57 responses to “Education Transformation – Substance or Smoke?”

1. 

   David

   October 15, 2023 at 9:28 pm

   
   

   Rethink education reform plan
   By Professor Joel Warrican

   I want to start by stating clearly that I am in full support of education reform.
   I think that it is long overdue and that, done sensibly, can be of superlative benefit to Barbados.
   I, however, find it necessary to analyse the current undertaking.
   From the time the talk of education reform started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain buzz words and phrases were being tossed around. For example, we heard of a middle school system; centres of excellence; academies; that some schools’ areas of excellence would be linked to CAPE subjects and others would be linked to some kind of skill; and that some students would be given more than two years to complete their advance skill. At the time, I had no issue with this discourse as I believed it to be brainstorming of ideas, which is a good place to commence an exercise of this nature.
   I was perplexed when some three plus years later, the same ideas were being presented as the actual plan for the reform. My question was: when did these ideas go from brainstorming to a reform plan? How was it settled that these features would become the reform structure that Barbados would adopt? What happened to the process of transparency? What was even more baffling back then was that after these ideas were documented as the way forward for the country’s education system, the Ministry of Education then made a public show of gathering teachers and other education stakeholder under the big white imposing tent at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus for “consultation”.
   Not acceptable
   In my opinion, that “consultation” was more than a little late. Is consultation not usually done before a decision is made? And the old adage of “better late than never” is not acceptable here.
   Education reform is too important an endeavour for those responsible to be shrouding it in inefficiency. This is the future of young citizens that we are deciding here. From where I stand, that “consultation” appeared to be undertaken to satisfy the need for rubber-stamping of somebody’s ideas.
   It has long been acknowledged that reform is needed to establish a fairer system for transferring students from primary education to the secondary level, thus jettisoning a system in which a child’s future is essentially determined by an examination taken on a single day at age 11.
   Reform is needed to ensure that all students are educated in a space in which they can actually learn and be successful, in an environment that does not support elitism, as does the current one. These ideas represent a summary of all of the rhetoric volleyed about by the Ministry of Education and other persons who speak on the topic of the need for reform. To me, these are all legitimate reasons for seeking to bring about reform. Now, let us dissect those ideas and how they have evolved in the document made public at the launch of the reform on 5 October, 2023.
   First, the concept of a middle school system. What is the purpose of the middle school? How does it address the challenges in the school system? How does it fix the poor performance of students? The fact is that the problems that present themselves by the time the students enter secondary school are already there before they write the 11+ examination.
   They begin at the primary school level. So why are we seeking to address them through some middle school system? Whatever happened to the good educational practice of addressing challenges as early as possible such as at the early childhood and primary education levels?
   For the most part, by the time the students reach these middle schools, the frustrations of failure have already set in and for some children, this failure is so strongly entrenched by then, that they have already given up.
   Now, for those of you who are thinking “But there is no mention of middle schools in the recently launched reform!” Yes, they do say junior colleges, perhaps misguided by the thought that the use of the term “college” elevates the idea. The fact is, though, that even if you glue on a rainbow mane and single horn, a pig is still a pig, not a unicorn.
   What evidence is there that these middle schools . . . oh! excuse me, these junior colleges . . . will bring about the real change that is needed in education in Barbados? There is a common recognition in education that what seems commonsensical and logical is often not supported by research data.
   Relying solely on what seems to be common sense and logical often leads to bad decisions by policymakers. Anybody on the streets can argue on the basis of common sense and logic (and they often do on the callin programmes), but education professionals must go beyond this and turn to empirical research evidence to inform policy and practice.
   And what of these so-called Colleges of Excellence. This sounds suspiciously like the “academies” that were circulating in a document earlier in the year. And as was the case earlier, the notion of the Colleges of Excellence is vague. Yes, much is said about the curriculum, but there is no clear explanation of how schools will be assigned a specific area of excellence.
   Rethink idea
   I hope that this means that the powers that be are seriously rethinking this initial idea, which to my mind has the potential to perpetuate the system of academic elitism, especially since a senior educational personnel stated on radio that not all children will do well in the traditional academic areas so spaces must be created where they can learn skills and other non-traditional things to be able to survive in the society, perhaps alluding to technical vocational areas.
   While I agree with this notion of ensuring that all learners should be exposed to programmes that match their abilities and interests, I do not believe that the implementation of it can be a strategy that promotes stratification of students, with the socalled academically able in one setting and the others elsewhere.
   I believe that the Ministry of Education must go back to the drawing board, and when they do, they need to do proper consultation, consultation that does not start with preconceived ideas for which they appear to be seeking validation.
   This reform is big, important, and much needed, but Barbados has to get it right. Barbados can be the beacon for the region, it just needs to take the time to get it right. The country must seek to set its own agenda through transparent consultation rather than somebody else’s.
   When the Prime Minister called for an abandoning of the Common Entrance Exam and a reform of the system, I supported it and I still support it. But surely, this calls for broad-based consultation from the beginning, including even regional and international experts, rigorous research and a social partnership that is non-partisan. Often, when education change is discussed, we cite Finland.
   I have been to Finland and interacted with various stakeholders. What stood out was that the reform they undertook and that is bringing them the success that they are having was not accomplished by a single entity. It was done through a social partnership which included among others, trade unions, NGOs, industry, parent bodies, and importantly, all political parties. And they sought a solution that fitted their context.
   They did not reject all “outside” ideas, but they chose the ones that best suited the country. I would like to suggest that this is an excellent way to approach education reform: look at what others did or are doing, but seek a strategy that reflects our circumstances, our needs and our vision for the Barbados of the future.
   The authorities should resist the urge to use smoke and mirrors to gain favour for what can only be described as a paltry attempt to bring about change.
   Professor Joel Warrican, director, School of Education, UWI, Cave Hill Campus.

