est. 2007

Barbados Underground

Bringing News and Opinions to the People

Indiscipline Taking Root in the School System

The Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU) has called out members to a meeting tomorrow at 12.30PM. Up to now Barbados Underground has avoided comment about the spitting incident by a pupil at the Ellerslie Secondary School in a direct way for several reasons we will not share at this time. The BU household along with…

,
Mary-anne Redman, BSTU
Ronald Jones, Minister of Education
Retired Principal Matthew Farley (left) in discussion with former Alexandra School Principal Jeff Broomes

The Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU) has called out members to a meeting tomorrow at 12.30PM.

Up to now Barbados Underground has avoided comment about the spitting incident by a pupil at the Ellerslie Secondary School in a direct way for several reasons we will not share at this time. The BU household along with civic minded Barbadians had anticipated swift intervention by actors in the education system to resolve, especially coming so soon after the ‘wrapper’ affair at the Springer Secondary School . Yet again we have to endure another case of indiscipline in the school system. To be expected the protagonists have drawn swords and the usual script will be followed and blood shed. As many commenters have observed in this forum, we appear to be lurching from one crisis to the other and as as a consequence the parents (public) have developed a mindset of resignation.

BU sides with President of the BSTU Mary Redman that the teacher bashing must stop. All professions have bad apples in the barrel. To throw the teaching profession under the bus because of a few ignorant ones does not make sense. We need to voice our concerns in a respectful manner. Should it surprise anyone if many of the most vociferous voices on the talk shows and others posting prolifically on social media have never attended a Parents Teachers Association meeting or know the name of the form teacher of their child? At the root of the problem in our schools is the failure of the key stakeholders to manage the school environment – the principal, teachers, parent and ministry of education. Those of us who are intimately aware of the conditions under which teachers have to teach; especially at the newer secondary schools, sympathize with the task they are confronted. The herculean task of maintaining discipline in several of these learning institutions is analogous to turning water into wine. In fact – and it is scary – the same observation can be made of several primary schools. Imagine a few students agreeing to damage the car of a teacher, the result a $11,000 repair bill.

There is a rising anti establishment sentiment taking root in Barbados that is threatening to dismantle all the gains accrued post Independence. The social discord currently being experienced in our school system will negatively affect our society for years to come. Why you ask? The indiscipline being played out in our schools today will be the adults of tomorrow. Connect the dots!

What is lacking in today’s Barbados is respect shown by Barbadians to fellow Barbadians. There was a time when children respected the elders to the point even if they felt wronged they exercised restraint and sought to resolve a grievance by adopting a civilized approach. We will never have a perfect system with humans involved. What has become evident to the BU household for some time is the rapid deterioration of parenting skills caused by a society that is in perpetual drift -become loose from its moorings. The rising problem of indiscipline in our schools -whether teacher on student or student on teacher- will only be solved when we tackle it together.

We like to copy the North American way.

159 responses to “Indiscipline Taking Root in the School System”

  1. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Messrs AC, again RESPECTFULLY you are gain all over the place. You are simply engaging in verbal gymnastics and twisting all over: looks awesome and some onlookers would score you a 9 but a discerning judge would give 4.5… four for effort…rest for substance.

    You proclaim that parents today want no discipline which “they perceive as insulting or can cause harm that is in violation of a childs right”. Yet you also say you do accept “disrespect or rudeness or unmannerly behavior”.—- First technical flaw; two demerits.

    You say that “… In Reflection the school system of years gone by did not …rely on guidelines administrated under human rights laws so in effect children were to be seen and not heard”. And go on to mention that the school system is still caught up in the old way of doing things.

    Yet although new rights laws have been implemented and you implore that we ‘understand that’ is a part of the problem, you apparently do not understand that with new rules they would also be brand new regulations on how to work and operate within those rules. So there should be NO old methods in this modern generation.

    Bur more important is your complete disrespect for all the educators of the past.

