Classes at the Frederick Smith Secondary and Princess Margaret Secondary were disrupted this morning after teachers walked off the job to protest what their union has described as unsafe and unacceptable conditions.
The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) confirmed the industrial action in a statement released earlier today, and urged the Ministry of Education to move swiftly to address the concerns that have emerged just two days into the new academic year.
“It is both alarming and unacceptable that, despite having seven weeks of summer recess to address remedial work, officials have failed to ensure that these campuses were adequately prepared for the reopening of school,” said BUT President Rudy Lovell.
The union highlighted issues at Frederick Smith Secondary, Princess Margaret Secondary, and Wesley Hall Junior School, and said the current state of affairs had already disrupted the teaching and learning process.
Lovell stressed that while students deserve to be taught, instruction must take place in a safe and healthy environment.
“Anything less compromises not only their ability to learn but also their fundamental right to a secure and supportive educational space,” he said.
He added that teachers are also entitled to clean, safe, and professionally conducive workplaces and said the union would continue to push back against any conditions that fall short of this standard.
While he noted that the concerns at Wesley Hall Junior are of a different nature, Lovell warned that the use of off-site facilities does not absolve authorities of their responsibility.
“Temporary or alternative locations must still meet the basic requirements for health, safety, and comfort for both students and staff. Anything less undermines the very purpose of relocating in the first place,” Lovell noted.
He also pointed to the International Labour Organisation’s recognition of a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental right and said Barbados must uphold these standards if it is to remain committed to quality education.
“A safe, well-maintained school environment is not a privilege; it is a right, and we will continue to advocate vigorously until this right is guaranteed for all,” the BUT president said. (SM)
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