   Source: Nation

   Loading…
2. 

   David

   October 18, 2023 at 4:35 am

   
   

   Pros and cons of reforms

   by RALPH JEMMOTT

   THE RESERVATIONS EXPRESSED in my last essay were not intended to be an out and out rejection of the idea of educational transformation or the proposals proffered. Its purpose was to suggest that much of it was “overblown” and unlikely in the prevailing conditions to bear fruit.

   Reforming schooling involves three factors. The first is policy, the second is process and the third is outcome or results. All three matter, but what matters ultimately are the outcomes.

   No matter how well articulated the policy or how established the process, what is important is whether students emerge from schools with a sufficiency of the cognitive, so-called hard skills and affective learnings or soft skills required to sustain the polity.

   Beyond the vaulting political rhetoric of “transformation”, there is a widely perceived need for educational reform. This indicates some dissatisfaction with existing quantitative and qualitative outcomes of our current system.

   Pre-primary education The idea of universal pre-primary schooling from ages three to five is a good one even though given other requirements, I would not consider it a priority.

   I once read that in the Scandinavian countries children start school much later, but they may have other social services that fill the gap. Pre-primary education across the board has its benefits but it will be costly. Has the cost been factored into the current calculations?

   Funding

   We are in fact adding a new level of schooling across the board. It will undoubtedly mean increased infrastructure and more teachers trained to teach at that level. Where will the funding come from? More borrowings or more onerous taxation?

   Much is made of a “play-based” curriculum. We must be careful of pushing children too fast at that stage. Children learn through play and play helps children to enjoy learning, although there is nothing wrong with getting them to form letters and words where they have the appropriate motor skills.

   Universal testing to diagnose challenges with sight, hearing and so on at this stage is a vital imperative. Minister of Education Kay McConney’s testimony about her seeing difficulties as a child was compelling. Teachers and parents must be trained to look out for learning challenges at an early age.

   I do not favour the introduction of a foreign language at the pre-primary stage. Too many children today at the primary level and beyond struggle with language competency. In a generation that, generally speaking, does not read, they exhibit poor vocabulary, weak grasp of concepts and overall deficient comprehension. Let us focus on mastering the language in which children have to learn.

   Some children’s cultural backgrounds leave them with little or no acquaintance with the formal code of language, oral or written. I don’t understand the talk about teaching a foreign language at pre-primary level aimed at “setting the parameters for all four languages”. Someone may have to explain exactly what on earth that means.

   Primary education

   It may suit our Prime Minister’s sense of mission or political vanity to be able to claim that she finally abolished the 11-Plus Exam when so many others could not. The point is that some form of testing must be done to indicate a student’s capacity to move from the primary to the secondary cycle in terms of the mastery of vital literacy and numeracy competencies. A oneshot exam on one given day has its disadvantages and I support continuous assessment with tests at ages seven, nine and 11.

