written by Sheria Brathwaite | Updated by Barbados Today | 16/10/2024 | 3 min read
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Rudy
Lovell, told Barbados TODAY that the situation at Parkinson was particularly
severe, with “a cat infestation in a staff room... a suspected bed bug
infestation”, alongside a persistent sewage smell. The school was closed early
as a result.
Lovell further disclosed that the school was grappling with
a staffing shortage, which has led to teachers frequently covering additional
classes. In some instances, prefects have been tasked with holding classes in
the absence of teachers.“We would like to see these matters resolved in the interest
of the teaching and learning process,” he said.
In a notice to parents and guardians on Tuesday, the
Ministry of Education announced that classes at Parkinson would be suspended on
Wednesday to allow for a 9:30 a.m. meeting.
“The BUT received a three-page letter from the school
outlining issues this term,” Lovell said, adding that the union had forwarded
the correspondence to the Ministry. “We are hopeful that coming out of the
meeting we will have concrete solutions to address the problems.”
Eden Lodge Primary was also affected by strong odours on
Tuesday, leading to its early closure. This marks the fourth instance this term
where schools have suspended classes due to environmental issues. Since
September 23, Grantley Adams Memorial has moved to online classes after odours
disrupted the physical campus. On Monday, St Luke’s Brighton Primary also
closed early due to an unpleasant smell.
But, the ministry announced that both St Luke’s Brighton and
Eden Lodge Primary will reopen on Wednesday, following environmental tests that *deemed the odours harmless.
“Both schools had experiences with strong odours recently,
forcing their closure. However, upon advice to the ministry, **both schools have
been cleared to reopen as the intermittent odours pose no threat to the health
of students and staff at either institution,” the ministry said.
It said it will continue investigations into the disruptions
at other schools and promised a more comprehensive report in due course.
Lovell expressed frustration with the ministry’s handling of
the situation, particularly regarding the reopening of schools without sharing
test results. “If schools are closed for reasons pertaining to an obnoxious
odour in the environment and tests are carried out, teachers and students
should not be asked to return to the class without the results of the tests
being made available,” he said. “The results would allow teachers to get an
understanding of the problem and feel more comfortable occupying the environment.”
The union leader then highlighted ongoing staffing issues at
Gordon Walters Primary School in St Patrick’s, Christ Church where several
teachers have reported sick, resulting in student teachers being asked to step
in. (SZB)
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* & ** Notwithstanding the MoE's announcement that the findings of the environmental tests "deemed the odours harmless" which "pose no threat to the health of students and staff":
1) Does this mean that staff and students are still required to tolerate these unpleasant odours indefinitely?
2) What about urgently ascertaining the cause of the foul odours to begin with and providing a solution to this persistent problem for these institutions?
3) Is it not conceivable that these disruptions to the teaching and learning process of these and other schools facing such chronic disruptions due to similar environmental issues will likely reoccur in the absence of a permanent 'fix' or resolution to such environmental problems?
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