Teachers’ union pleads with landowners to clear lots near schools of vines

By Anesta Henry

Cow-itch vines growing on empty lots have been creating major headaches for some schools across the island and President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell wants landowners to have the offending lots cleared and maintained.

He has complained that cow-itch is becoming a “nuisance” as several schools have been affected already for this school term. One teacher who had a serious allergic reaction, was  ordered by her doctor not to return to the school to which she was assigned.

Lovell charged that some of the offensive lands may even be owned by the State.

“This is a serious matter. The Barbados Union of Teachers is imploring, begging, beseeching, whatever word you want to use, landowners who have lands adjacent to schools that are harbouring cow-itch to clear the lands. This is becoming a nuisance and several schools have been affected. This term alone, Daryl Jordan Secondary, Grantley Adams Secondary, Gordon Greenidge Primary have been affected. 

“Now I am getting complaints from Mount Tabor Primary, I am getting complaints from Blackman and Gollop Primary, from Thelma Berry Nursery, and this is just to name a few,” Lovell said.

He said that the Ministry of Education has been working to address the vexing issue, but admitted that they could only do “so much”.

When contacted, Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde, told Barbados TODAY he would be contacting the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Wellness to investigate the environmental concern being reported by the BUT.

“I would talk to the Minister of Education and find out what the concerns are. I know the Environmental Health offices under the Ministry of Health can also activate certain legislation under the Health Services Regulations as it relates to properties. So it would be a collective effort,” Forde said.

Meanwhile, Lovell said the union believes that landowners have a social responsibility to ensure that their lands do not pose any threat to persons in surrounding areas. The president said this is why the BUT is encouraging landowners who know that their properties are overgrown with bush, to clear the lots.

He said it is unfair to students, teachers and ancillary staff who occupy school plants, to have to be exposed to “this nuisance called cow-itch”.

“And even though we may ask the Ministry of Education to intervene at times, the Ministry of Education can only close the schools. And even after the schools are reopened, in some cases, the lands are not really cleared to the extent that the cow-itch has been totally removed. So we are asking the landowners to do what they are supposed to do by maintaining their properties.

“I know in some cases, schools have been reaching out to the landowners. But the thing is that this is an annual problem. We know that around this time of the year cow-itch grows. Why wait until it impacts or affects the occupants of the schools to then come and clear the fields? Why not be proactive as a landowner and seek to remove the cow-itch from the properties? I received calls on a daily basis with regards to cow-itch, it is a total nuisance,” Lovell said.

The BUT president also indicated that he has been getting multiple complaints from teachers that they have been experiencing allergic reactions as a result of the hazard. 

Forde said he agreed 100 per cent with Lovell’s plea, and revealed that the Government was currently working on legislation that would address landowners being forced to either clear their lots or be subjected to penalties if they refuse to do so.

“The school of thought is that landowners who are not complying to have those persons be given a period of time to do the remedial work.” 

He said if this fails, the Government would do the cleaning and bill the charges to the landowner whether it is through the land tax bill or by some other means. 

“The legislation hasn’t been drafted yet but there are definitely plans to deal with this issue. Really and truly this is not how we should be operating as Barbadians, this is not who we are as a people,” Minister Forde said.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb