A teacher at the Frederick Smith Secondary School was injured on Tuesday after being struck at the back of the head by a stone thrown by a student.
President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), Mary Redman, confirmed the incident and said the teacher sought medical attention and later filed a report at a police station.
Following the incident, teachers at the school walked off the job in protest.
Julian Pierre, First Vice President of the Barbados Union of Teachers and Chairman of its Health and Safety Committee, who was also on site, said educators have had enough. He noted that the union is calling for stronger, more decisive action from the Ministry of Educational Transformation in response to what it sees as escalating violence in schools.
Shadow Minister of Education Felicia Dujon of the Democratic Labour Party also visited the school and criticised the Ministry of Education for what she described as a failure to adequately address rising school violence. She pointed out that this is the second such incident in recent weeks and argued that while policies exist, there has been a lack of immediate and effective action.
Dujon called for the urgent implementation of a national plan across all schools rather than selective interventions. She also emphasised the need for conflict resolution training, rehabilitation strategies for students, and stronger measures to ensure the safety of teachers, stating that the time for talk is over and that educators cannot be expected to work in fear. (NationNews)
