Luther Thorne: Ministry ‘awaiting reports’ before work begins

By Sheria Brathwaite

Work to fix the environmental and structural issues plaguing the Luther Thorne Memorial Primary School will begin shortly, the Ministry of Education said Thursday.

In a brief statement, it said that while it could not state at this time when the work will start, teachers and parents could be rest assured that it would be soon.

The ministry said it was awaiting a report from contractors who visited the school and took part in a walk-through on what needed to be done, timeframes and resources. When this document is provided, the ministry said it would state when remediation would ensue. It also promised a detailed public statement on the fixes.

The statement came after an hour-long afternoon meeting between teachers and ministry officials at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College to thrash out the environmental and structural issues at the Wildey, St Michael school. 

Deputy Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson and Deputy Permanent Secretary Kim Belle chaired the teachers’ meeting, following which they visited the school and joined other officials there, the ministry said.

The statement added that environmental hygienist Ian Weekes also visited the school on Wednesday to conduct tests and the ministry was awaiting those results. 

Shop steward of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Nathaniel Boyce said workers were anxiously awaiting to see how the ministry addressed the situation.

“You come to these meetings and assurances and pledges [are made] and we go by their word and we are going to see [what happens],” he said, adding that teachers were aware that environmental assessments were being done and they “want to find out about the findings”. 

“In the past we never got a hard copy, we never knew [what the findings were]. Everything was just word of mouth.

“Ian Weekes, the environmental hygienist, would speak with us and we would have the physical report in our hands so we can make a judgement for ourselves. I think [this] is fair because if we are to return to the plant, we should be briefed on what was found so we can make certain judgement calls,” Boyce added.

The Luther Thorne Memorial Primary School, which was opened 40 years ago this month, has been experiencing environmental issues for over a decade but it only came to public attention this week after teachers turned up late on two consecutive days, prompting parents to protest and support the teachers.

During a virtual PTA meeting on Tuesday night, parents learned of a rodent, cockroach and mould infestation, lizard droppings and birds living in the ceilings. The structural issues include gaping holes in the flooring exposing blown steel, plumbing issues, and leaking roofs.

Boyce said that if the ministry wanted to close school for the rest of the term, which ends next Thursday, it would not cause any significant disruptions as teachers were in the process of preparing reports.

He said there were a few activities that the school would have engaged the students in such as a Christmas party and movie night. 

Earlier in the day, the education ministry issued a statement in which it said the school would be closed for the remainder of the week “to facilitate meetings with staff and Ministry personnel and further evaluation of the school plant”.

It said further Information would be sent concerning the way forward for next week.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb