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Location:
Belize City,
Belize
Updated on 6/20/2009
Created on
6/20/2009
SCHOOL QUALITY IS EVERYONE’S RIGHT:
PRESERVE QUALITY! PROTECT RIGHTS!
The Ministry of Education is in the process of drafting amendments to substantially alter the Education Act and Rules. The draft amendments are posted on the Ministry of Education’s website at http://www.moe.gov.bz . (See Relevant Links located on the right.)
The draft amendments establish a Teaching Service Commission which would regulate the employment of teachers and also make changes in the way schools are managed. The amendments would mean that:
The Teaching Service Commission would have sole authority for the employment of teachers in pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and vocational institutions. This would be a change from the Managing Authorities having that authority, as expressed in Section 16 of the Education Act (Chapter 36 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000). Managing Authorities would no longer have authority for the employment of teachers for their respective schools or institutions. Managing authorities will effectively be stripped of their rights as employers.
Control by proprietors over the operation of their schools would be handed over to the Teaching Service Commission. The Church-State relationship which has existed in Belize has enabled the provision of education to populations throughout the country. The majority of schools were initially established and operated by the Church entirely through private resources. Although later partially funded by the Government of Belize, denominational schools continue to invest a significant amount of private resources into programs, facilities, and salaries to ensure a high quality of education delivered to students. By eroding the control over the operation of the school, the draft amendments provide a strong disincentive for the proprietor to invest further in the development or maintenance of the school.
Power over the treatment of teachers would be inequitably vested in one entity. Both the Teaching Service Commission and the Appeals Tribunal which would serve as the appellate body for any action taken by the Commission would be appointed by the Minister. There exists in this structure the inevitable potential for abuse of power and disregard of the obligation to afford fair and equal treatment to all schools.
With no provisions in the draft amendments for impartial and objective ways to resolve any conflicts and settle any differences that may arise between the Ministry of Education and Managing Authorities, especially those of denominational schools, these amendments may very well lead to severe disruptions in the functioning of schools and the provision of quality education to students.
These amendments need to be examined and challenged before they come into law. Please read the draft amendments and cast your vote below to halt these amendments until all stakeholders – teachers, parents, school managers, proprietors – have ample opportunity to go through them carefully, understand their serious implications, and voice their concerns.
VOTE: I WANT TO HALT THESE AMENDMENTS!
To vote please click the "Add Your Signature" button in upper-right hand corner.
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