And while the mood was light and the sentiments sweet in Belmopan - in Dangriga, a number of teachers staged a protest during the official ceremonies.
It was not a sanctioned BNTU event - but the leader of the group Denise Henry told us via zoom that - as teachers - they had to take a stand for their 2021 and 2022 increments which they still have not gotten:
Denise Henry, Lecturer, Ecumenical Jr College
"We saw this as the perfect opportunity to highlight our concerns as teachers. And one of the main concerns was the increment, the issue of our increment. The reality is, Jules, when we walk into the stores, we walk in with a salary that's from 2020."
"But when we buy our items, we are paying 2024 prices. And so we are not getting what we used to get. And so we have teachers who are really close to starving, some starving. That's the reality. What you used to get out of $700, you are now getting maybe $300 worth of groceries."
"And these are some of the concerns why we decided to do what we did on Saturday, because the conversation and the truth must come out. Teachers are struggling. Our salaries, minus increments, plus inflation, my brother, it does equal suffering."
Jules Vasquez
"But you agree at the time there was talk of foregoing increments, right?"
Denise Henry, Lecturer, Ecumenical Jr College
"Only the 2020, that was, are we agreed to forego?"
While Henry heads the Stann Creek branch of her union - she stressed that she was not out there in her capacity as a union leader.
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