The crisis within schools is past the stage of talking; it needs action.
That is the position of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) in response to the problems which surfaced at the Princess Margaret Secondary School and prompted a meeting with Ministry of Educational Transformational officials.
“While we appreciate the Ministry’s efforts to engage with educators and support staff, the union emphasises that the current crisis in our schools, particularly the growing prevalence of violence, requires more than dialogue. It demands urgent and decisive action,” president Rudy Lovell said yesterday in a statement.
The BUT said it acknowledged the statement issued by the Ministry regarding the recent meeting with staff of the secondary school, but over the past year, it had consistently raised alarms about the deteriorating conditions in many educational institutions.
Violence
“The incident brought to light in the recent letter from the staff at the Princess Margaret Secondary School is not an isolated occurrence; it is indicative of a wider pattern of instability, fear, and a lack of adequate resources and policies to address violence in our schools.
“We commend the educators at the school for speaking out. Their courage has brought necessary public attention to the emotional, psychological, and physical toll that schoolbased violence is taking on both teachers and students,” the statement read.
The union also said that it welcomed the Ministry’s decision to close the
school temporarily to allow for counselling and planning.
Strategy
“However, we caution that such measures, while helpful, are temporary and reactive. The Barbados Union of Teachers calls on the Ministry to move beyond meetings and begin implementing a clear, well-resourced national strategy to combat school violence,” Lovell said.
In his statement, Lovell suggested that the strategy should include access to full-time counsellors and social workers in secondary schools and comprehensive disciplinary frameworks “that are consistently applied and supported by the Ministry”.
The teaching profession, the BUT president said, was being undermined by an environment where educators do not feel safe, respected, or supported which was not conducive to learning, nor acceptable in a society that valued education.
“The union urges the Ministry to treat this situation with the gravity it deserves. Continued dialogue is welcome, but it must be accompanied by transparent timelines, measurable outcomes, and a firm commitment to change.
Our teachers and students deserve safety. Our students deserve structure. Barbados deserves better,” Lovell said in the statement. (AC/PR)
