Memorandum from ministry of education which instructed secondary schools to participate in BSSAC
BU continues to critical about the lack of leadership in almost every sphere of activity in Barbados. Have a look at the Barbados Today story Thumbs Up! Never thought the day would arrive when local media would have to run PR stories regarding how safe it is to be in Barbados. One of our enduring characteristics has been a low crime environment. It had been the main ingredient which underpinned the boast of being a stable country.
The lack of a strategy to drive a national sports program has again exposed itself with the recent NAPSAC and BSSAC fiasco. Yesterday Minister of Education mouthed the usual sound bite after a reasonable CARIFTA performance that Barbados needs to “pump more money into track and field”. Minister of Sports Stephen Lashley continues to absolve the government and his ministry about the lack of planning and leadership which has resulted in a botching of NAPSAC and BSSAC. Minister Lashley don’t you get it? It does not matter whose fault it is the National Stadium is unavailable. What is germane is that no vision, read leadership, was demonstrated to put a contingency plan in place as part of the National Stadium project. Instead we had to witness the fiasco yesterday at Weymouth where 15 out of 22 secondary schools snubbed a last ditch effort to stage BSSAC which was held under the aegis of a group called the Physical Education Teachers Association of Barbados. While this group agreed to staging the meet surely it is the principals whose ‘buyin’ would have been necessary to stage BSSAC.
This decision by 15 secondary schools to spurn a directive issued by the Minister of Education delivered in a memorandum signed by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Cecile Humphrey should not be ignored for the message it sent. It is evident Minster Jones’ dictatorial style, yet again, has been shown to be ineffective. BU understands at some schools the principals communicated the instruction received in the Humphrey memo to students, and left the decision to compete to the children, who obviously showed their disapproval by choosing not to turn up. One can only hope that Minister Jones will be driven to a state of introspection, and any attempt to discipline or transfer principals remain a distant thought.
What we have here is another violent symptom of the dearth of leadership at play in Barbados. Minister Jones was part of the problem which precipitated the Alexandra School mess, yet he was rewarded by Prime Minister Stuart by returning to him the single most important ministry in Cabinet. Be reminded that Minister Jones issued an edict several years ago that students should NOT take to school mobile phones yet it continues without a thought. Our athletes at the junior level are competing based on raw talent. To make the transition to the seniors more than talent will be required.
Are we there yet?
Relevant blogs:
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Young Barbadians Athletes Excel at CARIFTA Trials Despite No National Stadium Track
-
NAPSAC and BSSAC in Danger of Being Cancelled
Don’t know why PM Stuart finds it fit to punish the island’s children by once again loosing Jones on them, does Jones have information on the Pm that we should know about? This is another injustice on the taxpayers.
There are numerous examples of the Prime Minister’s ineptness, but few more glaring than his handling of the Minister of Education.
Even before AX when Jones insisted on staying on as President of football (with all its violence, indiscipline, dishonesty, and disorganization) it was clear that Frundy was either blind or asleep.
The AX matter in ANY other jurisdiction would have warranted a new MOE
….finally, when the electorate REJECTED Jones anyone with a little common sense would have sent him along with Benn….
….but it is the same with the COP
….same with the CJ
…same with the DPP
To fully demonstrate the state of our world, the CARICOM jokers just put Frundy in charge of the RSS
….which rhymes with “grasses”
….where we will shortly find our asses… 🙂
BUSHIE didn’t Jones win his seat??? Did you not help vote this party back in?
During the AX Mess didn’t the prime minister admit he had not seen the King Report months after is was lodged in the ministry?
Didn’t the PM alienate Jones in the process of mediating with one side of the dispute?
It all speaks of a patrimony and decisions being executed based on political expediency.
The problems remain, there has been no ‘real’ solution.
While all the bugling is happening the young in the school system are watching.
Yesterday Minister Lashley was reported as saying that those who attended would benefit.
The children must always suffer the asinine behaviour of the adults.
Glad to see someone is reading BU, I wrote about Canada’s advice to Canadians travelling to Bim and other Caribbean destinations a couple of weeks ago…. surely the line for the Alexandra fiasco is a very long one with lots of actors from both parties as well as Civil Servants. It also appears to have been resolved so why continue to revisit it?
I read elsewhere that Exam preparations may have been part of the reason for the schools decision not to participate but in your submission there is the following:
“BU understands at some schools the principals communicated the instruction received in the Humphrey memo to students, and left the decision to compete to the children, who obviously showed their disapproval by choosing not to turn up. One can only hope that Minister Jones will be driven to a state of introspection, and any attempt to discipline or transfer principals remain a distant thought”.
