Principal of the Grantley Adams Memorial School, Major Andrew Skeete, says there has been a “very slight improvement” in student punctuality following his surprise visit to the Granville Williams Bus Terminal last week.
Skeete visited the Fairchild Street, St Michael terminal last Wednesday morning after receiving reports from terminal officials that some students were deliberately missing early buses to school and instead lingering at the facility, waiting for friends.
Contacted on Friday, Skeete told a Nation team that the school had since been working closely with Transport Board officials.
“Yesterday [Thursday], there were fewer children. I would say there’s been a very slight improvement, very slight. The deputy principal is currently doing his own checks,” he said.
According to the principal, student tardiness was the result of a “mix of issues”, including the buses, requiring a coordinated response involving multiple stakeholders.
“But yes, you have some children who are, I would say, delinquent. The Transport Board is working with us. Their service has improved over the years and it’s because of that reason why they’ve been making contact with me to indicate that there are some children who are not taking the buses that are provided for them,” he said.
Skeete said the school was also working closely with truancy officers.
“They’re the ones who are always in contact with me, especially as it relates to consistent defaulters, as we would say in the army. We’re working closely together. And again, that’s one of the other reasons why we would have gone, because not only the Transport Board, but also truancy officers, because there are one or two children that can be a little challenging,” he said.
He added that parents were also being engaged and the school was preparing a report on the situation.
“We have sent letters home to the parents to indicate to them our dissatisfaction with the level of unpunctuality of the children,” Skeete said.
Asked whether tardiness was a wider issue affecting other schools, and whether it had been discussed among principals, he said: “I can’t speak to the other principals but I know that these and other matters would come up from time to time in the principals’ discussion. I mean any principal would be concerned with truancy, even if it is just one child.”
However, he stressed that schools must also account for legitimate reasons why students arrived late.
“Children will come to school late from time to time for diverse reasons – medical appointments, some children have to take school their siblings. A number of children have to do those type of chores. And then, you know, the general situation with traffic on mornings. So there are lots and lots of issues . . . factors which would contribute to truancy,” he said.
“I think what we’re more concerned with is the general repeat offenders, those who you’ve engaged, those whose parents you have engaged and there still has been, I would say, little or no improvement.”
Skeete said the issue was discussed again at a management meeting on Friday, including what could be done to get the children at school early. He said parents had a role to play.
“I do appreciate that there are some parents who have to leave home very early on mornings to go to work and now the children have to learn that responsibility very early on. The parents need to put systems in place to ensure that when they leave their children very early in the morning to go to work, that those children get up in good time and get themselves on to school,” he said.
“School is not only about math and English. It’s also about learning those skills and characteristics that would enable you to keep a job, whatever job you get when you leave school, and punctuality is one of them,” Skeete added.
The principal noted that last week’s visit to the bus terminal was part of his routine approach.
“The reason why I would have gone again is because it’s something that we do, that I do routinely. I would pass through the bus terminal from time to time just to let children know that we are paying attention.”
