The Bermuda Educators’ Council will hold a meeting with teachers today, amid plans to get back up and running.The BEC is the licensing body for educators wishing to teach in Bermuda. Last year, the entire committee of 15 members resigned after falling out with Government.The resignations came amid claims of union and political interference, according to documents leaked to The Royal Gazette earlier this year.Minutes from a meeting of the group showed members complained the council was ineffective and found itself in a tug of war between the Ministry of Education and Bermuda Union of Teachers.On August 22, Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith gave educators one month to resurrect the council, which is a self-governing body.By law, teachers cannot take a job in a school on the Island unless they are registered by the council, although there can be exemptions when there is a shortage in a subject area.In order to be registered, teachers must hold a university degree or equivalent qualification granted by an institution recognised by BEC.They must also have successfully completed a course of initial training for teachers in schools at an institution recognised by the council.Since the council collapsed, the Ministry has granted exemptions for a number of unlicensed teachers to carry on working in order to fill vacancies in the public school system. The number of exemptions stood at 22 as of mid-February.Minister of Education Dame Jennifer Smith said in August that there was no threat to students or schools posed by the continued absence of the BEC’s oversight, adding that all teachers currently employed within the public school system “have already been licensed — there is no question that they are qualified to teach”.She warned that if there has been “no significant movement by the end of September, I will have no choice but to legislatively replace the Council”.A press release issued by the BEC yesterday said: “The Minister of Education recently challenged the BEC to get in order or the Act will have to be changed.“Since most of the members of the BEC were off Island, they were not able to respond at that time to the Minister’s request. However, since last week, the interim BEC has been working on getting the BEC up and running.”The statement said the meeting will take place today between 4.15pm and 5.15pm, at the Ruth Seaton James Auditorium at CedarBridge Academy.“It [sic] focus [is] to update teachers on the progress made and if possible, solicit for persons interested in becoming members of the BEC,” said the press release.“Some of the registered licence holders who are making up the interim BEC have been working to ensure teachers are able to return to school.”The meeting is open to all registered licence holders.