   These tests will be diagnostic, indicating what percentage of the nation’s children are performing above or below the standard expected at those three stages.

   It would also offer opportunities for remedial work at each stage. More remedial work needs to be done at the primary level of formal schooling, particularly for children with learning difficulties and socio-cultural handicaps. Smaller classes with special ed teachers would be a help.

   Continuous assessment

   One recognisable defect in the current 11-Plus arrangement may be that it inclines teachers in the primary public schools to focus on students who are expected to do well in the exam. This may enhance the reputation of the particular school, but it is not good pedagogical practice if it sacrifices the learning capacities of the seemingly less academically able. Academic (bookish) ability is only one of a number of potentialities.

   Continuous assessment tests would have to be universal with each child taking the same exam. You cannot have a teacher setting his own test at Wesley Hall and another setting her own at Mount Tabor. These continuous assessments should be done in the primary school which the child attends. It is most likely that the children who do well in the current Common Entrance test will be the same ones who do well under a system of continuous assessment.

   The big question about the 11-Plus has always been not so much about the exam itself, but about the system of transfer to the secondary level, in a schooling system that historically has been very hierarchically structured in terms of esteem.

   Staffing

   The Government of Barbados should come out and tell us whether it is the intention to turn each secondary school into an all-abilities facility, taking children who obtain from 90plus in the continuous assessment to those who obtained below 25. That must be made transparently clear.

   It has tremendous implications for staffing. There is much talk about “profiles” but teachers must know the academic profiles of their students. How else can one cater the teachinglearning strategies to different children with differing abilities and different levels of ability? I have no problem with the notion of a “master teacher” to retain in the classroom persons who actually like teaching and may be good at it, but do not much care for desk work. It was an idea proposed by the late Dr Leonard Shorey decades ago. It might also add some mobility to a profession that does not afford much upward mobility, and is increasingly failing to attract and retain the quality of teacher needed to enhance the complex system of educational reform that is proposed.

   The question is, who qualifies as a master teacher? A master teacher would be most useful in supervising new teachers to see how they teach and determining whether they have the aptitude for teaching in the first place. Too many people see teaching as a last choice.

   I also support more specialist teachers in primary schools. There are too many “generalists” where either in maths or language the knowledge base and teaching skills are deficient, and teacher teaches to his or her strengths at the expense of the students, leaving gaps in the curriculum coverage.

   Next: The Secondary Challenge. Ralph Jemmott is a former educator and social commentator.

   Source: Nation

   Loading…
3. 

   David

   October 18, 2023 at 4:37 am

   
   

   Financial literacy in schools by January

   GOVERNMENT IS GEARING UP to teach financial literacy to the nation’s youth.

   The National Financial Literacy Expansion Programme was launched on Friday at the Baobab Towers, Warrens, St Michael, under the theme Mek Money Mek Sense. It is being rolled out by the Ministry of Business Development in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Barbados Workers’ Union Co-operative Credit Union Ltd.

   Consultant Corey Worrell said the pilot would take place in 12 schools – six primary and six secondary – but would not be a part of the official timetable. He added they hoped to begin in January for the Hilary term.

   “What we are hoping for, following consultations with the principals, is to be fitted in where they can absorb us and roll out our curriculum, which is not part of the Ministry of Education’s curriculum. There are times special programmes are slotted into the school curriculum, where, for example, they may run once a week for [a month] and that is the approach we are taking,” he said.

   Worrell said there were 68 Government primary and 21 Government secondary schools in Barbados, too many with which to start such a pilot programme, so they were learning to creep before they walked.

   “We have a workable sample size which we will pilot the programme through, we will take the lessons learned . . . and next year we will have enough information that will help us to plan bigger,” he said, adding the schools had yet to be identified.

   The consultant said the next step would be to consult with principals and business studies teachers to tailor the programme to each participating school in the pilot. It has four main topics: spending, saving, budgeting and the psychology of money.

   Test the children

   Following the pilot, he said there will be an initiative to test the children and allow them to put the theory into practice.

   Minister of Energy and Business Development Senator Lisa Cummins said ensuring youth had the ability to make a successful living had positive social consequences.

   “We are dealing with young people to whom, for some, money is existential. How do we ensure that young people feel as though money makes sense for them? That has a direct implication on our society . . . [because] if [youth] feel as if they have no hope and they have nowhere to go, then that has a direct correlation on what happens on our streets,” she said.

