They say when it rains it pours. This certainly has been the case for the Ministry of Education as it relates to health concerns at schools in recent times.
This week alone, three schools were reported to have been facing challenges.
Classes at the Wesley Hall Junior School in The City were forced to end at noon on Monday after several teachers called in sick, prompting concerns over potential health hazards at the ageing primary school premises. According to an official statement from the Ministry of Education, 22 teachers reported ill.
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell said that the teachers’ grievances about unhealthy conditions at the school were well known to the ministry.
“Teachers are frustrated over the conditions at the school; the school is an old school, it’s plagued with mould, rats [and their droppings], cockroaches, wormwood, inadequate bathroom frustrates, and teachers are generally frustrated. This frustration led to teachers falling ill today. I am not sure if they will be sick tomorrow because the conditions may be the same as they were today, but generally, teachers are not well,” he told Barbados TODAY.
At the St George Secondary School, a mosquito infestation forced the closure of the school on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Health said that after intense efforts to control the mosquito infestation proved unsuccessful, inspectors from the Ministry of Health determined that the source of the infestation was likely within the community.
And Thursday night, the Ministry of Education issued a statement about St Giles Primary School where several teachers called in sick. It assured that there will be a meeting Friday to get to the root of the matter. According to the ministry.
The Ministry of Education has over 80 primary schools and 22 secondary schools to oversee. Property maintenance and ensuring health and safety measures are effectively carried out on these plants can’t be an easy task. Not only must it be costly, but deployment of the necessary human resources must be a strain as well. Therefore, we empathise with the ministry given this herculean task.
However, a large number of students on the school roll at government institutions are minors. They fall in a category we refer to as vulnerable. That means that when a parent or guardian drops their child/ward at school, there is a reasonable expectation that their loved ones are going to be in a safe and healthy environment for a minimum of six hours. In cases where they engage in extracurricular activities, the time spent on the school plant is much longer.
That is why reports of mosquito infestation, mould, rats, cockroaches, wormwood, and even inadequate bathroom facilities are worrying. There is cause for concern not only for the teachers who “sick out” but for the students and ancillary staff who remain on the compounds as well.
Health is peculiar, in that something that affects one person may not affect the other. That said, we are in no position to rubbish or make light of another person’s health challenges.
We also cannot be upset with a person who decides to stand in solidarity with their work colleague. We have to believe that when a teacher or any other member of staff enters the education system, they do so with the well-being of students at the forefront.
When teachers are absent from school – as was the case at Wesley Hall when the majority of them stayed off the job – classes are missed and invaluable teaching time lost. And teachers are aware that they are the ones who are tasked with picking up the slack and putting in extra time to get students up to speed.
We therefore implore the Ministry to continue to do their part in order to avert and address these health challenges. We urge those who use the school plants to see after their upkeep and maintenance by ensuring they do their part as well.
