The Barbados Union of Teachers has welcomed Government’s decision to provide school meals for hundreds of children during the current summer period, but questions the lack of consultation with key stakeholders.
In a statement on Saturday, President of the BUT Rudy Lovell said that while the measure was a necessary one, the Ministry of Education, Technology and Vocational Training should provide details of the programme, as he questioned to what extent teachers would be involved.
“The Barbados Union of Teachers welcomes the summer nutrition programme organised by the Government of Barbados. We commend the effort at attempting to address the possible issue of some children not being provided with adequate meals during the summer holiday,” said the BUT president.
“This is moreso necessary, especially for those children whose families may be experiencing hardship in these exceedingly challenging times and may find it difficult to adequately provide for them. The Union is hopeful that the programme can serve its intended purpose,” he said.
However, Lovell has raised concern that teachers wanted to know if they would now be required to give up their holiday to serve in the programme.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced on Thursday that the School Meals Department will continue to provide lunch for children from July 25 to Sept. 2.
Lovell said it was only fitting that the Ministry of Education provide details to the programme, for which registration is required by Monday, July 18, given that teachers were now raising questions.
“Recently, information about this programme was shared briefly by the Chief Education Officer at a meeting convened with stakeholders on Wednesday, July 15, 2022. Once again full consultation was absent and as a major stakeholder, we have not been fully apprised of the intimate details. Since the announcement of this programme, similar to the announcement of last year’s intended Bounce Back Summer School programme, there is a circular making the rounds . . . which suggests that teachers are required to be involved in this programme,” said Lovell.
“The Union has been inundated with telephone calls and messages from exhausted teachers who believed that the Ministry of Education was seeking to impose another layer of responsibility on teachers. Teachers are wondering if they would be forced to give up their period of rejuvenation at a time when they are expecting to rest and recharge for what will be another challenging school year,” he said.
Lovell said similar to the Bounce Back Summer School programme last year, the BUT hoped that the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training “has garnered enough volunteers outside of the teaching profession to allow teachers to adequately rest and rejuvenate after another difficult school year and be ready to bounce back for the 2022-2023 academic school year”.
“Nevertheless, The BUT is mindful that this programme can only be voluntary for those teachers who may be desirous of volunteering their services. The BUT informs its members that there is no need to worry since their participation in this programme is not mandatory,” he added.
The Ministry of Education is expected to outline the details of the programme in the coming week. (MM)
