By Belize Live News Staff: The Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) is calling on the Ministry of Education to urgently address the issue of teachers being removed from payroll while waiting for their licenses to be renewed.
Coral Lord, President of the Belize District Branch of the BNTU, voiced the concern publicly, explaining that some teachers have faced loss of income despite having submitted the necessary paperwork for license renewals in a timely manner.
“We’ve had teachers who were impacted,” said Lord. “In one case, a member had their license expire but had already applied for renewal before it lapsed. Because of poor communication between departments, the teacher was still removed from payroll.”
Lord emphasized that this practice violates an existing agreement between the union and the Ministry of Education, which stipulates that a teacher should continue to receive their salary as long as they are still actively teaching and meet all requirements for license renewal.
She urged the Ministry to ensure proper coordination between payroll and licensing departments to prevent further cases. “We’ve asked that teachers not be penalized if their license is in the renewal process. The agreement must be honored,” she said.
The BNTU is pushing for clear protocols and better information sharing to prevent disruptions in teachers’ livelihoods.
