“Your move, teachers” – that’s basically where
it’s at after Education Minister Patrick Faber led the House Of Representatives
to pass the Education and Training Bill, 2009 one week ago and while doing so
called the teachers who oppose corporal punishment, “ignorant” –
meaning untrained in methods of classroom discipline without the use of physical
punishment. But, “ignorant”? On the streets that would be fight
talk...but today the Union leadership proved itself above that. After an executive
meeting yesterday, President of the Teachers Union Jaime Panti issued a conciliatory
and quite remarkable statement today. It will air in its entirely as an ad later
in the newscast but here’s a portion in which the Union President apologizes
on behalf of the Minister – and says, corporal punishment indeed has to
go and the name calling has to end.
Jaime Panti, BNTU President
"The Belize National Teachers’ Union proposes this way forward:
We refrain from petty issues and name calling when it comes to the discussion
on Educational Issues such as the now, corporal punishment in the Education
Act. No more this one is to blame and that one is to blame.
Educators in Belize – as the National President, I want to take the
time to apologize to all of you for any sense or feeling of being offended by
the recent statements made in the media by the Minister of Education.
With the changing times; corporal punishment has to go. In no way does
the union want to appear to want to keep it on our law books. From the very
beginning we have advocated that corporal punishment stay within the rules,
just as is, until a more feasible structural set of processes and mechanisms
have been put established.
This is exactly why the Union had taken the stand to mobilize its membership
to march in front of the National Assembly, in Belmopan on Friday, 19, 2010.
We are hopeful we will renew dialogue with the Ministry of Education to find
and bring a solution to our differences in the interest of Education.
As a union, we want to work through the details of how we can deal with
the removal of corporal punishment from the rules. We have a clear sense that
with this removal a gaping hole will be left such a vacuum that we suspect parents,
students and you the general public will develop the attitude that teachers
will have no measure of discipline in the classroom. This perception would be
far from what we need; hence the position we now take.
We need alternatives that will speak to matters of improved teacher training
that will equip us to function in classrooms in the absence of corporal punishment.”
Panti went on to also concede that, “we have a new generation
of young teachers who may need to acquire the relevant skills and experience
to handle discipline in the classroom.” So, that’s it for right
now. The teachers want to renew dialogue with the Ministry. No notice of industrial
action, no further protest. Not at this time at least. We note also that Panti
and the Union Secretary Endevora Jourgenson have been named on the Ministry’s
task force which has been commissioned to find alternatives to corporal punishment.
Email
Print