    If I seem stuck on this let me full disclosure that I have skin-in-the-game. I grew up around a few teachers and as tough as they were on the outside they and their colleagues ALWAYS had the “human rights” of their charges paramount .

    Were lashes administered…absolutely. Did they violate, abuse or otherwise harm any child. Absolutely not. And that’s not me saying that, it’s the interactions with many of those students over the years.

    Those human right rules of which you speak are in place because of BAD actors in the teaching professions and BAD actors masquerading as parents. Not because of teachers like those with whom I came of age. All GOOD professionals (read good teachers) treat their students with respect. —- Second technical two demerits.

    And then you said: ” However what eventually transpires is a slow moving … when all it takes is for stake holders to analysis the roots causes relying heavily on respect ..” That was just confusing. Final demerit.

    I would ask that you don’t fight with me and rather read @PingPong. He summaries your type of gymnastic verbiage well with:

    “BUT president threatens that teachers will not report for work on Friday…” but he notes that she also says there is, “no dispute with the Ministry on anything significant enough to cause a dispute at this time”. Amazing right.

    Thus how can one fight his conclusion: It really does seem that “indiscipline has taken root in the classroom”.

    Terrible adult actors all around!

  2. David Avatar
    David

    @Dee Word
    There is to need to prolix on this matter. We have witnessed significant change to how our society has shifted values, how we interact in our communities, how our leaders have not stayed relevant in the use of teaching techniques in the system. Of overarching importance is the rise in parental delinquency that has led to significant deterioration in our quality of life in all areas of society. The manifestation playing out in the school system points to a systemic issue like the ZR culture, like politicians et al being allowed to ignore those who have elected them,like professionals who feel no way compromising on ethical codes, like the media motivated by retail journalism read dollars and what is popular.

  3. Ping Pong Avatar
    Ping Pong

    Bush man

    I playing this for you this morning

  4. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @David April 23, 2016 at 7:58 AM…”There is to need to prolix on this matter.” Absolutely agree. Frankly I only engaged because I was very disappointed with the misguided focus on teachers. Now let me be clear I am not saying there is NO fault in the teaching ranks. There is.

    Yet the fundamental issues lies in the home as you note with “of overarching importance is the rise in parental delinquency”.

    But school is a special issue. Ms. Redman speaks of mental issues and you noted “how our leaders have not stayed relevant in the use of teaching techniques in the system”. Is that really a fair assessment, Mr Blogmaster.

    Teachers have moved from the basics of a kid coming to school without breakfast and thus being inattentive /disruptive from hunger; students who are bored because they already grasp what is being taught or because their ‘Attention Deficit’ is a fundamental inability to focus as an average kids can…now there are myriad underlying other concerns.

    Some kids now come to school on a full stomach but after smoking a spliff or being exposed to its second-hand effects; sniffing some weed or otherwise drugged up. Some after being exposed to disturbing personal issues.

    So David its easy to say that “leaders have not stayed relevant in the use of teaching techniques” but it goes much deeper than that.

    As you said though there is really no need for prolix. The issues are well known and too the failure to properly address is well entrenched.

  5. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    This is what happens when adults who are union heads and government ministers cannot negotiate or have no resolution skills.

    http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2016/04/23/police-probing-facebook-notes/

  6. ac Avatar
    ac

    Dee word your are misintrepreting my comments by virtue of the fact that there are several issues at work via teacher pupils interaction with first and foremost a principled role or guidline by law which must be adjusted and adapted across the board by teachers in reference to teacher pupil interaction/confrontation
    Apparantely there is a struggle for some teachers to adapt and adjust to these new laws and still relies on the old method of resolution to resolve teacher pupil conflict
    Your argument that the school system have already adjusted and adapted the new rules and guidlines is being compromsed by the persistence of volitaity in the school system
    The fact being that signed agreements made and agreed upon requires removing and replacing old with new and which involves physcholgolical changes with a high regard to proficiency requiring better training methods for the teacher.
    One cannot or should not expect a teacher to understand or resolve challenges that they were not schooled or prepared for.
    Yes the laws are in place but the question one must asked are the regulations necessary to implement those laws in place to resolve teacher conflict alligned with the laws.
    Given the activation of recent outburst i would say not

  7. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    More teacher training needed, why are these issues so much less in the private schools and most of the teachers came out of the same colleges and universities.

    Cant anyone do something about Mary Redman, she needs reining in to understand that blame lies on both sides, the adult teachers involved in these altercations more so because some of them are targeting and abusing children and that she has become part of the problem along with Ronald Jones, neither of them have any respect, how do they expect the teachers, under Redman and the kids, under Jones….to have any respect for each other.

    They both need to sit their asses down, take a deep breath and act like adults.

  8. ac Avatar
    ac

    Yes David society morals have changed. However within the institution of education It is as if the system have not been readily of accepting a relevant need to make the necessary changes in regard to conflicts
    Seems like anything goes according to how !whenand where the script should be applied
    With the ongoing present confrontation there seems to no balance in the outreach of reaching a plausible resolution with a process of Fairness applied
    But a knee jerk reaction by both sides of placing the blame..when in fact it could be that both sides were outwardly aggressive in their actions
    Mary Redman response in the paper is a telling point as she discreetly tries to point all the blame in one direction when logic dictates that a plusand a plus cannot give a minus.
    Mary interaction on this issue has not helped to heal or control but is indicative of an indivudal with an agenda to proceed with an urgency of protectionism

  9. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Don’t know of any society that tolerates students assaulting teachers, the student should be removed from the school, if the student has a mental issue it should be treated with by the appropriate facility/health Dept. If the student is allowed to remain at the school it will be open season on teachers.

    That being said the teaching profession like all other professions have its fair share of incompetents but the line has to be drawn somewhere.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    We should be very careful how we inflame situations when children are involved, especially parents.

  11. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    Perhaps this is the inevitable onset of the atrophia of a man made society you refer to ad nauseam? Then again your view is that it is ordained from ‘above’.

  12. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    This is not rocket science or juggling balls. Regardless if the car in front of you stop suddenly or deliberately, and the person driving the jugajuga intended for you to run into the back of his old mobile, and even if he fakes his severe back and neck injury to get some money out of you, the law states that you are in the wrong for not exercising due care and keeping a safe distance. You can provide all the video on bad teachers and students for a basis for your arguments, the long of short of the matter is, no provocation, no matter how cause, gives no student any right to hit, far less, beat a teacher the way the reports depicts this student as doing. Expulsion should not be a debatable choice but a forgone conclusion. What darn precedent are we setting when you are looking for motive or reason to justify the student’s action on the basis of provocation or some other reason. The enviroment for these tensions that exist in the school system is a societal problem. It does not matter if you are an educated teacher, a dumb student, a politician, or a Prime Minister, look carefully at the behaviours of all and see the common thread that ties these behaviour traits together in the type of social fabric being knit by bajans right now. You mean to tell me if he was at work and the boss rubbed him the wrong way he would seek to throw licks in his ass as well? Where do one draw the line? Why must the arguments have to take the same ignorant route of analysis when clearly two wrongs do not make a right.

  13. ac Avatar
    ac

    At the very heart of this matter is the question. How do we as a society collectively formulate and agree on solutions built on preventative measures to protect the teacher and instill in the mind of parent and child alternative methods to aggressive behaviour
    The blame net has been cast wide and far but the answers to the problem of disrespect in the school system on both sides is short in coming

  14. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    I personally would like to see the ADULTS ministry officials, parents, teachers….resolve the issues, instead of all the back and forth and disrespect to each other being displayed by all parties involved.

    Respect is earned, it’s not a given, too much disrespect for each other over the decades that was allowed to get out of control.

    The society degraded to the mentality of respecting only people with titles and other small segments of the society and showing blatant disrespect to each other, now we see the results of that backwsrd practice..

  15. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Many ,not the majority, of our school age children appear to be running on automatic pilot, seemingly with no guidance on the primary front line, the HOME. The old and well spent adage that it takes a village to raise a child, now seems to be on the reverse,judging from recent reactions, where many in the very community, believe that the child is now capable of drafting its own course in life ,on its own.
    A school was seen as the last bastion which brought out the self contained discipline within a child. As it is ,that inert discipline is not being nurtured.
    Its not only teachers who are able to instill and nurture discipline in an individual. Those of us who have come up playing village cricket and other games knew that it was not the in thing to show disrespect or generally openly disagree with the directions of the team captain , who in many case was in our own age group . Our peers are able to also nurture and bring out that discipline within us. And thats why , parents and guardians especially, should encourage their charges to take part in one of the many school extra-curricular activities, Drama, Scouting, Girl Guides, Cadet Corps , Sports ,and the Red Cross, all of which enhances a child’s confidence and self discipline.

  16. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Well Well & Consequences April 23, 2016 at 2:41 PM #

    The society degraded to the mentality of respecting only people with titles and other small segments of the society and showing blatant disrespect to each other, now we see the results of that backward practice..
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
    So very true. Some years ago when I took over a supervisory position I asked a person under me to carry out a specific technical job, he bluntly refused telling me that it was”t part of his job. We did not have job descriptions then. Two days later I noticed this same man , broom on hand, sweeping down a piece of equipment. Before I could hammer down on him, he sheepishly told me that Mr X had asked him to carry out that task.
    No prize for guessing Mr X’s profile. 50 years after independence, this mentality still abounds.

  17. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Colonel Buggy April 23, 2016 at 2:46 PM #

    …encourage their charges to take part in one of the many school extra-curricular activities, Drama, Scouting, Girl Guides, Cadet Corps , Sports ,and the Red Cross, all of which enhances a child’s confidence and self discipline….

    Not extracurricular but compulsory activities mandated by law. Compulsory service to your country in either of the forms you mentioned in your post should take place at 18 years. Every citizen would be required to undertake one year of military service and 6 months in a particular skills training. A small stipend provided by the government base on a sensible tax for that purpose.

  18. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    That, Colonel is the rot that has enveloped the whole island for the last 5 decades, they have no respect for each other and the titled people and minoritues they look up to and obey have absolutely no respect for them either, but they are blind to that and have dragged down generations with that useless and destructive mentality……….respect for each other has been lost and replaced with respect for titles and social status.

    The adults with their ignorance, arrogance and stupidity did this and expect the children on the island to display somethibg different to what they see and hear emanating from adults.

  19. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Sunshine Sunny Shine April 23, 2016 at 4:12 PM #
    Every citizen would be required to undertake one year of military service and 6 months in a particular skills training.
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
    Was it not the Canadians who came to Barbados and sponsor technical wings for some secondary schools? I attended BMex in the early days and was taken back by the high standard of hand tools produced by one secondary school. Tools which we are now paying daily and dearly for coming out of China, and of a much lower standard.

  20. ac Avatar
    ac

    Added to the school curriculum should be a teaching period assigned to all classes from kindergarten to secondary school that teaches conflict resolution
    We are now living in a time of aggression and if the education system is serious in taking steps to stamp out conflict and confrontation in the school the system must avail itself to the necessary tools available to aid in preventative measures
    No sense getting mad shouting across the room sending threats of closing schools when all that matters is what in the best interest of child and teacher an interest which gives them a lifeline of safety and security through mutual understanding

    To those who say the child should be expelled i ask the if the child was a family member would their be a similiar call before or after due process occurs
    Also after expulsion what are the odds that child life would be exposed to more negative consequences and become another statistic lost in destitute
    As a society are we prepared to accept that expulsion means a life without hope or a chance for a disturbed child/////or are we prepared to channel our energies towards acceptable and positive solutions for wayward children giving them a chance for a brighter and better future

  21. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Well AC if we hold to your logic then we might as well not have punishment for wrong doing. You are applying the same type of rational as the one the PM used in the Carrington case. The trees do not bend easy when they are grown, you have to cut them down. People must be placed in a predicament to understand that there are serious consequences attributed to wrong doing that are punishable by applicable actions taken. Right now Barbados has many lives without hope, and that is only because it is on a cycle of dismal prospects.

  22. ac Avatar
    ac

    where did i suggest that there should not be disciplinary measures but what most seem to be suggesting is that the best way forward is to cut the tree down in order to pick the fruit at the top of the tree what i a prefer is finding ways to pick the fruit without cutting the tree down

  23. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    http://imgur.com/MaYzQyO

  24. David Avatar
    David

    Jahan Gill’s mother and her boyfriend charged with murder

  25. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    Another Perspective for your consideration

    The language of the children that we are interfacing with is lolol, smiley faces, and smh which to be truthful I struggle with desperately.

    Notwithstanding if you have to play against my grans you would lose the simplest of games because their hand eye coordination outperform our fossilized brains.

    I am going to suggest two things which I am sure will be meaningless to those bent on raping the country for Edutechs and Cahills, and Ionics like enriching schemes.

    take a look at this

    https://ksr-video.imgix.net/projects/2165844/video-657099-h264_high.mp4.

    I want you to observe in from three perspectives.

    The first is using the novelty of a computer based interactive tool with your children’s IPads and smart phones and coralling the interest of our kids, IN THE MIDSPACE THAT THEY LIVE.

    What does a deaf man hear?

    Yet, while deaf they learn to communicate with us who hear, so it is imperative on us who control the resources, the learning tools and the curriculii, to to adjust our teaching and learning environments to engage and more importantly to challenge.

    My second point.

    That company is looking for $75,000!!

    What we at our fandangled Barbados Investment development Corporation and the waste foop National Council of Science and Technology should have evolved to is a unit where our cuntry actively seeks opportunities like these to invest in and nurture.

    This should be what the Enterprise Growth Fund Limited and Fund Access institutions led by (bad words too horrible to mention here because the Blogmaster will ban me) this should be what we as a people should be actively seeking to invest in since, the manufacturing sorry the assembly aspects MIGHT BE an activity that our nation could seek to relocate here.

    My third point.

    While we can speak to this issue ad naseum, sometimes I find that we as a people seem incapable of jumpstarting our own engine.

    Ms Redman and the other unions do what they do because that is all they know how to do so EVEN IN PEACE TIME, Seals have to be deployed, or they get rusty, like our Barbados Defense Force boys that are getting fat.

    Intel served it purpose in the 70’s but, as this little diversion sought to point out, WE ARE BEREFT OF the skills that can produce an INTEL-LIKE environment for my cuntry Barbados in this century.

    And Pleaseeeeee do not tell de ole man nuffin about the visionless Barbados Entrepreneurs Venture Capital Angels that Dr. Basil Springer and Peter Boos champion.

    Basil means wwll with his change management blabber but it is devoid of anything that will be the catalyst for the times that we live in.

    I equate what he is pushing to those big bricks called cell phones 20 years ago and the sheets of paper, yes i mean paper that now capture images from surfaces and transmit them like a TV

    We need an “Ideation Hub” where men, and women, get paid to think big AND DELIVER ideas that work, that is a corollary, they only get paid when they deliver.

    This is complimented by a “to Market team” which has the requisite skills to commercialize the low hanging fruit. That last batch ONLY GET PAID ON DELIVERABLES. NO FREE RIDES

    Where there is no vision the people perish

  26. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ Well Well & Consequences April 22, 2016 at 7:29 AM
    “The children see all of this because it’s mixed messages being sent…you cant do as you like, they are hearing, but we can.
    The rot started at the top of the society, in parliament and oozed down, over a period of 30 years.
    So when ya’ll assigning blame, place it directly where it belongs.
    The children are the extended problem of the adults, who are the real problem..”

    You have put into perspective rather convincingly the moral contradictions facing the Bajan society. Here they go blaming the teachers and the children for the indiscipline and poor performance ruling in the education system which receives the largest slice of the taxpayers’ funded pie.

    As you so adroitly pointed out, the moral problem lies not in the schools but with the country’s leadership.
    What do you expect when you have a bunch of liars, corrupt public officials and morally compromised ‘men’ of religion in charge of a country’s affairs?

    When you have the political directorate standing up in public pontificating and telling bold-faced lies –from Fumble to Stinkliar to Denis Lowedown the 5&10 crook to the ambitious orally-incontinent King of Porn Donville to Guv of the CBB doctoring the country’s economic and financial data to satisfy a political agenda-what would be the outcome?

    Not one resignation has occurred despite the litany of incompetence and failures that is taking place daily. In which other so-called highly educated Westminster-style democracy would you find such a precedent?

    One can only look on in total vexatious disbelief at the most recent salvo of blatant buffoonery and moral turpitude discharged by that Clown Prince of Lies, Stinkliar.

    So he (now) intends (again) to hunt down, like prey for food, recalcitrant taxpayers?
    How many times have we heard such bugle of hot air? Even Sir(?) Frank Alleyne was part of the brass band of incompetent blowers of similar empty words and promises.

    Would his prey include Leroy Greenverbs Pariah and his $3.3 million laundered stash of ill-gotten gratuity? Or would the facially-contorted Prince of Lies and his dangerous lying party of incompetents continue to treat the ‘plagued’ Le Roi as a ‘taxable’ leper to be avoided at all cost just in case he spills his rotten guts infecting all those in receipt of stolen CLICO policyholders’ money?

  27. ac Avatar
    ac

    Miller you start off this Sunday Morning talking sh..it about who should resigned . what a loud mout hypocrite
    either you have Alzheimer or your constipation has affected your memory

  28. ac Avatar
    ac

    Miller you start off this Sunday Morning talking sh..it about who should resigned . what a loud mout hypocrite
    either you have Alzheimer or your constipation has affected your memory and while you trying to relive your self see if you can remember what happened to seventy five thousand dollars but do not strain too hard hate to see you do an Elvis Presly
    Have a soft landing bro

  29. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Miller…the leaders corrupted the country through the decades, the leaders have followers yardfowls, who aided in the corruption in a trickle down effect, the population practiced the same corruption because they followed the leaders and their yardfowls. ..it’s now manifesting itself in this generation of children, negatively.

    The children understand what is happening, but are unable to articulate and lashing out is a consequence…..it’s the adults that are really lost, they are the cause, the children’s behavior, the effect.

    After 5 children, now adults and 6 grandchildren, you get a sense of solving problems stemmed from human behavior.

    Dont mind AC, she should be telling Ronald Jones to get better training for those troubled teachers.

    Shelly Ross is already calling for counseling for the affected children. Time to get it right, for once.

  30. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Piece..that is why Barbados always loses, it’s best brains readily snapped up by EU and North America they had a batch of Exhibition/Scholarship winners in 2010 that were phenomenally intelligent, one or two that I know of have reached their plateaus in the tech world, way more advanced than anything the island has ever seen, or will ever see in the next 20 years.

    Because of the fight down mentality and not wanting to hear of anything these young geniuses will have to offer, they moved on and have been snapped up by countries around the world.

    Not that these young people are not willing to help, but they know the backward mentality that will be encountered, so why waste their energy.

    Barbados again loses because of small minded leaders.

  31. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    ac April 24, 2016 at 8:16 AM

    Oh, what a laugh! Ac is calling someone a hypocrite.
    You call me a hypocrite is like Zoe calling me a Judeo-Christian fundamentalist of a nutter; a true self-portrait of perfection.

    Was it me, who just a few months ago, was welcoming the same $75,000 recipient of dirty money with open arms as the redeemed saviour of the Bajan economy?

