Education Minister Denies Claims of Unpaid Teachers

Belize’s Education Minister, Oscar Requena, has publicly addressed allegations that several teachers have not received their salaries for months. The issue gained traction last Friday when Nadia Caliz, President of the Belize National Teachers Union, raised concerns on social media, questioning why some educators had reportedly gone unpaid for four months and why unexplained deductions appeared in their paychecks. Minister Requena acknowledged the matter, stating that while the concerns are valid, there has been significant misinformation circulating online. He clarified that the issue stemmed from a delay in paying certain teacher allowances, such as hardship and responsibility allowances, as well as salary adjustments, which occurred in December of the previous year. To address this, the Ministry of Education decided to advance salaries to affected teachers, with the understanding that the amounts would later be deducted from their paychecks. Requena admitted that the primary issue was a lack of timely communication between the Ministry and the teachers regarding these deductions. He emphasized that the situation does not reflect a failure to pay salaries but rather a procedural delay and miscommunication.