Plagued with several environmental complaints over the years, St John’s Primary School is to be closed indefinitely, the Ministry of Education has announced.
And the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), the parent-teacher association (PTA) and the Member of Parliament for the area have supported the closure of the 100-year-old Glebe Land primary school which has a roll of 100 students.
In a late-night press statement, the ministry announced that “most” of the students would be relocated to Mount Tabor Primary School in Sherbourne. With the move, two primary schools remain to serve the parish, the other being St Margaret’s at Newcastle.
“The decision to close the school indefinitely was not as a result of environmental tests, but rather the collective costs incurred over the years without getting the desired results,” the ministry said.
“There has been no final decision on the future of the St John’s Primary School, but all options are being actively considered at this time.”
For the past several weeks, teachers have been refusing to enter the classrooms at St John’s Primary, complaining about mould and other environmental issues. Parents also joined in solidarity with the teachers and protested with their children outside the school gates. On December 4, the school was relocated to the Messiah’s House of Prayer Wesleyan Holiness Church at Massiah Street, two miles away.
PTA president Nicole Gill-Wilson said the closure of the school was “sad” but necessary, and also questioned what was in the findings of the latest environmental tests done at the school.
“For some of us parents, this is our alma mater. So we are sad it had to come to this but at the same time, we don’t think there was another solution. If something was probably done in the earlier stages, it may not have come to this, if the government was more proactive instead of being reactive to the situation,” she said.
“I would have asked if the school closure is a result of the environmental test at the school and I was told blatantly no, that that had no basis on the decision, which I think the ministry could have at least respected the parents enough to be transparent about why the decision was made . . . . I believe that the report would have had to say something significant for them to come to the conclusion of closing the school. There are other schools and institutions in Barbados with environmental issues and they are being corrected, and they are being reopened.
“So I think there is something more going on at St John’s and that is why it is being closed. So I wish they were more transparent about what it is. Tell us the real reason why the school is being closed. But we do agree that the children cannot go back into that school.”
Neither teachers nor parents were provided with the latest environmental test conducted by environmental hygienist Ian Weekes, who had to retest the school after the recommendations of the first study that was dated June 23, were not followed.
That test showed that “81.8 per cent of the surface sampled had predominantly or exclusively Cladosporium spores growth that ranged from light to heavy mould spore growth”. After three months, the test becomes invalid.
BUT President Rudy Lovell said he was pleased the students and staff would no longer be falling ill repeatedly.
BUT president Rudy Lovell.
“The BUT is extremely excited that the students and teachers at the St John’s Primary School would be relieved of the environmental issues that have been plaguing the school for so many years,” he said, adding that he was grateful that the ministry put plans in place to facilitate the students elsewhere.
“Those persons who were being impacted by the environment would now have a lease on the teaching and learning process without having to worry about the effects of the environment they occupied . . . . The school was worked on on several occasions and the problems kept coming back. So I see this as a positive step where the government can no longer continue to put money in a problem that has not been rectified.”
In Wednesday’s statement, the ministry said a meeting was held with teachers and staff about the school’s closure. A virtual meeting was also held with parents. Parliamentary representative for St John, Charles Griffith, was also part of the online meeting.
In that meeting, Deputy Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson said that after touring schools in St Philip and the other St John school, St Margaret’s Primary, Mount Tabor was the better option. She told the parents about the arrangements that would be made to the individual classes – which classes would be amalgamated with that of Mount Tabor’s and which ones would remain separate. She said transport would be provided to Mount Tabor and also pointed out that parents were free to transfer their wards elsewhere.
Gill-Wilson said several parents had transferred their children since the start of the school term, adding that she was among those who had opted to do so owing to the school’s persistent issues.
The parents were also informed that the students would be able to wear their St John’s Primary uniforms for the rest of the term, which ends on Thursday.
“While other details continue to be fleshed out, the ministry is working with Mount Tabor to have the students and parents attend an orientation prior to the start of the new school term to familiarise both students and parents with the classes and new teachers where it applies,” the ministry’s statement added.
Expressing support for the closure of the school, MP Griffith said: “I believe that the best decision was taken on behalf of the students and on behalf of the staff. I remember, earlier this year or last year when the issue first came to light in terms of the problem with the mould, I met with the principal and staff members. We. . . the government tried to rectify the problem and the Ministry of Education would have done all that is necessary in terms of trying to find a solution for our youngsters so that they would not be disadvantaged. And I am pleased with the solution.”
In July 2014, Society Primary, another century-old school, was shut down amid claims of structural and environmental problems for many years.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
