Properly prepared . . . Statutory corporations donate masks to students, teachers

Three statutory corporations that fall under the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources are providing face masks to primary school students to ensure they are protected as they return to the classroom environment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Barbados National Oil Company Limited (BNOCL), Barbados National Petroleum Company Limited (BNPCL) and Barbados National Terminals Limited (BNTCL) have donated two face masks for each Class 4 student at St Bartholomew, Luther Thorne Memorial, St Catherine’s, St Philip, Reynold Weekes, and Gordon Walters primary schools. The class teachers and principals will also receive masks.

Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams said the corporations’ management recognises it is important to ensure the students and teachers are safe as they return to the physical classroom for hands-on teaching sessions in preparation for the upcoming 11 Plus and CXC examinations.

“In addition to the cloth masks that we are donating to the children we also have disposable masks because children, being who they are, there are kids who are going to turn up at school having forgotten their mask and we have to make allowances for that,” he said.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony held at the Ministry of Education, today, Abrahams commended teachers for continuing to carry out their duties through the use of the online platform during the pandemic.

He said without warning or an opportunity to thoroughly prepare, teachers were thrown into the online teaching environment and had to hit the ground running.

“I want to commend all the teachers in Barbados who seized upon this opportunity to have made the best of a bad situation. The children have come up with technology as part of their lives, but it was a little difficult for some of the teachers. I must commend the officials in the Ministry of Education for the hard work that they have done in making this a success,” he said.

The Minister also commended the statutory groups for making the sterling effort to donate food hampers to families affected by the pandemic and for the delivery of tablets to students. (AH)