Someone should be held accountable for the recent Computer Science test fiasco, say leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley and the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB).
However, Atherley has stopped short of calling for the head of Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Kay McConney, suggesting that a full investigation be completed before any such decision is taken.
His comments came in the wake of apologies being issued by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Education for their roles in allowing a controversial pretest to be administered to first-form students at five secondary schools, which contained inappropriate and invasive questions that included queries about the students’ sexuality and gender identity.
Atherley told Barbados TODAY that the apology issued on Thursday by Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw was simply not enough.
The former Opposition Leader made it clear that he was not calling for McConney’s resignation at this stage, as he did not have all the facts.
However, he said: “I think that there is a need for some public censure of somebody, some disciplinary measure to be employed against somebody because somebody has to bear responsibility for this. I don’t want to take this into the realm of the political. We are dealing with the lives of our children here and I think it is a very serious thing. We are dealing with what I consider to be a breach of trust between the state agency, which is the Ministry of Education, and parents in Barbados.
“I really do think that some disciplinary measure should be employed against someone who is responsible. I don’t have all the facts but clearly, an investigation should be undertaken, clearly, the Barbados public and especially the parents should be given a full understanding of what went down and let the blame fall where it deserves to fall.
“….Where trust with parents is breached, where schools administer something which seemingly does not get the final approval from the Ministry of Education, an apology from an institution that has no responsibility to the parents of Barbados is insufficient and not necessarily the appropriate thing. An apology from the Ministry is appropriate but I do not think that in the circumstances it is sufficient,” Atherley added.
Beyond the apology, he said, there needed to be a “full explanation of what went down”.
“And if the failure suggests there is serious neglect on the part of somebody or anybody who is responsible, then appropriate discipline should be administered. I really feel strongly about that,” the APP leader said, contending that the situation was “extremely serious”.
Meantime, in a statement issued on Friday, CTUSAB also called for disciplinary action to be meted out as a result of the incident.
“CTUSAB considers this matter to be a national disgrace which ought not to be treated lightly. It cannot be overlooked that the public of Barbados has expressed its lack of confidence in the senior officials of the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training.
“The Congress holds the view that this matter should be the subject of a full investigation, and where any official of the Ministry is found wanting in this matter, that the requisite disciplinary procedures should be invoked,” it said.
The umbrella body for trade unions in Barbados said the apologies offered so far were not enough.
It said the Ministry’s apology “in no way removes the fact that an offensive act has been perpetrated against minors in secondary schools, and more so without the knowledge and consent of parents, guardians and wards”.
“The admission made by the Ministry of Education, Technological and
Vocational Training that it took much for granted and failed to vet the
final survey, may be considered an irresponsible and negligent act.
“CTUSAB is adamant that what has occurred is totally unacceptable and warrants more than a public apology. The Congress contends that the invasion of students’ privacy, breach of the legal responsibility, ethical principles and the morality of the issue, stand out above all other things under consideration in this matter,” it added.
Meanwhile, Bishop Atherley said the possibility existed that the Ministry of Education might have been pressured into allowing the test to be administered.
“Now this is at best, a lapse in the administration of the system. At worst, and it possibly could be this, some compliance in some questionable scheme. I say that in the context of the fact that already we have questions in Barbados about issues relative to our curriculum and the teaching of certain subject matter in our schools and the way it is to be undertaken. And we know the pressures that are put on small developing countries like Barbados to comply with the value system of certain institutions of this world, of certain developed countries and their way of life,” Atherley said.