    What has become of the warm invitation given to the guru (as previously labeled by the same DLP) of debt accumulation and privatization and chief practitioner of ‘paro’ economics to take on the role of chief economic advisor to the despicable lying party?

    Am I the hypocrite who in true yard-fowl fashion is now singing the praises of Privatization as Stinkliar claims to be awaiting a cheque from a deal that hasn’t yet been sealed? Has the PM with his rubber stamp Cabinet of practitioners of monkey business approved the sale?

    Would you be the courier sent to collect the cheque before Bush Tea intercepts and tears it to shreds?

  32. TheGazer Avatar
    TheGazer

    As a follow-up to WW&C comment
    Brain drain from the Caribbean is inevitable. These islands have a tremendous amount of brain power but with limited economies and industries they are unable to support this pool of talent.

    Some of this surplus brain power will explore situations elsewhere. The many talented folks who remain at home are often ranked lower than the political yardfowls, become frustrated and many reach a point where they seek to escape to larger and more accommodating stage.

    These islands who often lack natural resources must find a better way to harness and utilize their human resources.

  33. TheGazer Avatar
    TheGazer

    Perhaps, this brain drain in some sense is good for these countries. It is an escape valve which allow those who are more adventurous and who are ‘dissatisfied’ with the system to ‘shake the dust off their feet’ and go elsewhere.

    Without this release we may have this group trying to shake up the system.

  34. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    The Gazer

    The Caribbean leaders prey on the subservient mentalities of its people for which Barbados is a perfect example.

  35. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Gazer…that is why they are never welcomed back, the leaders in their small pool playing big fish, do not want any shake ups, they want to leave everything including the people’s mentality, just the way it is in 1950s mode and keep telling them a la jackass Fruendel Stuart Prime Minister, how lucky they are not to still be cutting canes…do you see why they do not want their brightest people to stay in Barbados and would much prefer the brain drain….they cannot tell intelligent people that crap, but yardfowls and the not too bright would swallow that nonsense, hook, line and sinker.

  36. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    What’s up Well well?

  37. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    Can’t adults communicate anymore? Why the media, press conferences and meetings at every turn of an incident in schools. All of the issues we are experiencing in schools happened in my time. Teachers got beat up by students, students got beat up by teachers. These issues where dealt with amicably and behind closed doors where the parent teachers association played an integral part in the outcome of the matter at hand.

    My opinion is that Mary Redman is encouraging these issues to get out of hand by her hot headed way of going about handling these matters. Everything does not need to be aired in public, carry on your meetings behind closed doors and get on with it. Think through and access the situations at all levels before airing on brass tacks and in the media. I just see these flair ups as another reason to close schools.

    It is obvious; and we all know it, most of the children of today are raising themselves; not that we don’t have some bad apples (teachers) in the school system but again,; we always had.

  38. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    What if both the teacher and the girl are a couple of ghetto girls?

    What then?

  39. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Retribution….as we have been saying for days, none of the adults have problem solving skills, their idea of solving problems is running to the media and outdiing each other in Redman’s case, she is trying to show that she has has the most power to disrupt classes, shut down the schools, hold the ministry to ransom and the problems never get solved…Alexander school fiasco comes to mind, 8 years of chaos and wasted time and money.

    Simple…….all the adults including Jones are also acting like ghetto rats.

  40. TheGazer Avatar
    TheGazer

    @Simple Simon..
    Not clear what you mean by ghetto girls.

  41. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    @ Simple and Well – Correct is correct! Bunch of ghetto lots.

  42. TheGazer Avatar
    TheGazer

    Dedicated to Simple Simon

  43. David Avatar
    David

    The inflammatory rhetoric continues as key stakeholders continue to follow the script with The Don. Next the association of principals.

