Measures taken to reduce dust impact at St Ambrose Primary

Classes at the St Ambrose Primary School will resume next Tuesday, with measures put in place to reduce the impact of dust from a nearby demolition site.

That assurance came on Friday from the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training which said it held consultation with the Barbados Union of Teachers, Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) and the Environmental Protection Department on mitigating impacts at the school while the work continued.

“The BTII had been engaged in the demolition of some nearby buildings, which was completed on April 19, 2024 while children and teachers were on Easter break. However, on Tuesday April 23rd, after cleaning was performed by the school’s janitorial staff to welcome students back, evidence of dust and dirt particles were discovered on some surfaces at the school. After some discussion, there were a few agreements made, the most immediate of which was to increase the frequency of wetting at the worksite daily to minimise the occurrence of dust blowing onto the school property,” a ministry statement said.

A deep cleaning of the school is also to be conducted over the weekend, and a dust screen will be erected at the work site as extra precautions for when students return.

The ministry added: “The BTII has given further assurance that prior to the next phase of the project, the necessary talks would take place with the teachers and staff at the school, and further engagement would be sought upon the completion of that phase to ensure that all parties remained satisfied.

“By the end of the meeting, the Barbados Union of Teachers expressed satisfaction that the concerns of the teachers, and by extension, the students, were being met with the urgency it deserves.” (SB)