   Cummins said the aim was to create a pathway to accessing funding for youth to one day create a class of entrepreneurs with control over their finances as well as with a firm understanding of how business worked.

   “We are empowering Barbadians to have the opportunity to become business leaders, not only in the region but the world. But this is not only about business but also national development and I hope to connect it to every single sector,” she said.

   Also speaking was Minister of State in the Ministry of Business Development Sandra Husbands. She said being financially literate was key to building and maintaining wealth, while Permanent Secretary Kevin Hunte called on society to nurture a culture of investors in order to create intergenerational wealth. (CA)

   Source: Nation

   Loading…
4. 

   David

   October 19, 2023 at 4:21 am

   
   

   Smoke and mirrors reform?

   WITH REGARDS TO THE proposed educational reform in Barbados, I think the transfer of students from primary school to the so-called Junior Colleges of Excellence is really a ploy, a red herring conceived by the policymakers to camouflage the true reason for the title “college”.

   In my perusal of the literature exposed for public consumption, the idea of junior college seemed somewhat inappropriate. So I pondered on the possible reason or reasons for such a grandiose-sounding title, given that over 70 per cent of primary schoolchildren who write the 11-Plus examination every year perform poorly, receiving low scores.

   In addition, that sobriquet is normally reserved for tertiary level educational institutions.

   The following are my analysis and conclusions on the concept of junior college proposed by the educational policymakers (having taught for over 30 years at the secondary and tertiary levels in Barbados and at high school in America).

   Through generations of socialisation and indoctrination, many Barbadians, due to astigmatic vision, have adopted the social rolls which involve attitudes and attributes of the former colonial plantation owners – the former elite. Historically, those prestigious schools, which every citizen of the country wishes to attend, were designed for the children of the former planter class. As a result, such educational institutions automatically and naturally took on a superior aura. Harrison College is one such institution.

   In Barbados, the word “college” carries a highfalutin connotation, a cut above the rest, in a manner of speaking. The planter class is, for all intents and purposes, non-existent but there are many black Barbadians who have adopted the persona of the former colonial plantation owners.

   These citizens, including the political elite, see themselves as, in the tradition of the English upperclass, the aristocrats and nobles of the country. Superficially, they appear like the average citizen but their behaviours and attitudes reveal their true intentions and nature.

   For example, such individuals reject education reform because they perceive the educational status quo as their birthright.

   The educational policymakers are cognisant of the feelings and thinking of the so-called black aristocrats and others of like mind.

   The shapers of education are also acutely aware of the fact that the majority of the citizens of Barbados welcome educational reform. So the policymakers are faced with a dilemma: how do we please everyone?

   Their solution? Name all the secondary schools junior colleges at the lower level and senior colleges or academies of excellence at the upper level.

   All children transferring from primary school will attend these junior colleges unlike what obtains currently, where those pupils who score very high in the national examination enter Queen’s College, Harrison College and Combermere – the prestigious schools. Everyone in Barbados knows that the children of citizens who consider themselves the “aristocrats” attend these institutions, their inheritance. A few academicallyexceptional “lower class” children also enter these schools.

   When all children enter these proposed junior colleges without having to write an examination, the Barbadians who reject the 11-Plus will be satisfied, even pleased. The word “college” connotes importance. This is the camouflage, the mask, the smoke and mirrors!

   A non-examined or un-examined entry into these junior colleges appears all well and good, but the citizens of Barbados must observe and examine closely whose children will enter which particular junior college or colleges.

   Therein lies the rub!

   There is the possibility of discrimination in the form of a biased social stratification. That is, it is possible children will be able to gain entry into certain junior colleges based on their parents’ socio-economic standing in the country. If this is the case, then the status quo obtains; nothing will change.

   Will there be name changes for Harrison College, Queen’s College and Combermere? Will Combermere be called Combermere College? Will the citizens of Barbados be hearing of such colleges as Parkinson College, Princess Margaret College, St George College and so on?

   Similarly, Barbadians will have to scrutinise whose children enter which particular senior college or academy of excellence in order to see if the bias which currently occurs in the educational status quo still obtains with regards to social stratification.

   – JEFF MURRAY

   Source: Nation

   Loading…
5. 

