May 28, 2021
Teachers at the George Lamming Primary School are said to be closely eyeing possible environmental issues at the school that caused some of them to return home.
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Pedro Shepherd confirmed that on Tuesday, some teachers complained of a strong scent of gas emanating from the school compound.
According to Shepherd, some were so affected by the odour that they were forced to seek medical attention.
As a result, officials from the Ministry of Education, including the Assistant Director of the Education Technical Management Unit, Francisco Miller were called in to investigate.
Classroom, the best choice for students
Article by May 26, 2021
The Barbados Association of Guidance Counsellors is fully in agreement with students returning to the classroom.
President of the association Dr Patricia Welch firmly believes that even as the country continues to battle COVID-19, it is vital that students are allowed to interact with their teachers and friends in a face-to-face setting.
Her comments follow an eventful return to face-to-face classes. At least three schools have been closed because of positive COVID-19 cases among students.
Since the resumption of physical classes on May 2, the Princess Margaret Secondary School, Ellerslie Secondary and most recently Vauxhall Primary, have all been forced to temporarily close their doors.
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Home / Top Featured Article / Teachers’ unions and lobby group say pandemic, volcano should force exam delay Teachers’ unions and lobby group say pandemic, volcano should force exam delay
Article by May 26, 2021
The two main teachers’ trade unions are banking on the expression of concern from UNICEF about this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) to push the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to reform the exams as they have been prescribing for more than a year.
The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) on Tuesday noted that while Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw has recently been advocating for much-needed adjustments to the structure of this year’s exams, she has failed to attract the support of her regional counterparts.
May 13, 2021
Investigations into coronavirus at the Ellerslie Secondary School have revealed that only one student has been infected so far, with Health and Wellness Minister Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic declaring Wednesday “there is no outbreak at any school in Barbados”.
The student also did not take public transport amid fears of possible exposure, said Dr Kimberley Philips, medical officer of Health at the Brandford Taitt Polyclinic who is managing the situation.
Dr Phillips said: “The primary case was one who took transport from her father and would have walked home and to school otherwise. So the index case or the one case that we have at the school is not someone who used public transport at all, we are still going through with the other relatives but at this point remember there is no other person positive at this point related to that case, so we have no known contact with public transport at this point in time.”
Teachers ‘uncomfortable’
Article by May 13, 2021
Members of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) were on Wednesday given the opportunity to make direct demands and seek answers from the country’s senior health officials about the resumption of school in the midst of a COVID-19 environment.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George and Infectious Disease Specialist Dr Corey Forde responded to numerous concerns from the union’s executive and members in the wake of two COVID-19 cases in secondary schools within the first five days of face-to-face classes.
Both the BSTU and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) have indicated that their members are uncomfortable operating in overcrowded classrooms, with inadequate sanitising or personal protective equipment (PPE), and insufficient school monitors.