The Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) announced at a press conference at its Belize City headquarters that it plans to bring out teachers in full force on Friday, for a protest on Independence Hill against the government’s intention to remove corporal punishment in schools even before putting an effective replacement system of punishment in place.
“What we are telling the public is that members of BNTU are not reporting to school. They are heading to Belmopan,” said BNTU president Jaime Panti.
“BNTU does agree and accept the need for alternative measures for school discipline, but with the proper and necessary time needed, certainly not only six months as the Minister and Ministry of Education are proposing,” further noted Panti.
“It’s serious business we are talking about, school safety and teaching service commission,” said BNTU General Secretary George Frazer. “You can’t rush it,” he noted.
Frazer added: “We are saying we understand we have to deal with the problem; we cannot be ostriches and bury our heads, but we have to look at alternatives.”
“As the education bill is tabled and passed, and corporal punishment is being removed, what is going to happen on the ground? What will happen in the classroom?” Panti questioned.
Frazer pointed out that there is also disagreement within the education system over what forms of punishment are deemed to be corporal punishment. While for most it means hitting, others have extended it to include hard labor, such as chopping the schoolyard.
As with most protests, there are concerns over the possible intimidation and the victimization of teachers that could ensue.
“I have gotten reports all this morning that [people], including Ministry of Education personnel and general managers, are intimidating our teachers and dissuading them [from] participating. I need to remind them that that is their legal, moral and constitutional right, and BNTU is not going to stand idly by to allow anybody to intimidate our teachers,” Panti asserted.
On Monday, February 15th, Panti had written directly to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who heads the executive arm of government, to delay the bill temporarily. The Ministry of Education replied, indicating that it fully intends to proceed with the second and third reading of the bill.
(Since the present administration has an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives, it is unlikely that anyone could veto the bill.)
“Once again,” said Panti, “we call on the Prime Minister and the Government of Belize to temporarily delay the second and third reading of the Education and Training Bill, scheduled for tomorrow’s House Meeting.”
“Listen to the voice of reason and give the necessary time—a week or two more for proper study and consideration of our recommendations and concerns. …”
We asked Panti that if six months is not a realistic period to phase out corporal punishment, then what time period is? While he did not give a specific timeframe, he said that all stakeholders have to come to the table, and together, they should agree on a proper timeframe to bring the alternative ways of discipline in the classrooms.
“It is not as easy as that. It is already embedded in the culture. They have social issues that influence these situations; therefore, you have to give proper thought, and proper structures before you make that decision,” Panti noted.
In a press release today, the Ministry of Education said that government would proceed with passing the disputed bill into law Friday, but would allow a period of not more than six months to introduce alternatives to corporal punishment. These alternatives, says the Ministry, would be developed by a so-called “working group,” which has yet to be appointed.
“When you go and buy, do you wait for the item as you pay or do you wait for the item after you pay?” Panti questioned, rhetorically.
George Frazer expressed the view that teachers continue to be disrespected in the process, and while the Ministry of Education has talked for five months about putting a working group in place, it has not acted seriously to proceed with it. “We want the public to know the truth,” Frazer commented.
He told the media this evening that the Minister and the Ministry had agreed that they would set up a committee from October last year, but they did not send out letters requesting names for appointees until Friday, February 12th—only days ago—and wanted the names to be submitted that very day “…so that when they go to the House [Friday, February 19], they can say we have set up a committee.”
The letter was sent the day after the proposed legislative changes were discussed at the relevant House Committee, on Thursday, February 11. The ministry said they would set up a committee by the 17th, which would have been Wednesday.
Frazer said: “That committee is not set up, because it is pure show and talk. We have to stop this and respect one another, respect our teachers, fight for what is right for our country. This is not red and blue [referring to the political parties].
“This is just a farce, and this is what we are saying. Stop playing games and come straight with the people, and respect our teachers.”
BNTU officials also informed the press today that they have not even seen the final draft bill, and they were advised by well-placed sources that there were more changes accepted only very recently:
“What we heard yesterday—and we will know whether this is true—was that the House Committee, they agreed to accept nearly everything that the Catholic Bishop Commission said, and that could be serious, because some of the churches were saying way back, government wants to take away our school, but that is not true. They are not following the rules. They are ‘chancing’ people,’” Frazer commented.
The parties—the Ministry of Education, the BNTU, and the Catholics—were at odds over the Teaching Services Commission. However, this appears to no longer be a point of contention for them.
Endevora “Debbie” Jorgenson, BNTU’s national secretary, confirmed that the union and government have ironed out their issues over the impending Teaching Services Commission.
Jorgenson said that they had agreed on having an appointed chair, but that there are clear criteria that should be in place. Additionally, all stakeholders would be allowed to submit names, and the selection would be made thereafter.
The issue that is now the point of contention between the Government and the BNTU, and the stated cause for Friday’s protest, is the removal of corporal punishment without the immediate implementation of an alternative system.
Very late this evening, the Ministry of Education circulated a memo to schools and managers, from the Chief Executive Officer David Leacock saying that, “all efforts should be made to ensure that schools remain open tomorrow, Friday, 19 February 2010, and to ensure that the safety of students and staff present at the school is given due consideration.”
The press release closes saying that “…it is the duty of the managing authority to keep a record of teachers not present at school and to determine the reasons for their absence.”
Amandala is informed that in some cases, teachers have been made to sign a list to say whether they plan to attend the demonstration or not.
Defending the right of teachers to participate in the protest, Panti commented:
“Teachers, they have the ultimate say, and I know that teachers will be there, because that’s their mandate that they give us. …We are taking that initiative as a union, as teachers, we are taking that initiative. So it’s not left for managers to decide; it’s left for teachers to decide.”
The BNTU president added, “We are asking the understanding [of] our parents and the general public as the Education Act will affect the education system and the lives of all teachers.”
BNTU declined to tell us exactly how many members they have, but they did indicate that 80% of teachers are members of the union, and the union expects that they will all, from the 10 branches countrywide, join the protest in their show of solidarity and discontent over the manner in which corporal punishment will be removed from schools.
The BNTU president further noted, “We know, as officers, the responsibility that we have, but I want to send one clear signal to all those critics: you will be able to kill my character, or our characters, but you will not be able to kill our spirit and determination to move this country forward. …”
While the issue of corporal punishment has been cited as the reason for Friday’s protest, the BNTU and the Government are still at odds over frozen talks for a new collective bargaining agreement.
That matter, said Panti, has to be addressed jointly with sister unions – the Public Service Union and the Association of Senior Public Service Managers.
Apart from addressing the direct concerns of members, Panti previewed that the BNTU’s militancy could escalate in dealing with broader issues: “There are many social issues out there that from here onwards, we are going to be very much aggressive on the forefront. …”