   David

   October 22, 2023 at 4:01 am

   
   

   Reforming secondary school

   This article was written and submitted by Ralph Jemmott, a former educator and social commentator.

   Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has indicated that she would welcome buy-in and feedback to the Government’s education reform proposals. She has said that she is speaking “in good faith” and one takes her at her word.

   Arguably the most transformative changes come at the secondary level where the idea is for a two-stage secondary structure. It is also the most complex and presents the greatest risk of failure if we don’t get it right. One recalls Colin Powell aphorism that if you break it, you own it.

   There is a proposal for Junior Colleges of Excellence for students ages 12 to 14 and Senior College of Excellence with pupils aged 15 to 18. This constitutes a considerable departure from what previously obtained.

   We are still not informed as to whether the junior colleges and the senior colleges will be part of one campus or two separate institutions. This has to be made clear as it has implications for transportation and staffing.

   One notices that the terms “academy” and “middle school” seem to have disappeared from the discourse. The notion of “excellence” sounds good, but you cannot guarantee that any school is one of excellence simply by placing a “shingle” professing excellence at the gate entrance.

   Excellence in education is something that is earned and sustained over time and in education as in other aspects of life reputations are won and lost. You cannot designate a school where there is gambling, fighting and drug-use as a college of excellence.

   Transfers

   If the junior colleges are conceived as separate institutions this would imply not only a physical transfer of students but the purchase of new school uniforms at some expense to parents. There would be transfers from pre-primary to primary, from primary to junior college and then to senior college.

   Can we effectively manage this amount of “transference”? Recent debacles including the survey, the transfer of principals and the Springer Memorial mishap should incline critical thinkers to at least question our competence to manage reforms of this order of complexity.

   The real challenge to this particular innovation will be determining who goes from which junior to which senior college and on what basis. One suggestion is that it should be related to national development needs. Another is that it should reflect children’s interests, abilities and career choices. The first question is whether we have determined what the national needs are and the second is can it be expected that at age 14 a student can be sure of his career choice or be competent to “determine in what and where they want to place their energies”. We have to be wary of asking children to choose too prematurely.

   Sir Keith Hunte once warned about catering education to what he called “woolly notions of the marketplace”. The idea of specialist colleges of excellence sounds great but how feasible is it? Two new secondary schools are to come on stream as Government proposes to buy the old Ursuline Convent plant and the site at Chelston Park on Culloden Road. The only issue here is that with two schools in this area, this is likely to aggravate the traffic problems in the highly congested Collymore Rock area.

   I have always supported the concept of a Barbados National Secondary Diploma (BNSD) as a kind of equivalent to the American General Education Diploma(GED), for students who cannot fulfil the requirements of CSEC. All children need something to aim at and this would provide exactly that.

   The criticism often made of the BNSD is that it is little more than the old school leaving certificate with little value in the market place. That might depend on the level at which the diploma is pitched. It should not be just a certificate of attendance as some fear.

   If I want an office messenger I might choose to hire a BNSD rather than a CSEC graduate who might want a bigger salary and not stay long in the job. It should also be made available to adults who are interested in continuous learning. Most regional countries have their top schools. These include Queen’s Royal College and Bishop Anstey in Trinidad. Jamaica College and Munro College in Jamaica; Queen’s College in Guyana and St Mary’s College in St Lucia that produced two Nobel Prize winners – Sir Arthur Lewis and Derek Walcott.

   Mastery of computer technology is of course an imperative for all children. As with other disciplines there will be differences in ability varying from those who merely use the technology to those more able who may go on to develop a search engine or some like instrument. All children should emerge from school with some degree of computer literacy.

   The proposals laid out in the Reimagining Education In Barbados booklet will require broad-based popular support if they are to be successful. It is clear that with the reforms expected to go before parliament in January 2024 there is still a divide between supporters and opponent of the abolition of the Common Entrance.

   Will the feeder-school system work? Will significant numbers of parents opt not to send their children to low rated secondary colleges in their area opting out of the public system altogether.

   Many questions remain in relation to the reforms at the secondary level. There is a suspicion that any present consultations are a smoke screen for what the Government has already set its mind on doing. Let’s hope not.

   Source: Nation

   Loading…
6. 

   David

   October 22, 2023 at 4:04 am

   
   

   Education reform starts with the mind

   This recent Springer simulation situation got me good. Bear in mind, I still have not fully recovered my peace of mind concerning the IDB survey scandal. I don’t know if I ever will.

