#BTColumn – There are more questions than answers

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

The Ministry of Education/IDB ‘survey/pre-test’ debacle and the poor crisis communication by the Government have severely damaged public trust (already challenged by VaccineGate, GIS, NIS revelations, and the Dover compulsory acquisition notices crises and their respective sub-optimal communications).

In view of this lack of trust, suspicion is prevalent that deliberate deception occurred for nefarious reasons (vs ‘mere’ negligence at simultaneously BOTH the IDB and the Ministry of Education).

Our immediate focus should be on the invasion of privacy and the allegedly illegal methods used to collect private and personal data from minor children, without parental informed consent.

Minor children also have the right of informed child-appropriate consent as well and the right to protection of their private and personal data – even from their own parents (so I am advised by highly experienced child rights advocates and members of the legal fraternity).

Additionally, the deficiencies revealed in Ministry data protection, despite new modern legislation and pre-existing Quality Assurance and other review mechanisms in the Ministry, need more detailed public explanation.

Instead, there has been great, even greater, public focus on the *one question* in the ‘survey/pre-test’ on gender identity, and much vocalisation of a pre-existing fear of the ‘global gay agenda’. (Of course, the public hasn’t seen the actual ‘survey/pre-test’ , so we don’t know if there were more of these types of questions).

Substantial bigotry and denial have been revealed under the cloak of adherence by some to Christian principles and morals. I have noted a particular social scientist recently making stunning statements in the media, without challenge, where she has made conclusions, masquerading as facts, on the purpose of the IDB ‘survey/pre-test’, said conclusions appearing to be based on conspiracy theories untethered to evidence. She has condemned homosexuality as apparently the greatest sin (she was silent on fornication, adultery, paediophilia and other sins), using her academic qualifications to give a patina of credibility to what are clearly her personal religious views, not grounded in credible reputable social or other science.

She has even suggested we look to the example of Hungary – and its fascist intolerant government! – as a mode society!

One wonders if some understand that the medical and other scientific evidence is clear: a child cannot be ‘turned gay’, and the unwillingness, publicly and within our homes, to have an honest and open discussion on adolescent sexual health and more specifically on gender identity, only serves to make some children feel less worthy, tends to make them repress their feelings in an unhealthy manner, makes them feel that something is wrong with them, often resulting in emotional and mental profound distress, and sometimes self-harm.

How many men (and women) live on the ‘down low’, hiding their true desires to avoid family and public shame and harassment – or worse?

But I too have become distracted.

Back to the ‘survey/pre-test’ and the current crisis of public trust in the Ministry of Education!

Some Questions for urgent attention:

1. How do we protect the data harvested thus far in these 753 ‘surveys/pre-tests’. Should they be destroyed by the Ministry? But trust has been so damaged will parents trust that is done without duplication? Do the children want their parents to see their responses? Is it fair to ask them? What are parental rights to see the questions? To see the responses?

2. Is the mental health support proposed adequate ? Are additional resources needed? Who pays for it – will the IDB?

3. Why would IDB require such personal and private information from minors anyway, and seek to harvest same, in such obvious contravention of modern best practice relating to data privacy and collection? They would never do so in the donor countries in the developed world!

4. Did the Ministry object to all of the 167 invasive personal questions (assuming same number as the survey/test’ in the media? When did they?

5. How many schools and children were administered the survey/test in June 2022?

6. The data also harvested in June 2022: what happened to those ‘surveys/pre-tests’, where has that data gone, and will those children and parents get any mental health and resources so long after the fact ? Will the Ministry proactively reach out to those families?

7. How could the Ministry’s data collection approvals protocols be so poor? Is this deficiency replicated elsewhere in Government? Will the assessment of what went wrong be made publicly? Will proposed timelines be publicly communicated to the public re the solutions to this deficiency? What is the role of the Data Protection Commissioner?

8. How could official communications to the public regarding this crisis be so inadequate in 2022: too late, lacking transparency and detailed information, lacking the perception of leadership, ownership and accountability, especially from a Government which promised to be transparent and accountable to the public?

It is understandable and inevitable that, in an environment of late, insufficient communication, lacking complete details and full transparency, with information only revealed when asked (eg June 2022 questionnaire), suspicion, mistrust, conspiracy theories, other disinformation and misinformation would grow and fester.

The Government had a long road ahead to rebuild its credibility and the public trust. It seems that the severity of the public mood has been misjudged.

Time will tell if this is another 9-day wonder.

Our children look to us to protect them from harm.

The public, particularly parents, has an essential role to play in ensuring accountability and remedy to the affective families are provided.

Outrage from the public, without execution of a targeted strategic plan of action for change and justice, is meaningless.

Our children deserve better than that.

This time. All the time.

Paula-Anne Moore

Parent Advocate

Spokesperson/Coordinator

The Group of Concerned Parents, Barbados

The Caribbean Coalition for Exam Redress