Classes at St Giles Primary School in Back Ivy, St Michael were abruptly interrupted on Thursday as teachers called in sick en masse, prompting some parents to collect their children early.
Teachers took the action in a bid to draw attention to a number of their outstanding grievances, Barbados TODAY has learnt.
Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) President Rudy Lovell said in a statement that the union previously reached out to the school’s principal in February, requesting a meeting to discuss various staff concerns. Unfortunately, this meeting was not facilitated, and many issues remain unresolved.
“These ongoing concerns might be contributing to teachers feeling unwell. The union wishes the teachers at the school a speedy recovery and hopes that the underlying causes of their illness can be addressed urgently,” Lovell said.
The disruption caused frustration for parents and guardians who had to leave work early. One grandparent reported: “I just got a call telling me that school is on strike and [to] collect children. I got that call from his mum. So I don’t know what’sgoing on. I don’t know.”
Another parent described the situation as upsetting.
“You’ve left the little children running around, by themselves,” she said. “From the time she told me so, my heart dropped. I was like, what is that going on? But then when she told me that it was a strike, I just packed up my things and came to collect him.”
A Ministry of Education statement issued on Thursday evening said a meeting would be held by 4 p.m. on Friday to address the situation. Deputy Chief Education Officer Glyne Price will lead the meeting with other ministry officials, it said.
The ministry said both environmental and structural conditions had been ruled out as causes for the teachers’ action. It also noted that while the usual staff complement was unavailable on Thursday, the school remained open, and students present experienced a regular school day.
“The closure of any school remains the last option for the Ministry of Education,” the statement read.
“The primary goal is to provide students with uninterrupted teaching and learning and to assure parents that their children are in a safe and engaging learning environment.”The ministry confirmed that regular classes would continue on Friday and expressed commitment to open dialogue with staff, stating it was “confident that a mutually beneficial resolution will be found that allows for the seamless continuation of operations”.
The problems at St Giles Primary are the latest in a string of complaints about environmental problems at the island’s school plants.
A mosquito infestation at the St George Secondary School forced the closure of the school on Wednesday, and the ministry said it would work with the relevant government agencies in formulating and implementing mosquito eradication measures at the school swiftly.
On Monday, classes at the Wesley Hall Junior School in The City were forced to end early after several teachers called in sick. Lovell said the teachers’ grievances about unhealthy conditions at the school were well known to the ministry. The BUT boss said the school was old and plagued with mould, rats, cockroaches, wormwood, and had inadequate bathroom facilities.
The ministry said work to address the problems would begin soon. (RG)
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