Teachers next on vaccine priority list, says Bradshaw

Hundreds of Barbadian educators will receive priority access to COVID-19 vaccines when the next doses become available, as the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training works on a “master plan” for primary and secondary education over the next few months.

This is the promise of Education Minister Santia Bradshaw, who, in a Barbados TODAY interview conceded that stakeholders are once again overwhelmingly in favour of a return to face-to-face classes.

Bradshaw however explained that with factors like community spread of COVID-19 and the advent of the related Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) affecting children, discussions regarding the reopening of school are considerably more complex than they were during the first phase of the pandemic.

Adding pressure on decision-makers is the ministry’s agreement to facilitate a face-to-face sitting of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) in June and July, the facilitation of the Common Entrance Exam scheduled for June 22 and the fact that scores of parents and guardians are returning to work.

In addition to the discussions being led by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, are enquiries on the extent to which teachers have been able to cover the required syllabi. According to the Bradshaw, the oversight and monitoring committee assembled a few weeks ago, is already providing insight on the online teaching environment. Teachers are also being surveyed to gain deeper understanding of their position on the matter.

“I think ideally, everybody, including teachers, principals, and the children would like face-to-face classes. That is the ideal situation, but in everything, as you know, we must do things safely and we are dealing with a lot of anxiety issues,” Bradshaw told Barbados TODAY.

“Obviously, during the last lockdown we weren’t hearing much about children contracting MIS-C, so there are different dynamics playing out now…There is also the question of whether the protocols will be the same as they were after the last lockdown.

“We are looking at the plans for the SBAs [CXC’s school-based assessments], how we address and approach the ‘11+’ and any teaching that will happen with special needs or any of the other students. There are more dynamics to it than obviously some people might want to think,” she added.

Bradshaw also revealed that the ministry would be closely monitoring dates for the arrival of the next batch of vaccines as this would be key in determining the next steps.

“The intention is to have the teachers being given the option for vaccination. I think the general feeling is that that would alleviate some of the concerns that they have. It doesn’t offer full protection, but from all of the reading I’ve done and the science, it is clear that if you get the virus it prevents you from being as severe as you’d ordinarily get if you didn’t have it. That offers protection and that is what we will be proposing in the coming weeks,” Bradshaw told Barbados TODAY.

In recent days, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Schools (BAPPS) and the Association of Public Primary School Principals (APPSP) appeared to be entirely on the same page as the ministry. Now, Minister Bradshaw has promised to facilitate engagement with a group of concerned parents regarding the CXC exams.

“Prior to the last spike in cases, I think you would recall that the ministry had worked with all the stakeholders to listen to their views in relation to the blended approach and the lack of face-to-face, and we made all best efforts in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to prepare the country for school to go back in a gradual way,” said Bradshaw.

“We never got the opportunity to go back, so it has always been the focus of the ministry to try and get children back into school, because we recognize that there are many children who are not doing well in the online environment or even with the blended approach and the face-to-face obviously is the most preferable mode of teaching and certainly of learning and it has been difficult on teachers as well having been thrust in this environment having to equip themselves with the necessary tools to do so.

“I think that is why, with the reopening we have to continue to consult with the stakeholders because it is not as straightforward as just reopening schools the next day or the next week,” the minister concluded.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)