Preparation for classes in high gear

Officials in public health and education are moving full steam ahead to ensure that primary, secondary, nursery, and special education schools are opened safely in under 14 days.

Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson on Wednesday revealed that in addition to preparing physical classrooms, the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training would once again be using alternative locations and even pitching tents to ensure that students preparing for exams receive face-to-face instruction.

During a tour of the Blackman Gollop Primary School which was recently decommissioned from use as a COVID-19 isolation facility, Adamson told reporters that officers of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) would be working with teachers to prepare classrooms for teaching.

The senior public officer added that hand sanitizers, sanitizing alcohol and spray bottles are currently being procured for the schools. New furniture is also being made available on an as-needed basis, Adamson added.

“We have some new furniture, so the nursery and primary section will be looking to distribute furniture as needed… Some schools are going back to alternative sites like churches that they have used, they will continue to do that,” the Chief Education Officer told reporters.

“So we just have to get that list finalized so we can make the contacts with the priests and the persons responsible for the schools.

“Some schools will also be looking at tents in addition so that they can get all of their children in and we have to now collate those numbers to see how we can put the tents in place for the schools,” Adamson further promised.

The senior government official added that discussions are ongoing with the Transport Board to ensure that students, especially those attending rural schools, are able to attend classes despite the 75 per cent capacity limit on public service vehicles.

Two hundred and fourteen school monitors will continue to assist with the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols and according to Adamson, will soon receive retraining and re-sensitisation, particularly those entering nurseries and special needs schools.

Meetings with the principals and other key stakeholders are also set to occur in the coming days to ensure all parties remain on the same page and students will receive a number of guidelines on how to operate when schools resume.

“We have had meetings with our principals and we will continue to meet with our principals. We will continue to meet with our stakeholders and the unions to make sure that they understand exactly what is happening as we … come down to the 19th,” the education officer promised.

Education officials are set to visit other schools to oversee preparations for the first face-to-face classes since December.

The Blackman Gollop Primary School was on January 3rd commissioned to the Ministry of Health and Wellness to help health officials to cope with a massive outbreak of COVID-19. It was returned to the ministry on March 19th.

Since then, the school was thoroughly cleaned in line with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 policy that governs the cleaning of such facilities that include the use of sanitising agents, Clorox solutions, and power washing. (KS)