By Sheria Brathwaite
Thousands of children returned to school Tuesday for the start of the Hilary term which got off to a “decent” and “smooth” start, the Ministry of Education declared.
Minister of Education Kay McConney expressed overall satisfaction with the beginning of the term when she
spoke with the media at the ministry’s Constitution Road headquarters.
“At the schools where our education officers visited those students seemed to have settled in well,” she said, acknowledging that minor issues at some secondary schools, such as a temporary gas shortage in one cafeteria which was being addressed. “So generally, I would say that it was a decent start.”
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell also reported no adverse incidents.
“We did not receive any negative reports, so we are left to conclude that the day went smoothly,” he said.
At Mount Tabor in St John, students and teachers from the old St John’s Primary started the term in a merged school. Parents expressed relief over the improved conditions, emphasising their eagerness for a fresh start.
Terryann Harding, whose four-year-old son is from St John’s Primary, said: “I feel a little nervous because it is a new environment but I believe he will be alright. Throughout the vacation period, I spoke to him and explained that he would be going to a new school and I brought him to orientation yesterday. He went to his classroom, to the bathroom and so on to get an idea of the environment. Plus, his teacher from St John’s Primary is his class teacher here now.”
Two schools from the rural parish of St John became one today, as 89 students from St John’s Primary School started the term alongside those at Mount Tabor Primary School. Here, a student from Mount Tabor Primary (left) and another from St John’s Primary make their way to a service at the Mount Tabor Moravian Church to kick off the new term which the Ministry of Education said started smoothly.
BUT vice-president Julian Pierre reported overall satisfaction with the relocated students’ comfort level. But he noted concerns about leaking windows and safety railings in one of the prefab buildings at Mount Tabor, with issues reported for ministry attention.
Before classes, Reverend Dr Cicely Athill-Horsford led a morning service at Mount Tabor Moravian Church which was attended by Deputy Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson. The combined student roll at Mount Tabor is now 240, including over 80 students from St John’s Primary.
At Luther Thorne in Wildey, St Michael, progress was reported in addressing environmental issues, with PTA President Nathaniel Boyce expressing satisfaction with the remediation efforts.
“The majority of the issues have been rectified,” he said. “We are happy that most of the work has been done in terms of the remediation and cleaning, but there are still one or two areas that still need attention.”
Similarly, Ann Hill School in Pine Plantation Road, St Michael and St Paul’s Primary in Brittons Hill, St Michael reported clean and improved facilities as students and teachers returned for the new term.
Deputy Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson joined students at Mount Tabor Moravian Church before classes began at Mount Tabor Primary School.
Addressing environmental concerns in some schools, McConney emphasised the need for regularised maintenance and cleaning.
“I think there is room for improvement, certainly in terms of the maintenance programme,” she said. “I think we also have to bear in mind that many of these schools are tens and tens and tens of years old so you are going to get termites, you are going to get some structural issues, and you are going to get pieces of steel rusting; you are going to get these problems. I think what is important is that we have to be more responsive and we are certainly seeking to do that in collaboration with the schools, the teachers . . . the entire community and the unions. We just have to work together and get things done in a timely manner.”
The minister added: “On Saturday, one of the things we discussed during a walk-through at two schools was the need to have a proper protocol in place when something has gone wrong, or if there is need for repairs and be able to do the walk-throughs earlier. It is okay for people to say everything is fine but some of the issues we discovered at the last minute, and so we do need to continue to monitor and be proactive and not just responsive. There is a need for both approaches because there are things that will come up that we couldn’t have anticipated and then they are things that we perhaps could have anticipated.”
Highlighting recent protests against environmental issues at Luther Thorne Memorial Primary, Ann Hill School, Lester Vaughn School, St John’s Primary, and St Paul’s Primary, McConney also stressed the importance of collaboration between schools, teachers, communities, and unions for timely issue resolution.
Regarding the Princess Margaret Secondary School where classes are being held online as the start of face-to-face classes has been delayed for repairs to be done to a damaged staircase, the minister said students’ safety was paramount.
“That was done to ensure that safety came first, because once we discovered there was a concern, we brought in an engineer right away and he said there would have to be some remedial work done. It was better to deal with the matter right now, rather than wait for it to be something where somebody gets hurt.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
