Government and BNTU Hit Reset After Months of Tension

After months of tension between the Ministry of Education and the Belize National Teachers Union, tension so deep it helped push former minister Oscar Requena out after just eight months, the government is now trying to hit the reset button. Every school year seems to bring the same headaches: late salaries, delayed allowances, and poor communication that leaves teachers feeling ignored. But today, Education Minister Francis Fonseca says that’s about to change. Following a face-to-face meeting with the BNTU on Thursday, Fonseca told News Five both sides have recommitted to a respectful, solution-driven partnership.

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“I met with the Belize National Teachers Union yesterday, yesterday. Yeah very good meeting. Very productive meeting. Very positive meeting. We discussed a number of issues and we agreed on certain things. So yeah, very productive meeting. And I’ve always made the point that we are partners in education. The success of education relies depends on us working together in a productive spirit. And so I’m very happy that we reaffirmed that commitment yesterday in our meeting. The president and her team met with myself and our team at the Ministry of Education. And on both sides we reaffirmed our commitment to working together in good faith – respectful dialogue to ensure that we are addressing all of the serious challenges we face in the education system.”