  44. ac Avatar
    ac

    Barbadps and small island nations assigned and agreed to comprehensive /universal democratic laws . Attached to these laws are penalties if or when govt used comprise with a deliberate methods of diversion to suffice one interest or another. Mary Redman and Pedro Shepherd need to get copies of the laws that give guidance to children rights a starting point of relevance
    Unfortunately on this issue The BSTU and BUT belives there are Law unto themselves

  45. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    @the cunt AC

    Is not Redman and Pedro simple mycosyms of the larger picture where our governing leaders behave and believe that they are laws unto their own selves as well? You would do good to look carefully at what it is that is causing all the unrest, all the chaos, all the system failures, the regress in progress and whatever else you choose to add to the list. The ministry of education is not in control nor do they regulate educational institutions with any real acts of authority and systematic changes for improving the state of schools, teaching or the student. You just get the occasional act only when a matter gets out of hand or there is some major dispute. As I have said before and will continue to say, Barbados is set up on some crazy tail paradigm of this always ”We versus Them”. Redman and Pedro are fighting against what they consider to be serious deficiencies in the system, service of the educational ministry and, like all other things that are propped up by dry rotting sticks, the gross neglect that has led to the development of the fault lines and failures in the entire system. Stop the stupid political posturing and wake to shite up woman. What the heck is your purpose if it is not to see Barbados become better than it is right now.

  46. David Avatar
    David

    It should concern the the minister the unwavering support the union executives have from the membership.

  47. ac Avatar
    ac

    Yes the concerns should first and foresmost be with the laws. Not with what one individual decides what is in their best interest. Have we not learned anything from the Myrie case. Barbadians in general are slow to adapt and adjust until a curve ball hits them in the face.
    What Redman is fighting for in regards to this issue is a shoot first and asked questions after which is not law but a perversion of the laws

  48. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    It concerns me that so many teachers should be such total idiots to be led by the likes of Mary Redman. She has some legitimate concerns but nothing will be solved because of her uncompromising attitude. She and her buddy from the BUT are hindrances to problem solving.

  49. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Redman is confrontational, she lacks negotiating skills.

  50. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Donna and WWC

    Both you, Donna, and WWC, are highly favoured by me with respect to your views. However, the SSS will oppose you now on the basis that there is a bigger picture here than what you two perceive to be wrong with Mary Redman. The bigger picture here is what is forcing many to despair, causing countless to retaliate, and creating blogs like BU and others to act as protesters towards what is better for Barbados.

    You two are in full understanding of what type of rot has set into the Barbados landscape.

    It is the same type of rot that is responsible largely for the systematic break down of authority and lack of impetus shown to take care of a number of niggling concerns currently affecting order and service.

    If you are going to have a ministry whose ad hoc is so obvious when dealing with matters, whose reactive approaches are simply the mainstream approach that the island normally takes in dealing with things, and who systematically believe that the ability to articulate makes you all knowing but far from doing, how could you expect that mentalities like Redman and Welch would not be born.

    Redman’s approach is no worse off than the approaches ministers of this particular government has taken when their non empathetic approaches simply adds fuel to a people already frustrated by their many situations.

    What Redman is doing is utilizing a sure way of bargaining for change. And, if subjecting the schools to disruption is the only way that a message can be heard and speeded up, then one must do what one has to do to get what one believe in, accomplish.

    This action does not make Mary Redman no more a villain than the ministry’s pathetic attempts to handle a simple matter.

    The ministry has to step up the rules, step up the surveillance, step up to dealing with matters in a timely matter and be more proactive (God I hate this word when used in the bajan context).

    The ministry must become that resort that everyone fears because it must execute its position in fairness, but at the same time, with a seriousness that is clear and precise for all to see and recognize.

    They can be no compromises for breaches of any kind and the teaching fraternity and the students must understand their respective roles under a ministry that is their to regulate and regulate well. If this was the case, the Mary Redmans and Pedro Welches would have no need to upset so many with their type of approaches. Unfortunately, they are given the type of impetus to act accordingly because all that you are getting and for a long time now, is little to no resolve of the many nagging issues.

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