Did the Principals make the decision or the students? If the students made the decision then it says a lot about the Principals and how did you arrive that the Minister would attempt to discipline or transfer Principals? You may hold a dim view of the Minister but he is not that obtuse.
@Sargeant
As always you select a linear interpretation of what is written. It is obvious many of the principals don’t give two farts about what Jones wanted. To put it out there at assembly iwasa red herring to mask the issue. BTW Minister Lashley is on record yesterday stating that very little is done in the schools at this time hence the timing for yesterday.
Then we get the asinine statement by the coach of the CARIFTA team who posited that not having BSSAC was a blessing in disguise but it ensured that the young athletes were fresh to give of their best in Bahamas. Now bear in mind Jamaica’s athletes just came off their High School championships. If CARIFTA hopefuls have to run multiple events at school sports is this not a failing attributed to the fact we lack a national sports policy? In other words a Mario Burke should be managed by the CARIFTA coach when selected to the team and NOT the school coach.
This whole saga is confirmation that we have jackasses in charge of this country.
One of the reasons for Inter Schools Sports is to select the best for the CARIFTA Games. If the athletes were selected and the CARIFTA Games are gone, pray tell me what was the point of trying to stage the Inter schools meet after the fact? It was idiotic, synonymous with this government’s handling of this country’s affairs.
The whole irony of the situation is that the stadium is still not ready, why bother then? You would understand if the stadium was now ready and the athletes could run on the new track. But no, they have this sham at Weymouth where the hard ground has damaged some athletes’ feet, I know of some kids who now have soft tissue damage and their parents are now saddled with doctors bills to repair their children’s feet.
And what does the minister do, he blames the BLP. He takes no blame for anything, the BLP did nothing to the Stadium in 14 years……………….and the pipsqueak knows that that is a big lie.The directive signed by the PS is very disturbing! So what happens now that Principals have decided not to participate?
We are really up shit street!
@ Islandgal
“Did you not help vote this party back in?”
*************
The only thing worse than the alternative available offered to Frundy would be for you and ac to be running…. 🙂
….you would end up killing somebody wid a 2X4
…and somebody would get lock up for maiming ac wid one 🙂
Hope these athletes and their parents have some recourse to sue jones for the damage done to their bodies, oft times damage to muscles and tissues are not reversible, even in the very young………..what a bunch of clowns.
Is Freundel presiding over a cabinet or a goat farm? What does Stephen Lashley know about what is going on in schools at this time. Senior students are preparing for exams, but the Minister calls it very little.
Minister Jones, on the other hand, has never successfully ran anything, not even a sno-cone cart, and would want to intrude into the management of schools. For show and political expediency, he sidestepped the principals and planned an event with a group of underlings that report to principals. Classic case of tail wagging the dog or in this case, tail wagging the donkey. He should leave the management of schools to the professionals.
The coach of the Carifta team suggested in what must be an infamous and partisan interview (singing for his supper maybe?) that running on the dirt (can’t be grass in a drought period) was easier underfoot for the young athletes. The ignorance continues.
I am a DLP supporter but I always found the way in which they handle the state of affairs annoying. The debacle with the interschool sports is a national embarrassment and tells me that we have very incompetent leaders who lack foresight.
How does a Minister of government not foresee the possibility of the tracks not being ready on time and plan ahead? In his great wisdom, he failed to draft some sort of contingency plan leading up to the athletic season.
As the leader of a country, one must show that he is on top of things. If such a contingency plan was conceived, the students would have had their Interschool Sports as if the stadium never existed. The only excuse for not having sports as scheduled should be due to a natural disaster.
I see this same attitude with the Attorney General. How is it that he couldn’t predict that maybe, just maybe, with the avenue for easy cash (in exchange for gold) comes the element of theft as Barbadians , and people all over the world love to wear gold.
If the Ministers continue on this path of incompetence, then trust me, they will go down in history as the shortest government ever!
@Neco Ifill
You need to go further. The DLP won the last government. So what does this say about the pool we have to select? What makes lawyers the best selectees top manage education and sports? We need to get people in these key positions who know what they are doing. Bring in a Jamaica Sport coordinator and give them responsibility for 3-5 years. Fire Jones and install Ralph Jemmot for 2-3 years to oversee a strategic plan or someone of his qulaity.
Yesterday was a bad time to hold a sports meet for Secondary Schools. All senior students from fourth form up are still working on SBAs and preparing for exams starting April 19. Teachers were involved in placing marks online for reports to be printed yesterday.