   How could I, when that scandal was never adequately handled, and it seems that we will be forever saddled with lingering questions and doubts? And, yet again, the public is left to wonder without answers. Our minds allowed to wander, as rumour, speculation and discontent spread like cancer.

   Without the situation properly diagnosed, the public is expected to cover their collective nose, shrug their shoulders, lift their hands, hold the “I ain’t know” pose and keep their mouths closed. But we all know in the age of social media, that is not the way it goes.

   And now, a nation already struggling with rising flood waters of mistrust starts heading further in the direction of a widespread perception that there is a drought in responsibility and accountability affecting us.

   Whether that is truth or fiction, we know that reality can be overshadowed by perception.

   What spirit, permanent or temporary, would possess, those responsible for health and safety, leading them to the conclusion that a simulation of terrorism, on an unsuspecting population of teenage girls, would be good for them?

   Is it a similar spirit to the one that possesses some to think that beating their children is a necessity, and a right that should be protected constitutionally?

   Maybe, it is the same spirit that has led successive administrations to hail the importance of the “yout’ dem”, while hypocritically refusing to overhaul a long outdated educational system.

   There is a tendency among us to think that a child’s tears of terror are character building, and that teaching and parenting by fear and intimidation are okay and not trauma inducing.

   Maybe this issue of mistreating and under-considering the children is a widespread cultural problem that goes beyond any one situation or simulation.

   It should be addressed at the root. Not only in education and legislation, but also in religion and family relations. These branches of colonialism are bound to bear rotten fruit. So, whether in the home, at school, on the job, or on the streets, we will see shoots. We should not be surprised when violence takes root and young plants start to shoot up all over the place.

   Here is the conundrum we face. The more we hide our faces from the true state of our culture when it comes to raising children, the more we will need drills and simulations to keep them safe in case they find themselves in a situation that could kill them.

   But, with the same mindsets and attitudes that offset the trajectory of the youth in the first place, we will only produce solutions that make things worse or at least replicate the current state of affairs. So let us be clear.

   If you really care, you will acknowledge that this is a deep seated cultural issue. And that playing musical, ministerial chairs just won’t do.

   If your answer is simply removing a minister or changing a chief educational officer you are operating on the surface too. The seeds of the issue have been sown for generations into every Bajan at some level including me and you.

   Reforming our own mindsets is the most important thing we can do. That said, the renovation of our educational system starts from the roof. At the top.

   Educational authorities must stop, ask and answer some hard questions. What is our philosophy of education? What is the theoretical foundation on which efforts at reform are based? How do we respond to a growing antieducational, anti-intellectual age?

   Educational reform starts with a reform of the mindsets behind administration. Then comes forward to reform of the mindsets of those directly delivering the education.

   Then comes the admission that educational reform will not work if it is confined to the school alone. Too much of education happens in the communities, on the media and in the home.

   This is why the issue is so overly politicised. We’re dealing with people’s lives. The stakes are high. Officials are incentivised to keep their foot on the brakes and hide mistakes to keep their jobs safe.

   But, if officials and teachers are not safe to make mistakes they will not be able to grow and innovate.

   Here comes the realisation of the depth of the situation. All of this must be addressed simultaneously over time.

   Educational reform will not be a neatly planned, smoothly paved straight line. There will be a learning curve as we try to come from behind. It is a process that will not happen over night. The immediate task right now is to make sure the staff and students at The Springer Memorial Secondary are all right.

   Adrian Green is a communications specialist. Email adriangreen14@gmail.com.

   Source: Nation

   Loading…
7. 

   David

   October 24, 2023 at 2:45 pm

   
   

