Dimmott: ‘Why November 30?’

By Kimberley Cummins

Mere days until Barbados celebrates its 55th Independence Day and the island is expected to transition to a republic, another voice has been added to the growing list of persons urging government to rethink D-day.
Celebrating National Hero and “Father of Independence”

Errol Barrow recently, Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for Christ Church West Central Rennette Dimmott, questioned why out of all the other days of the year, November 30 was chosen for Republic Day.

Speaking at a presentation held at the St. John the Baptist Church, Holder’s Hill, St. James on Sunday, Dimmott, a forensic psychologist and lecturer, adamantly declared that the celebratory ceremonial transition to the republic should never be the focus on Independence Day. And she was critical of the Mia Mottley administration for remaining resolute with the date, characterising it as a “blatant disregard” of the opinions of Barbadians.

“Our independence should never be forgotten, pushed aside, or ostracsed by anyone in this country. . . .There are 365 days in a year and I implore the Government of the day to choose one.

The Democratic Labour Party has always rallied around the notion that a society comes first, and therefore, our people have a right to be listened to and to be respected with regards to any change in Barbados,” Dimmott said.

“Errol Walton Barrow cannot and will not be forgotten as his legacy must continue to be the benchmark and bedrock for generations to come, for young people to strive for excellence and for the great citizens of this nation to be triumphant in every form of development. I admire Barrow’s perspective because it is grounded and rooted in the utilitarian approach for the goodness and development of people,” she added.

Highlighting aspects of Barrow’s legacy, namely education which he advocated was a vehicle for social change, Dimmott was also critical of how the sector was managed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dimmott acknowledged that the sudden adoption of a virtual classroom created stress and anxiety for many children, students and adults. But she was of the opinion that this was exacerbated because now months later some remain at a disadvantage due to the lack of electricity, technology and devices to continue their education.
She said: “Many parents complained that the online environment has been very stressful. According to the President of Barbados Union of Teachers, many children are not attending the virtual classroom sessions. These include poor academic achievements, uncertified school leavers, poor knowledge of the subject area and so on.

Hence, the notion of no child left behind would easily be erased.

“Steadfast in Barrow’s approach was his view to develop a better Barbados by uplifting our nation for the common good. The common good is also by ensuring that equality is meted out to everyone irrespective of class, social standing or creed.

Institutions of learning need to change their belief, culture, philosophy, and the curriculum to meet the desires of the child and help alleviate inequalities.

The emphasis should be on creating an educational environment that fosters quality education and a greater opportunity for all to advance in.

“It should also be to ensure that every child benefits and strives at what he or she is strongest at because the idea is to make it our business that no child is left behind. Teachers should embrace the talent that is expressed even if that talent or interest is different from the norm. If a child is interested in art, sports, drawing, music, food, or needlework, help that child to develop into these domains.

While we want to achieve quality output, we must not forget that it could also be contingent on other negative factors that continue to create disruption, uneasiness, and discomfort in the classroom environment for the teacher as well as the students. Hence, continuous assessments of how COVID-19 has created unbearable issues must be done on a regular basis,” she stressed.