The PE teachers were wrong to suggest that day to the Ministry. They have it easy with a subject where everyone gets a grade 1 once they can complete their practical skills. Remember Alexandra 100% passes in PE.
Minister Lashley must remember that CXC requires all of the SBA marks to be entered online. Teachers are therefore stress out entering data for CXC mostly at home because the system is very slow during the day when it is heavily used.
If the SBAs are late, a penalty of $250.00 per student is charge to the school. Teachers and students have no time for sports at this time. Sports can be held between June 12 -15 when all CXCs are over and accommodation made for Final school year exams.
Caswell it seems you continue backing losers.
@caswell
the election done the BLP loss rest your self for 5 years 90days .
onanother note you never ran anything yet not even your own home you didnt manage with any success.
That is what some of us have been saying, they are well aware what time of year it is and what happens at this time each year, but fail to prepare for eventualities that a 10 year old can plainly see……………….that smacks of indifference and an attitude of not caring for taxpayers and the welfare of the island’s children. I don’t understand why people continue to say DLP won anything, they have forced themselves on the people and the negative results have already started………….then again……………would the results be any different from their sidekicks.
@David
While I agree that the selection pool isn’t the most diversified, I don’t see how appointing anyone else would have made a difference. Regardless of who was appointed to coordinate sports, we would still be in this predicament since it would be the DLP governing. My issue isn’t whether they or lawyers or plumbers but more so about the government not being proactive to prepare for the worst. From the recent happenings, I honestly don’t believe the Cabinet ever sits down and discusses the worst case scenario and plan a countermeasure – and that is my issue.
If you take a look at North Korea and the United States you see an administration preparing for a worst case scenario. Albeit, no one believes Kim Jong Un has the capability to launch a successful nuclear missile but do you think they’re sitting idly by on a let’s ‘wait and see’ basis?
Yes, they won the election but that margin is so slim that it should ALWAYS be discomforting and be a wake up call to the DLP that they have to step up. It seems you share the same ‘we’ve won’ attitude that the Cabinet displays and it trickles down into their approach on these matters.
@David
Even if you take a look at the most recent QEH saga. According to the top brass they knew about the strain of bacteria, Klebsiella Pneumonia, being present 18 months prior to it being made public knowledge. You think the MOH didn’t know too?? He did and of course no countermeasures were taken.
Then we have the Alexandra saga, the problem with Jeff didn’t happen overnight. Think the MOE didn’t know?? He did and of course no adequate countermeasures were put in place.
We always wait till crisis level before we take measures.
@ Caswell ..
but lookuh who talking !! Caswell Franklyn saying somebody never run anything successful yet ! dis can be de same man who get dismiss from every job he ever had and who admit dat he get fire from the NUPW THREE TIMES ! I never see nubody wid as much guts as dis Caswell ! talk about credibility ! he can got none at all !
@wuhloss!!!
Do you have a view how this matter has been handled by the two ministries?
@ Neco
The problem with your logic is that you are assuming that normal common sense prevails…..
IT DOES NOT!
Common sense is not compatible with bowls of brass.
The whole debacle started when “little Hitler” defied advice from people who know better – and decided to DELAY repairs to the track to accommodate Crop Over.
The Kadooment wuk up thing could have easily missed the stadium last year, but he insisted on delaying the start of repairs.
When the shit hit the fan, do you think that the sports people would go out of their way to accommodate his error?.
…common sense says NO!!!
…common sense says that if you play big fashion up front expect to get embarrassed later….
But then again “common sense” says that we should NEVER look to put short men in charge of anything important….
Bushie says….”But then again “common sense” says that we should NEVER look to put short men in charge of anything important….”
Bushie you mean dem noses too near dem pooches?
@ wuh loss
…you gotta admit that Caswell does not appear to be seeking to run anything in Barbados.
He start he own little business and seems to be doing quite well with what he has….
Bushie have not even been able to get him bite at the role of chairman of Bushie’s National Supervisory Committee….. …and that involves maliciousing into other people’s (leaders and government) business … :). …something he does naturally…Ha Ha Ha
@ Islandgal
…ya see you and Bushie….. Since that 2X4 incident when you describe how you does deal with old men that interfere wid you…the bushman get real cautious….and frighten….
…but effen you mean ” short me crutch” men….uh huh!
@ David
Can you imagine a situation where a minister of government Is rejected by the football public – and the post Mortem of his tenure seems to suggest chaos existing in administration, finances, performance, teamwork, public relations etc ….
….and the prime minister puts him back in charge of a $500 million per year education budget with responsibility for the ONLY REAL resource that Barbados has….
…and this after the minister has made a total mess of education with the AX matter, the ministry….
