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As you heard on the news last night, tensions are high between the Belize National Teachers Union and the Ministry of Education.  

There are a number of technical issues causing friction between the parties, but right at the top of the list is adjusting the education rules to change the vacation period.  

Right now, the issue is that because Christmas fell on a Wednesday, by rule, the school Christmas holiday should have only been two weeks long. But, the teachers rejected that, and the Minister capitulated - allowing the usual three weeks.

But, now the Ministry says it has to change the law to allow for this change - and that’s causing a lot of misgivings by the union - which distrusts the Ministry.  

Today, the Chief Education asked, basically, can;cannot we all just get along?

Dr. Carol Babb - Chief Education Officer
"I want to make it quite clear, Minister Faber did not write that memo, not a word was written by Minister Faber, so I want the general public to know that memo was written by all the senior managers and all we're saying to the BNTU, we no want quarrel and fight with the BNTU, we're saying that they are some amendments that need to be made and that proposal is as the Sol Gen's office. We can't meet with them and tell what is going on because we don't know ourselves."

Reporter
"They said that the meeting that was held in December I believe, wasn't a discussion or consultation, it was a notification to the union that these changes will be made."

Dr. Carol Babb
"We did not meet with the union, we met with the NCE and the NTCVET, those are two bodies that advise the minister and the union has membership and so we consulted with them, we shared with them because Christmas fell on a Wednesday, the education rule speak to the fact that if Christmas falls on a Wednesday like that, then you'll only be entitled to 2 weeks’ vacation. So the teachers insisted that they must 3 weeks but we already did that but you have to amend the rule because it would mean that we who should be upholding the rule, we are breaking the rule. We have not made any decision about how the makeup time will be made, so nothing is final and in our memo, if you read the last time, it said we are willing to meet and discuss with the union and all managing authorities once we've heard back from the Sol Gen's office. Nothing is written as a final decision. So I wouldn't want teachers to get uptight about nothing."

Reporter
"The ministry is attempting to put a bunch of changes within the proposed SI of which they will not have any type of say regardless. Their concern is that you can't put everything in one basket and then just throw it at them."

Dr. Carol Babb
"I have just said, if you read the last part of the memo, we are going to consult. Nothing will be final until after consultation."

Reporter
"The union said prior to the January 23rd response where they said that the ministry said you noted that prior to that, they were stone walled whenever they tried to get information in regarding to these issues."

Dr. Carol Babb
"I could share email with you, we have written to Senator Smith and I have sat down with her many times, I tried calling her over the weekend to tell her let us sit down and talk but I did not get an answer. I am telling you, I could show you my phone, I tried talking with her."

Apart from adjusting the leave, there are two more pending rule adjustments: replacing a teacher under extended emergency conditions and exempting teachers with full licenses who have already served beyond the two-year probationary period from having to renew contracts every five years.

The BNTU says it has been kept in the dark and not consulted, but notified of what the changes will be - which it rejects.