By Sheria Brathwaite
At least three public schools are being impacted by environmental issues with several teachers reporting ill at one institution on Monday.
More than ten teachers at St Stephen’s Nursery School in Black Rock, St Michael left the school premises after midday complaining that they were no longer able to tolerate a pungent smell near the compound.
“The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) would have visited the school around lunchtime and there was a very, very strong and unbearable odour on the school compound. It smelt like a combination of chicken faeces and human faeces and it was very unbearable,” the second vice president of the BUT André Holder told Barbados TODAY.
“We visited the school because some of the teachers reached out to us. The matter was reported to the Ministry of Education and they would have reported sick and some of them left as they felt ill. Some members of staff had vomited and also some children. This issue was ongoing for a little while but today it was at its highest level and it was definitely unbearable.”
Over at All Saints Primary School in Pleasant Hall, St Peter teachers, as well as parents of students, complained about cow-itch.
Parents said they were concerned about the wellbeing of their wards and president of the BUT reported that teachers there also had some concerns.
Last month, the irritant brought classes to an abrupt end when teachers reported ill and the Ministry of Education subsequently ensured that the surroundings of the school were cleaned. However, Lovell explained that fragments of the cow-itch were still in the atmosphere and these were affecting the occupants at the school.
At Lester Vaughan Secondary School in Cane Garden, St Thomas teachers and parents complained about a variety of environmental issues.
Parents complained that their children were experiencing dizziness and respiratory problems, especially those who had classes in the science lab.
A mother of three, who did not want to be identified said: “My son is in fifth form and he comes home and complains that he feels dizzy at school, has a burning sensation in his throat and shortness of breath. I told him to try to avoid B6 Block and the hall (the areas where her son complained of feeling ill) but he cannot because he has classes in that block and assembly is in the hall.”
The mother said her son had complained about the issue last term but the situation had intensified.
“It is not only me but other parents are complaining too and we haven’t heard anything from the PTA (Parent-teacher Association) or the ministry. When I spoke to his teachers they said they were experiencing the same thing too.
“What concerns me the most is that he has CXC (Caribbean Examination Council) exams coming up and if this continues I would have no choice but to stop sending him to school and only let him go on the day of the exams,” she said.
When contacted, Lovell said he was aware of the matter.
“Teachers too are complaining about issues at Lester Vaughan but the union is still compiling information and until we have a clear understanding of what is going on we don’t wish to comment.”
The union official said he hoped the students got the necessary assistance they needed adding that environmental issues at the school were reported as far back as 2010 and an environmental study was conducted in 2018 but the union has not received a copy of that report as yet.
However, Barbados TODAY was able to secure a copy of a document prepared by industrial hygienist and environmentalist Ian Weekes.
The document, dated November 16, 2018, stated that several teachers and students who had classes in blocks B and E had complained of “dry throat and mouth without a sinus drip, a burning sensation at the back of the throat, upper respiratory discomfort while in the environment, feeling of a lump in their throat when trying to swallow, itchy eyes and skin, lightheadedness, vertigo and lethargy”.
The document added that during a walk-through the presence of the following were detected: “mal odours, dirty conditions, visible fungal growth, evident moisture in appropriate locations, staining and discolouration of building material, inadequate ventilation and areas with significant sources of contaminants”.
When contacted, Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradhsaw said she would investigate the issues at the schools. sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb