Stop sending mixed signals to students and parents, Mr Minister.
That’s what the retiring principal of the Graydon Sealy Secondary School, Matthew Farley, and president of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman, are saying to Minister of Education Ronald Jones following his statement on Friday that principals should avoid excluding children from school for uniform indiscretions.
The minister’s comments did not sit well, too, with the Barbados National Council of Parent Teachers’ Associations (BNCPTA) which said when it comes to the dress code, the line must be drawn. But the president of the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS), Vere Parris, was generally supportive of Jones.
Jones said he wanted to see students conform to the dress code, but added: “I don’t support principals taking an inch tape or a ruler and measuring [to see] if [the uniform] is six inches above the knee. . . . Once the young lady looks nice in her attire, the uniform conforms, you don’t have to go to these excesses. You don’t have to be measuring anybody.
“I’m begging, don’t put our children on the streets.”
Farley, who made headines for enforcing uniform regulations at Graydon Sealy, said Jones’ comment undermined the effectiveness of the efforts of the schools to deliver effective education.