Can we be serious…?
Are you beginning to appreciate the concept of bowls of brass yet..?
@ Neco Ifill | April 4, 2013 at 9:33 AM |
I am a DLP supporter but I always found the way in which they handle the state of affairs annoying. The debacle with the interschool sports is a national embarrassment and tells me that we have very incompetent leaders who lack foresight…………………………….
Neco,
And after this you are still saying that you support the DLP?
@ Prodical
…who you want him to support instead?
…the people who created the COP, COS, AX mess and other jokers who mashing up de place?
Who mash up the courts system?
Who create the arrangement where rich people openly bribe politicians from BOTH parties?
Who came up with Greenland, Dodds, Caves etc…
..ever heard of Hobson?
Once the minister name don’t end up in the FBI investigations.
Congrats to the 7 schools who had the gusto to participate at the sports meet and in particular St. Leonards and Lester Vaughn teams for placing first in the boys and girls respectively. When the history books are written it will be 2013 Champions: St. Leonards & Lester Vaughn. I dont understand what the big fuss about. Every secondary school does the majority of their athletics sports events, including eliminations on field/pasture. Some schools even hold their final sports day meet on a field so I dont know how come they aint worrying about injury then. The Minstry has to hold some blame as well. Their could of been a back up plan to hold the sport meet at an earlier date at another venue if the stadium was not going to be available.
Notice the schools that took part in the “water down” track and field championship yesterday. They don’t do well at CXC.. As a matter of fact in some of those schools, out of a cohort of approximately 150 students at the 5th form level, only about 10 students are entered to do particular subjects.The teachers are of the view that the children can’t pass the exam/s, they don’t want to be blamed for the massive failures that they expect—–so the children are left with nothing to do.
While the ‘so called championship was going on yesterday, Stephen Lashley’s daughter was getting her education at Queen’s College doing her Pre-CAPE Communication exam (beat that).
QC had a planned event yesterday
HC also had a planned event at the school
C’mere had speech day
All valid reasons why yesterday was not “the day” to have the meet.
Stephen Lashley should have consulted the he principals before he went and opened his BIG mouth to talk sh……………….e. Those foolish P.E.teachers only want to beat their chests about which student they coach and who can beat who. That is the only time they can get any one to notice them.
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*** A black base-mat polyurethane surface normally is upgraded to a Red structural spray surface as the black surface is more prone to structural damage due to excessive heat and accelerated UV degradation. This increases the total cost for a 20 year life cycle to $313,000.00
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How de F#ck, the DLP get to be running this country. Yet again, nothing is working. Tourism, cost of living, education, economy, entertainment, CBC, QEH, small business – NOT ONE R#SSHOLE aint working.
STUPSE. 5 more years of being adrift. All the while Freundel goes back to sleep, probably hibernating.
Guess he will wake up in 2019! 6 year-term this time.
15 Principals refused to comply with an instruction from the Minister of Education.
Is this what we expect from those who are supposed to be leaders in the community?
I hope that they all sent letters to the Minister explaining why they did not allow their students to comply with the Minister’s directive.
However,even if the Minister’s decisions and actions were wrong, the Principals should still have allowed their students to participate.
@Hants
You think this is a dictatorship. Carifta gone. Exams around the corner. My child is to run on this hard cracked up Weymouth pasture and injure himself.
If the Minister want to look good go and run he f*cking self.
Why not suggest Ronald Jones transferring all of them like he did at AX, ya asswipe.
@Hants
You are theoretically correct but what happened here is simply a symptom.
@Bush Tea | April 4, 2013 at 12:17 PM |
@ Prodical…
..ever heard of Hobson?……………………………..
Ever heard of Bjerkham and Maloney??? Between these two they are sucking the taxpayers dry.
The Coverley project has been a colossal failure and so Bjerkham has now turned his sights to road construction, hence the so called 600 million stimulus. No wonder the skin teeth idiot is now in charge of the Ministry of Public Works. After all, the DLP’s next campaign has to be financed! No wonder he could boast to the other construction magnate that he will put him out of business!
At least, Hobson brought in some investors with foreign exchange! Not so with Bjerkham and Maloney, parasites!
David we are in trouble when 15 School Principals choose not to follow accepted standards of protocol when dealing with an instruction from the Minister.
Hants We are really in trouble when the Minister would consult with PE teachers about the running of schools rather than with the principals.
@ Just Wondering
After all that, please tell us what your commission will be!! You strike me as a salesman.
Agree Hants, you could have added that a large percentage of students who take to school mobile phones, a violation of the school rules based on an edict handed down by the current MoE.
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE JAMAICANS DONT HAVE ANY GREAT FACILITIES
WHAT YOU THINK THEIR CHILDREN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY RUN ON…………..BEFORE INTERSCHOOL SPORTS ?
LOL @ Prodigal
Not THAT Hobson…
Bushie was referring to Hobson of HOBSON’s CHOICE…..
Ha Ha Ha. The fellow wid de ‘take it or leave it’ Horse…..
@David
Man yuh send me to the dictionary with your response about my selecting a “linear interpretation” of what you wrote, I can accept that I’ve been in the cold too long so my recognition of Bajan phraseology and nuance may be lacking.
However you did infer that you hoped that the Minister would refrain from taking action against those Principals who may not have heeded his request to send their charges to take part in the Sports meet, which precipitated my statement that the Minister is not “obtuse”.
I don’t care what the Principals think of the Minister but if they were unwilling to have their Schools take part in the activity they should state their reasons (and there may be valid reasons) but they should not display their cowardice by hiding behind the uniforms of the students by pretending to ask the students at assembly if the proposed date was suitable. They can’t be leaders and followers simultaneously; too many people enjoy the gamesmanship that gives them an elevated sense of their own importance.
Sargeant
The Minister was well aware of the difficulties that schools were experiencing, but he did not care. He wanted to show them who is boss. He is no Mia who could close the schools for an Edwin show at the Gymnasium. He and sidekick Lashley are out of touch or they did not care that children were preparing for examinations. They were reacting to criticism about their inept handling of the failure to put on the games and for political expediency they embarrassed themselves.
Don’t blame the principals: lay it squarely on the feet of the politicians who believe that they can say, let there be light and it will be light.
One would have thought if Minister Stephen Lashley mad the assertion in an interview with the media that students are not doing any significant work at this time why did the media personnel not challenge?
Also the point by Bush Tea that the reason for this problem is because the minister pushed back the work at the stadium because of crop over considerations. Surely we have people out there who are aware and therefore in a position to challenge?
One of the major problems with the governance of this country is that pompous clowns jump into everything making decisions because they usurp the power. We have Ministers making technical decisions without the necessary competence and without consulting their technical people. Invariably, they get it wrong. Ministers feel that they must be involved in all aspects of the decision making process. I remember that some years ago even the naming of police horses was referred to Cabinet and they were not offended with such nonsense.
In one particular Ministry the Minister even decided which messenger drove specific vehicles. Recently, a Minister informed his PS that all PSC 5 forms must be approved by the Minister. (PSC 5 is the form on which persons are recruited). The PS informed the Minister that the PS 5 forms are not supposed to go to the Minister. The PS, who is acting, was threatened with transfer and a possible reverting to his substantive post; the PS relented: he now know who is boss. Those jobs are for constituents.
@can’t wait
Voted Best Comment
“While the ‘so called championship was going on yesterday, Stephen Lashley’s daughter was getting her education at Queen’s College doing her Pre-CAPE Communication exam (beat that).”
And people on this blog, talking about the children should run. When a people cant think for themselves, they are doomes and damned to failure. I applaud ALL schools who did not participate. (2 thumbs uP)
@ “Stephen Lashley’s daughter was getting her education at Queen’s College”
Cheeze on bread haha10 why you have to go an’ out the lil man’s daughter?
It’s amazing that ministers always put a wukup in front of all things important.
Haunts
I do not see it as a snub, if the minister request was an ignorant one what must the Principals do. When were the instructions given? The Minister of Education must be aware of what happens in Term II of the secondary school year
Schools had already plan different end of the term activities, some were still working on SBAs.
The Minister just got carried away by Philip Hackett the president of the PE Teachers. Mr. Hackett made a statement in today’s Nation to the effect that the Minister Lashley repeated it that there was nothing really happening in schools at this time. I don’t think that he could be teaching in a Secondary School. Next week Mr. Hackett must go to any secondary school and see all upper school children going to school not in uniforms but going to school to finish the syllabus for many subjects. CXC exams starts in the second week of the Vacation.
Year after year the same things happen in all the schools, but obviously no one pays attention, including the ministers, unless it’s a wukup.
Today’s Nation speaks of a high-ranking Ministry official who called principals and gave certain instructions which apparently were not followed. Why has the Nation withheld the name of this official. Is this person some sacred heifer, oops, I mean cow? I know for a fact that the Chief Education Officer is on leave.
I also know that principals have been refusing to accept instructions from Education Officers who are no longer senior to principals. The Arthur administration stupidly regraded principals who are now senior to the people who supervise them.