45 primary schools to get repairs during summer vacation

The Ministry of Education has pledged to ramp up efforts to improve public school infrastructure after announcing a $5.7 million investment in urgent repairs at 45 primary schools this summer. 

The move comes amid mounting pressure from teachers’ unions for year-round maintenance to prevent the return of pupils and staff to deteriorating facilities.

“To date, two schools — Lawrence T Gay Memorial Primary and George Lamming Primary — have been completed, with the remaining schools at various stages of completion,” the ministry said in a statement.

Among the improvements underway are upgrades to internal and external lighting to improve safety and energy efficiency, part of a broader initiative to create safer and more conducive learning environments.

The ministry noted that “beginning this year, the ministry has adopted a year-round approach to school maintenance” rather than restricting works to the long summer holiday. Schools such as St Elizabeth Primary, Sharon Primary and St Joseph Primary have already benefited from this more continuous model, according to the ministry.

The announcement of the works comes weeks after the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) reaffirmed its call for a formal, fully staffed maintenance department to prevent children and staff from returning to unsafe and deteriorating facilities.

Vice-president of the union and chair of its health and safety committee, Julian Pierre, told Barbados TODAY last month: “We have seen noticeable improvements, particularly through the Education Technical Management Unit (ETMU), but the system still falls short of what is needed. Maintenance must be constant, not seasonal.”

Checks at several schools confirmed ongoing repairs. At Grazettes Primary, Principal Collette Applewhaite reported: “We’ve been servicing windows, replacing broken handles, rotten doors, broken switches, converting the lights to LED. Even staff and volunteers, including members of the Wesleyan Holiness Church, came out to paint classrooms and partitions.”

The school, with a roll of 225 students, also had leaks in the roof above the staffroom, IT lab and ancillary quarters, which were fixed during the last school term. “We still have industrial cleaning to do. If anyone wants to volunteer to spruce up the school, they can WhatsApp us at 231-5037,” she added.

Other works across the island include the construction of a prefabricated building at Sharon Primary, the removal of the hall at St George Primary, and infrastructural work at St Giles Primary to create a platform for waste storage.

Additional schools receiving attention include Belmont Primary, Wesley Hall Juniors, Arthur Smith, Cuthbert Moore, Eden Lodge, Gordon Walters, Maria Holder Nursery, St Matthew’s, Hilaby Turner’s Hall, Roland Edwards, St Stephen’s, and St Lucy Primary, among others.

Despite this extensive list, the BUT insisted that ad hoc repairs will not fix what it calls “systemic failings”.

“We can’t keep doing patch jobs every July,” Pierre said. “What we need is a dedicated team on the ground throughout the year.”

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to improving school infrastructure: “We remain committed to transforming our educational spaces and thank stakeholders for their continued support and co-operation.” 

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb