Last week, we told you about the frustration of the members of the University of Belize's Faculty and Staff Union. They were reporting that after weeks of pleading with the President, Clement Sankat, and the Board of Trustees, the senior administration of the national university was persisting in its attempts to exclude them from the difficult conversation about how the institution will survive the COVID-induced economic crisis facing the country.
The union and the staff and faculty members the represent had given the Board and the President until 11 o'clock today to include them in the decision-making process, or else, the teachers would engage in industrial action. Well, we've since learned that the Board held a meeting with the Union today, and reports coming out of it are that small gains are being made. One representative of the union told us this evening, that at the very least, the two sides are talking about how the university is going to survive the Government's 25% cut in the University's subvention. We are told that the union will start making the media rounds tomorrow.
During the weekend, the UB Administration had nothing to say about the demands of the faculty and staff. But, they had a lengthy release to address what they say were rumors being spread among UB students that there would be a hike in school fees for this coming school year.
That press release says, quote, "The Board... and its Administration are aware that a student or group of students have been circulating an erroneous post on Facebook suggesting that the University plans to increase tuition and fees for all students in August 2020. The Board of Trustees and the Administration take this opportunity to respond to this inaccurate and potentially damaging expression of concern and notify all its students of the truth related to the university's plans to protect them from the full impact of the COVID19 pandemic...
At that early stage of development of a response, the President shared his intention to minimize the impact on students' financial obligations to the University. He expressed his intent to put the pre-approved tuition increase for 2021 on hold and revert tuition to the 2019 rate while simultaneously cutting student fees by 25%. He also engaged the Development Finance Cooperation (DFC) to seek more attractive student loans for students who have the smallest incomes at this time. Incoming students have been offered details of the new Special Education Loans at DFC and information on the loans is being posted on the University's Facebook page and website. In a second meeting held with key University leaders and the student government presidents, the President entertained a suggestion by one of the Student Government Presidents to reduce the amount of tuition and fees that students must pay at the start of next semester during registration. The President indicated that he is recommending to the Department of Finance that this amount be reduced from 40% to 25%...
Students, these are the facts that clarify that there will be no tuition or fee increase for students in August 2020 and there was never any such plan post COVID19." End quote.
The National Student Union of Belize has also sent out a press release reiterating that they are strongly against any kind of plans that would put tertiary-level students in any kind of financial pain during the ongoing economic crisis.
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