   ‘TENSE’ SCHOOL
   TEACHER, LAB TECH CLAIM VICTIMISATION WHILE CLASSES DISRUPTED

   By Sheria Brathwaite

   “Tension” among some members of staff at the Deighton Griffith Secondary School has led to a request for the Ministry of Education to intervene urgently in a bid to allow “students and teachers to settle down” and get on with the business of teaching and learning, Barbados TODAY has learned.
   The situation has escalated to the point where the board chairman of the Kingsland, Christ Church school is suggesting that some staffers be transferred.
   Board chairman John Wilson told Barbados TODAY on Monday that there was serious “tension” at the school and as a last resort, he wanted to highlight the issues affecting the student body and two workers in particular.
   The science teacher and lab technician who are said to be at the centre of the row made claims of being “disrespected” and “victimised” for speaking up about a health and safety hazard stemming from a fire six months ago.
   “There was a fire at the school [on] March 27, in the science lab as class was in session,” the teacher told Barbados TODAY. “The fire was never reported or anything like that and we were being forced to start back practicals even though there was a strong presence of gas . . . . Every time you said something about it, you were asked questions like ‘What are you talking about?’, like if you were going mad.”
   The science teacher also complained of being passed over for promotion after the head of the science department left the school.
   As the next person in line, she said, it was expected that she would have been promoted.
   “I was allowed to know that was not going to happen and someone was appointed without going through the board. I would have obviously queried it through the ministry and it was determined that I was the most senior,” the teacher said.
   The assistant lab technician added that she too was being affected. She explained that she was pursuing a diploma in education at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College but was being refused the opportunity to conduct teaching practice at the school even though it was board-approved.
   She said: “But there are other lab techs at different schools, who applied for the same course as me, who are allowed to come here and do their teaching practice. There is a shortage of teachers, my degree is in economics, and I could have been utilised, given my expertise, to teach maths. Yet a member of the auxiliary staff, who is not qualified in the particular area, is teaching maths.”
   The workers said their challenges did not end there.
   The assistant lab tech said the keys to the lab were taken away from her, as she noted that the lab stored all her colleague’s teaching materials.
   As days went by, the duo also realised that someone was smearing oil all over the workroom, including on desks, doors and walls.
   “Nothing is being done about it,” said the teacher. “It was happening on and off and then at one point every day. Previously, the locks on the lab door were cut off, a new one was placed and one day we came and found the locks on the cupboards corroded so I couldn’t get access to the cupboards.”
   Not having the keys to the room, both women, since last term, have to wait for another staffer to open the door.
   “We come and sit there and wait for someone to unlock the room,” the teacher said.
   “Sometimes it is not open at all or after nine o’clock which means I cannot teach classes as I also have resource material in the lab. So that means no teaching for the students.”
   The women said that the situation was also causing tension with other staff who were not involved, and it led to the teacher being assaulted last Friday. She did not identify the assailant.
   “The police were called in and even though it was suggested that I make an official complaint, I just asked that [the worker] be warned,” the teacher said.
   Both the teacher and the lab tech said they were barred from the lab again on Monday.
   “This morning, we came in around 8:15 and asked for the room to be opened. Up to now, the room has not been opened so we have been sitting on this bench for the entire day. We are being victimised because we spoke up about the fire. This is having a mental and physical toll on us. People are shouting at you and other staff are picking up . . . attitude towards us. I feel totally disrespected; you don’t know if you will be allowed to teach or not on any given day,” she said.
   “The children are getting reduced teaching time but I have been asking them to come online, and that is mentally draining and physically draining for me because I am a single mother and I still have to take care of my son and my household.”
   The women said they wanted the ministry to investigate the matter as soon as possible, especially since the senior year students, those studying human and social biology in particular, were being affected.
   Wilson said the issue was going on too long and asked the workers to highlight the matter publicly.
   “From what I have seen here in the last nine months . . . [this] is trying to divide this school and I think they should be removed.
   There is also a need for some persons to be transferred to other schools; this school needs a prompt shake-up at this time because it is affecting the children and staff morale.
   I would like to see this matter resolved this week so the children and staff could settle down.”
   General secretary of Unity Workers’ Union Caswell Franklyn, who is representing the two workers, said a letter was written to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education about three weeks ago but they “have not heard back anything”.
   “That was the first part of the grievance process,” he said. “The next step will be me taking it to the director general of the Ministry of the Public Service.”
   Franklyn added that as it relates to the fire, an official report should have been made to the Barbados Fire Service.
   Regarding the teacher’s promotion, he said she previously acted in the position and was suitably qualified.
   He added that it was also unfair that the assistant lab technician was being hampered from doing teaching practice at the school.
   When Barbados TODAY was at the school conducting interviews on Monday, principal Major Michael Boyce appeared agitated at the team’s presence and questioned who had granted permission them permission to be on the premises.
   Barbados TODAY also reached out to Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer- Bradshaw but a promised return call was not received up to the time of publication.

   sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

   Loading…