And just who gives the students a voice?
That is the question that the BNTU and government probably don’t ask. A vast number of students are unhappy or disagree with the actions being taken by both parties. It seems quite ironic that students, the majority, the people who will mostly be affected by the entire feud, are not even slightly represented in the decision ¬making. This is because of the ignorance that most adults have, that children are simply “too young” to understand. That the problems of this country just couldn’t possibly be understood by anyone under 18.
Before I go any further, I’d like to recognize the efforts of the BNTU and thank them for trying to better the country, but should it be at the expense of our children’s education? Back in October, two weeks were lost. Think of the fourth formers and standard six students preparing for their CXC’s and PSE respectively. The vast amount of information that is covered on those exams, are barely covered during the school year. Imagine trying to squeeze that knowledge in now. SBA’s and school work is being piled on, trying to make up for that time lost, which is not really fair. A strike is a form of industrial action that can be used to better the workers conditions. Place emphasis on the workers. The students should not be affected negatively for benefits that quite frankly are not prominent. Despite, the demands of “good governance”, corruption in Belize is still an all time high while our little country holds the third highest crime rate in the world.
Although not confirmed, there has been talk of a shorter Christmas break. I agree the time does need to be regained, but it shouldn’t have been lost in the first place. A school week is stressful on both teachers and students. To take away one of the few breaks, students have between months of school time seems extremely atrocious.
Yet another problem, is the secrecy when it came to questions and information about the strike. Many teachers were told not to tell their students that they were going to strike. Even more teachers gave vague answers on why the strike was happening. Being told that “It will benefit you in the longer run” or “Your children will thank you” is just not adequate. The misconceptions about the strike should have not been, and if another strike should occur, all parties need to be well educated and briefed on the action plan.
The solution to this problem of complete and utter exclusion of the students is simple, forming a student’s union. The students have to be involved in the decisions that will impact them, it is only just. To be represented by adults that are not bringing forth our questions and concerns is completely autocratic. Belize is a democracy, which means that all citizens should have a say young or old. I might also add that students will bring a youthful spin and an inside look on a student’s day¬ to¬ day life. This will better help all parties involved make better decisions and will therefore satisfy and meet the needs of students.
There are many benefits to a student union, the biggest one being that we will finally have a voice. Just as teachers formed the BNTU, the frustration of many students currently then calls for the formation of this union. There are several things I am sure that every student is fed up with as well. If teachers can demand a 3% raise, can students demand lower school fees? In all honesty, an education shouldn’t be so expensive to acquire, especially a secondary education. If an education was cheaper to attain more students would be in school undoubtedly. Yet, this was not even one of the demands made by the BNTU.
Another major concern is the dropout rate of students. The dropout rate of high school students is 8.3% as of the school year 2014¬-2015. This may seem like a small percentage, but this equates to 1,743 young Belizean males and females out of school. The percentage of young males dropping out of school is a whopping (10.3%) 1,035 males. Imagine, every 1 of 10 males enrolling in high school is dropping out. These figures need to be decreased. If the BNTU focused on keeping our Belizean students, especially our males, in school, then the crime rate would go down, our Belizean youths will get educated, and supersede the corrupt politicians that are in power today. Lastly, read the vision of the BNTU: “To promote and maintain a professional organization of workers in education in Belize. This organization will aspire towards the highest and best in educational standards, services and conditions of work for the development of Belize.”
If the students are not even in the vision, not to mention the mission statement and focus of the BNTU, then what is the reassurance that the BNTU is thinking about us?
