BUT wants safety issues addressed during summer break

Despite several problems at some local public schools over the last academic year, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) is optimistic that both educators and students will benefit from a renewed focus on occupational health and safety when classes resume in September.

Union president Rudy Lovell, describing the 2023-2024 school year as one ‘rife with challenges’, told Barbados TODAY that the teachers’ representative had high hopes that these issues would be effectively addressed.

“Most of the issues that were brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education have been rectified and those that were not immediately dealt with, there are plans to remedy those issues. Going forward into the 2024-2025 academic year, we would want to see a reduction in the number of schools plagued by environmental issues.

“As we would have indicated, a dedicated maintenance plan would assist with reducing some of these issues that students and teachers are faced with on a daily basis,” he said.

Lovell added that the union has been pleased with its improving relationship with the ministry, but he noted that a promised audit of all of the school compounds, should be followed up urgently with much-needed remedial work.

“If you are going to do an audit to indicate the deficiencies across the school system and then you don’t put measures in place to correct these deficiencies, then the audit is a waste of time.”

The union head said he was also optimistic that talks around the disputed term’s leave for eligible teachers would soon come to a favourable end.

“The union is also hopeful that come September, we will have a resolution to the term’s vacation leave issue. We had two meetings so far, and we are hoping to resume those discussions before the school term begins so that we can have a final decision on term’s leave for teachers in the public school system.”

Lovell also emphasised that there are certain schools where there are persistent security concerns and which would benefit from the service of security guards. He however acknowledged that though the union would like to see guards stationed at every school, parents also had a role to play in guiding their children on what is  “appropriate behaviour” and showing respect when on school property or when in the school’s uniform.