All schools across the island will soon be required to adhere to a newly introduced vector protocol aimed at standardizing responses to environmental concerns such as rodent infestations and waste disposal. This initiative was announced by Chief Educational Officer, Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, who provided an update on ongoing remediation efforts at St. Michael’s School and Gordon Walters Primary School.
According to Dr. Bradshaw, significant progress has been made at St. Michael’s School, where industrial cleaning and retrofitting of problematic areas have been completed. These measures have met the approval of both ministry officials and representatives from the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT). However, challenges persist at Gordon Walters Primary School, despite extensive efforts to address structural issues, conduct industrial cleaning, and implement rodent control measures.
Staff at Gordon Walters Primary recently identified additional breaches even after repairs were completed, prompting a decision to suspend classes until the concerns are fully resolved. Dr. Bradshaw emphasized that the health and safety of students and staff remain a top priority, necessitating the closure until the school environment meets the required standards.
Efforts to combat the rodent issue at Gordon Walters Primary continue, with officials determining that a comprehensive cleaning of the premises is necessary to support eradication efforts. To minimize disruptions to learning, Class 4 students from the affected school will attend face-to-face classes at St. Patrick’s Anglican Church until conditions at their school are deemed safe.
The implementation of the new vector protocol is expected to ensure a more effective and consistent approach to maintaining healthy learning environments across all schools. Ministry officials have assured the public that ongoing evaluations will be conducted to uphold these environmental standards in educational institutions.