Union wants to discuss controversial survey with Government

The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) has called on the Ministry of Education to schedule an urgent meeting to discuss the growing controversy surrounding a survey containing controversial questions and administered a week ago as part of a Computer Science test sanctioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In a statement from the union, President Mary Redman said that though the union itself had “not been party to any discussions with the Ministry of Education and any other entities bearing responsibility for the “survey” or ”pre-test” on October 3, it is well aware of the current justifiable grievances it has raised.

“The BSTU has therefore already written the Chief Education Officer asking for an urgent meeting to be provided with details relevant to the union so that it can have a fuller understanding of what took place. It has done this as a matter of course in its obligation to protect the interests of its members and its students. There are obvious implications for what may follow for its members and some of the students in the schools involved.”

Redman added that although the IDB is clearly to blame for the questions being on the test in the first place, the Ministry of Education failed to exercise basic oversight.

“BSTU is now aware of what essentially constitutes a breach of trust as it relates to the IDB’s actions in this regard and with whom the ministry has previously cooperated and been supported in previous collaborations and programmes. The ministry’s stated expectation was that their request of the organisation re the amended document would have been honoured.

“The union is also aware that the ministry did not engage in the type of due diligence that was necessary to ensure that the assurances given by the IDB, in relation to the removal of the offending questions, was upheld.”

She added: “While the BSTU accepts that others may be invited from time-to-time to assist in the further development of the educational system in Barbados, the determination of the scope and manner of that development must remain Barbadian, and must not be conceived by others as being part of their agenda or framework of operations – no matter how well-meaning.”

Redman says that the BSTU’s stance is to work with the ministry going forward to ensure a similar situation never recurs. (SB)