Call for legislation to regulate school vendors amid health concerns

School principals have urged swift action to regulate vendors operating outside school premises, citing concerns over students’ health and the circumvention of nutrition policies. 

Robin Douglas, president of the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS), has called for immediate legislation to address the issue, on the heels of recent  reports of suspected psychoactive substance sales to primary school children.

He expressed concern that at present, students can buy what they want from  vendors before school in the morning and afterwards in the afternoon and nothing can be done about it.

Using the Schools’ Nutrition Policy and a recent revelation by the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) of the suspected sale of psychoactive substances to primary school children as a reference point, Douglas stressed that while he could not accuse any vendor of criminal activity, there is urgent need for legislation to control what is happening outside the gates of schools.

“There is need for legislation to be rewritten to be able to have something to say to persons outside of the schools’ compound. My school here at Combermere would not be the only problem, this is a problem across all schools, where vendors that are on the outside of the compound, there is nothing that you can do to stop them from being where they are,” the BAPPSS leader told Barbados TODAY.

Acknowledging that the situation poses a challenge to school administrators, Douglas, principal of the Combermere School, suggested that the time may now be right for the call for legislation to be heeded to hasten the legal process.

“The sooner, the better. There is need to heed a strong call that indicates there are major concerns regarding, not just the dietary concerns, but more concerns for the mental and physical health of our children because of the concerns regarding the things that we can’t control,” he said.

“The reality is,” the educational administrator added, “if you have a nutrition policy that is being circumvented by the fact that children can either buy what they want to eat in the morning or just hold their money and buy it when they leave in the evening, then the nutrition policy is being circumvented, and the in-school canteen, they comply with the measures for the nutrition policy, would of course, see a reduced revenue from students who would then buy outside. So it is a difficult situation, and there are not many avenues for school administrators to take.”

Douglas gave an assurance that administrators would not want to deprive anyone of opportunities to make an honest living, but at the same time, he is adamant that school authorities still needed to be more vigilant and watch for any signs of changes in behaviour so they can determine the source.

The BAPPSS president insisted: “I would not be so bold as to suggest that anybody is doing anything criminal. Persons are trying to make a living. However, one of the main difficulties is the way in which it works against the implementation of our nutrition policy.”

He suggested the need for even greater vigilance over what children are consuming in light of the suspected sale of drugs to students.

“There is little that can be done regarding external vending. Without having evidence to suggest that someone is involved in that type of activity, you certainly can’t place that upon persons. It is about vigilance and response given the current concerns that you would have,” Douglas contended.

He said while there is no legal backing to move vendors from outside schools, the only other possible options may be if they are operating from people’s lands without permission or don’t possess health certificates. Vendors can also circumvent these certificates, he explained.

 emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb