post that same day, Shoman accused the media of running with gossip for ratings. She told the media, “I don’t know where this U.S. State Department story came about, but I have no comment, and the only thing I can say is that, seemingly from the media, any gossip that’s whispered, the media goes with it and takes it as gospel. I’m not going to comment on gossip, and BNTU is a private organization and I have addressed it with those who I need to address it with, so it’s up to you if you want to continue propagating gossip. That’s up to you, but I have no comments.” When pressured on whether or not she had presented any documentation to prove her employment status, Shoman, who said she is nearing 50, doubled down, stating, “Like I said, I won’t make any comment. That’s our business, and the gossip that’s going around, I’m not going to entertain it. Thank you.” With that, she ended that interview and walked off.

While Shoman’s challengers continue to make demands for her to prove her legitimacy to hold the post of BNTU president, it appears that in their internal back and forth at the Council of Management level, another prospect was injected into the conversation, that is, that Shoman went on early retirement from her last place of work at a college in Belize, and that a letter from the institution bears that information. The group of teachers has also challenged that assertion. Though retired teachers can continue to be members of the BNTU, they allege that her statement to the Council is also false.

Commenting on the sustained challenge to her presidency and the difficulty that must represent while she fulfills her responsibilities, Shoman told the media that work is ongoing. She said, “… I can say that I have a Council that supports—and I don’t want to make it ‘supports Ruth Shoman,’ because the office of the president is not about a person; the office of the president is one that should be always respected based on the principles that it carries, and the council knows what I’m bringing to the table and the goals that I have explained to them and we’re working together. We have started a number of projects, so all these things that are going around is painting a different picture because I haven’t been to the media. I said on Election Day, ‘I’ll come to the media when I need to.’ Our business is our business, and the work is happening, so I don’t know where you’re getting that work is not happening. And with every new post, there are challenges; there’s that transition period, but we’re moving forward and we are doing what we ought to do …”

In her lengthy Facebook post, Shoman narrated that the constant attacks have made her question whether she can continue to withstand them. She concluded that she will use her pain to continue helping people.

In regard to the work of the union, in Tuesday’s interviews which took place on the sidelines of a People’s Constitution Commission education event for Belize District teachers, Shoman was asked for an update on the national competency-based education (CBE) curriculum reform pilot that will now enter its second year. Shoman said that there seems to be a rush to move ahead with the curriculum framework even though some teachers were not reached for consultation. She contended that the teachers’ input must not only be heard but must also be respected at the time of implementation. She added that some schools are dealing with a shortage of basic resources, including water and internet, while at others, teachers have difficulty with transportation to get to classes. She says it may be taken for granted that these things are in place, and therefore some schools cannot take advantage of the benefits of the competency-based curriculum reform. She therefore supports an individual school approach, and said it is an issue that they must sit and discuss with the Ministry of Education as soon as possible.

Shoman also revealed that teachers are being asked to resign if they have not met the required 120 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses. Her concern is that the cost of the courses is burdensome, and with teachers already having to go into their pockets to pay for their classroom posters, she said they are feeling the pinch. Along with the matter of CPD credits, she also cited license renewal as a huge issue. She encouraged teachers to get in contact with the Union before submitting any resignation letter over license renewal.

The Ministry of Education responded in a release on Wednesday saying that, as it relates to curriculum reform, the transition effort was executed “in close partnership with the BNTU, managements, and local and international partners.” The Ministry reminded that the National Curriculum Framework “was developed by a committee comprised of a cross-section of stakeholders and education experts, including the BNTU.” It affirmed that, based on its extensive country-wide consultations with teachers, principals, and other stakeholders, there is “joint ownership of the process.” Under the reform, says the Ministry, unit plans and assessments have been provided to teachers via the Ministry’s online platform. The Ministry insists that there is individualized attention at the primary school level, and that at the high school level, managements have been asked to present a three-year implementation plan. It announced also that it plans to start visiting parents countrywide in October of this year.

On the matter of CPD hours, the Ministry restated its policy which is, “to support teachers in remaining up-to-date in various areas of content and practice. The approach is not punitive, but rather one of support and encouragement for teachers. In the past year, the Ministry has provided many courses especially focused on CBE [Competency-Based Education] and the emotional wellbeing of teachers and students.”