Routine inspections and deep cleaning should become standard in all public schools, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) warned, after a rat infestation led to Deacons Primary in St Michael being abruptly closed on Monday.
Shortly after 10 a.m., parents reportedly received WhatsApp messages from the school asking them to collect their children, although no official reason was initially given. Later, officials from the Ministry of Health’s Vector Control Unit, the Ministry of Educational Transformation, and the BUT confirmed the closure was linked to rat sightings on the campus.
Julian Pierre, first vice-president of the union and head of its health and safety committee, said the school had been dealing with environmental concerns for more than a week. “Last week, Deacons Primary School had an environmental issue in the hall, which would be the downstairs rooms in one of the blocks. They sought the advice and inspection of the Vector Control Unit, as well as the Ministry of Health.”
He explained that after those inspections, industrial cleaning was conducted in the affected areas as recommended, but issues persisted. “However, there were still a couple of issues which were to be rectified that the Education Technical Management Unit (ETMU) would have rectified in that area. However, this morning, there was another sighting again of possible rodents. The teachers themselves would have removed themselves and the children from the environment in question.”
He stressed that teachers had long been concerned about the general cleaning standards of public schools. “This is something that the union has advocated for for a little while, in terms of having schools industrially cleaned. You know that in public spaces, it is regimented that for a certain amount of foot traffic that there’s a regime of cleaning to be done for those public spaces. However, schools are not in that number or in that category.”
When contacted Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for school, Julia Beckles confirmed that the droppings identified at the school were from rodents. She said the school has since been properly sanitised and classes will resume on Tuesday.
“This morning around 9:40, the Ministry of Educational Transformation was informed that there were sightings of what appeared to be rodent droppings at Deacons Primary School. The principal requested that the Ministry of Health visit the premises, and they did. They confirmed that the droppings were indeed rodent droppings,” she said.
“In addition, there was a burst main on the road near the school, and we were alerted that the water supply would have to be turned off to allow for that main to be remediated. Taking these two things into consideration, we determined, out of concern for the health and safety of all staff and students, that we would close Deacons early today. Industrial cleaning has been ongoing, and we expect the school to reopen tomorrow for business.”
The BUT official however noted that the problem is not unique to Deacons Primary, further urging national attention to school hygiene and surrounding environments.
“We’ve had several issues of rodents in the schools this term,” he pointed out.
“When we speak about the issues of rodents, it is not only what is on the school compound, but the environment around the school compound, whether it is bush, it can also be neighbours. So, it is a case of everyone doing their part to keep around them clean.”
Pierre noted that the presence of droppings at the school last week were from other vermin.
“Last week, the drop-ins were identified as roach droppings, but today there were rodent droppings. There’s a difference, which is why we always recommend for principals to contact the Vector Control Unit for them to come and inspect,” he said, warning that staff should not rush to clean such evidence before inspection.
Pierre maintained that schools should not have to wait for infestations or environmental incidents to justify deep cleaning: “Persons at home, they will do their own, what we call spring cleaning. They will change the curtains, clean out the window sills, move furniture, and do all of that at your homes, but schools don’t get that level of cleaning unless there’s an issue where industrial cleaning is recommended.”
He called for closer collaboration between the Ministries of Educational Transformation and Health to implement a structured maintenance regime. “We are hoping that the Ministry of Educational Transformation works closely or closer with the Ministry of Health and the Vector Control Unit when it comes to public spaces, especially for schools where there is a schedule for inspections for schools, as well as a certain level of cleaning to be done, and this would also include the regular testing of water quality.”
Pierre said the Ministry of Educational Transformation had assured the union that cleaning would begin immediately, though it was uncertain when the school would reopen.
sHe added that environmental officers were also expected to undertake rodent-proofing measures.
“Rodent proofing is where they would seek to find the source of the rodents, and they will do a building up process in terms of meshing, in terms of door sweeps, and other things they will put in place in schools to try to shut out the rodents,” Pierre said.
(SZB)
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