Principals, teachers and ancillary staff at primary schools across the country are well equipped to ensure the safety of thousands of students returning to the classrooms, Acting Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson has assured.
The 10 and 11-year-olds will be returning for four weeks to prepare for the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE) commonly known as the 11-Plus scheduled for July 14 following an unusually long third term resulting from the disruption caused by Covid-19.
But unlike the fifth and sixth form students that returned the week before, Adamson – a guest on Starcom Network’s Down to Brass Tacks programme, acknowledged that primary school students will need more supervision to ensure compliance with numerous protocols mandated by the Ministry of Health.
“For these four weeks, we have strict protocols in place that the principals and teachers and ancillary staff will be following when these young ones return to school. We have already had discussions which started with the Ministry of Health,” said Adamson.
“We told teachers at the beginning that they should make sure that they demonstrate to students how to take their masks off, how to put them back on, and how to wash their hands properly. We have posters posted throughout the school, we have brochures going home to the parents to tell them what they need to do as well. We informed parents that if a child is feeling sick, they should not be sent to school. If you as an adult are feeling ill, do not send your children to school. We have made sure that every school has a thermometer with the help of donations from UNICEF and this applies to every adult that enters the school compound, to ensure that we don’t put any ill persons in the environment,” assured the Chief Education Officer.
The protocols which were rolled out at secondary schools last week included hand washing/sanitizing before entering the various school compounds, physical distancing of at least six feet and the mandatory wearing of masks. Adamson however revealed that discussions are ongoing to determine whether students should be allowed to remove the masks as they work during the day.
In keeping with existing legislation, health and safety committees have been set up at each school to oversee the rollout of safety protocols. Ancillary staff also met with the Ministry of Health to ensure that schools are cleaned according to clearly defined specifications.
“From the 15th of June until the 14th of July, there will be strict supervision to stop students from congregating. They are some schools with pretty large numbers doing the common entrance, but they are not all going to be together in one area at one time and that is why we have them separated in classes. That is why we said we need a six-foot area, 40-feet square around them so they will be separated from each other,” the Chief Education Officer added.
While at school, students will be given a free snack and a drink from the School Meals Service.
Adamson also promised that supervision would be provided by the Transport Board, Royal Barbados Police Force as students journey to and from schools.
“We even had discussions months ago about having a guard on some buses or an adult who would monitor while the children are on the buses. We obviously would also need the drivers on the buses to lend us some assistance and even some of the adults. If the children can walk, we would advise that they do that,” she suggested.
“We are talking with the Ministry of Health and we are not putting them in any situation that they would be in any danger.
Adamson also promised that as Barbadians entrust their young children into the care of day nurseries, they would receive the highest level of care.
“The Ministry of Health will be closely monitoring all of our schools and of course all of our day nurseries,” Adamson promised.
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