St Boniface Nursery closed because of environmental issues

Mould infestation and a pungent odour at the St Boniface Nursery School disrupted classes on Wednesday, causing the Ministry of Education to temporarily close the school.

President of the Barbados Union of Teachers Rudy Lovell told Barbados TODAY that the Sion Hill, St James school plant was being impacted by leaks for several years and nothing was done to remedy the problem.

“This morning, teachers were complaining that they were not feeling well. They were complaining of headaches and respiratory issues and that there was a pungent odour coming from the school. Unfortunately, a teacher had to seek medical attention after arriving on the school compound,” he said. 

“Around 11:40 a.m. today, I was informed by a senior official at the Ministry of Education that the school was closed. I was then told by members that officials from the Ministry and a mould treatment specialist were at the school carrying out investigations.”

Lovell said the building is an old limestone structure and, over the years, there had been leaks in all the classrooms, the principal’s office, and other buildings on the compound.

He said work was done on the school’s roof but the continued leaks indicated that was not sufficient to resolve the problem.  

Lovell said the building retained a lot of moisture and there was mould throughout the building, adding that teachers could not even decorate the classrooms or place educational materials on the walls. 

The union official noted that St Boniface Nursery School plays a crucial role in providing foundational learning for preschoolers in the north as it was one of only two public nursery schools in that part of the island, the other being All Saints’ Nursery School. 

There are 45 students enrolled at the school. sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb