Hilda Skeene memorialised with bust

A bust of pioneer educator Hilda Ashton Skeene was unveiled Monday as the primary school that now bears her name celebrates its 24th anniversary.

A ceremony, punctuated with song and other artistic expressions by students, took place at the Work Hall, St Philip school in the presence of Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw, ministry officials, former principals and teachers.

Bradshaw said in the keynote speech that the locally-made bust stood in remembrance of a “trailblazer and a woman of vision”, who loved children.

“She’s a reminder of what excellence and leadership should look like,” the education minister said. “Hilda Skeene is a reminder to those who seek to enter the teaching profession that teaching is about making a lifelong impact on those for whom you have responsibility.

“It is about creating opportunities for students to be able to tap into their true potential, not only in the classroom but also outside of the classroom, and being able to help them not only socially but also emotionally, to develop into well-rounded individuals and citizens.”

Reflecting on Skeene’s pioneering work in education, Bradshaw reiterated her ministry’s commitment to education reform in a way that helps children reach their potential.

She stated that it was not just about numeracy and literacy alone, “but also about giving children a wide range of things from which they could choose”, for example, the arts.

The education minister also said her ministry intends to work with teachers to ensure every primary school has an agricultural programme for students.

She said: “I think all of us would agree that our students have moved so far away from agriculture, and the only way that we can teach them to eat what they grow and grow what they eat is if we start the process of transformation from the earliest age, teaching them to appreciate nature because by appreciating nature they have a better understanding of life.

“There are also ways to teach Mathematics and English, and other subjects by incorporating [them] into the agriculture programmes.”

The minister also took the opportunity to thank the school’s six past principals and staff for their commitment to the students, and encouraged them to continue to live up to its motto – Only the Best is Good Enough. She also praised teachers for their dedication in spite of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his remarks, Principal Ivan Clarke said staff had sought to build on Hilda Skeene’s legacy of helping students to reach their potential.

In addition to the bust, a Hilda Skeene Memorial Gardens is to be created with a wall of honour as a place of reflection and inspiration for students, he said.

Hilda Skeene Primary is an amalgamation of the former Holy Trinity and Beulah Primary schools. Established to accommodate the growing development in St. Philip, it was officially opened on July 7, 1997, by then Minister of Education Mia Mottley.

Skeene died in 1999 at age 97.

The school has seen a number of outstanding Barbadians pass through its doors, including Olympian Akela Jones and England cricketer Jofra Archer. (BT/BGIS)