Established October 1895 Monday June 15, 2020 $1 VAT Inclusive DAY-CARE NURSERIES’ WORKERSBy Jenique Belgrave however, the head of one nursery, whoUNCLEAR“The nurseries were not open to the some of the protocols we were told we spoke on the condition of anonymity, ex- public for three months, so food and other may have to follow, but we have to wait A CLOUD of uncertainty hangs over pressed her opinion that one week may supplies now have to be ordered. and see if this is what is going to happen what protocols will be in place at be too short of a time to get all in order According to the protocols we were going forward,” she further explained. day care nurseries come June 22. for reopening. trained for,each child is supposed to have A worker at another nursery said it In last Thursday’s announcement of a “We started training two weeks ago on an allotted space with supplies just for was uncertain how many children will further ease of restrictions, Prime what our department assumed the pro- them to prevent any chances of cross- have to be cut from the roster if social dis- Minister Mia Amor Mottley said child tocols would be, because we had not yet contamination, and aunties are only al- tancing rules were applied. care establishments would not reopen heard anything from the health ministry lowed to deal with one child at a time re- “We were told we may have to cut by today with the remainder of businesses, as to what these protocols are. So we garding feedings and changing their more than half as social distancing rules which had been closed since the national have the set-up for smaller numbers, but clothing and other things. In addition, will apply,and I don’t know how effective shutdown in March, but will have a week if the PSVs (Public Service Vehicles) are children’s clothes are supposed to be fully we can be in ensuring social distancing to get workers up-to-date with the rele- back up at full capacity, we may be too. changed by caregivers upon entering the with small children, because they like to vant protocols to be followed. We just don’t know because everything is nursery and hand sanitisation practiced play and socialise with each other, and Speaking to The Barbados Advocate up in the air,” she said. before each child is received. These are CHILD CHALLENGES on Page 3 Park’s Road residents want answers RESIDENTS of Park’s Road St. Joseph are frustrated. Yesterday they joined a familiar cho- rus of residents who have had to en- dure dry taps, however their situation is a little different. Homeowner Marlene Turton-Ross says that unlike those residents who have been faced with sporadic water outages, Park’s Road has not had run- ning water for the entire shut-down of the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said it is affecting the quality of life of the residents, who constantly have to seek to fill buckets and barrels to go about their day-to-day lives. “You have to depend on the water truck coming through to give you water. If the water truck came through you would cook with that water, but the water coming from the tank, don’t mat- ter how they tell you they sanitise it, we still don't want to take that chance.” She told The Barbados Advocate that water problems are not new in St. Joseph, however this time around, the water went off around the end of March. It came back on a few times during the first week in April and has not come Marlene Turton-Ross said the residents of Park’s Road St. Joseph are tired of catching water in buckets and want back since. answers about their taps, which have been dry for weeks. ENOUGH on Page 6 2 • Monday June 15, 2020 The Barbados Advocate The Barbados Advocate Monday June 15, 2020 • 3 Principal predicts private school fall-out IN LIGHT of the finan- this is something I will say back. That will happen Barbados and the tion to online...If you have “The Ministry has been cial constraints facing to the Chief. The Ministry from school to school. but Ministry will try wherever to look t it from the very helpful in terms of many Barbadian does not have the capac- the public schools can’t possible to accommodate. Chief’s perspective or disseminating informa- households as a result ity in the public school sys- take the amount of stu- “We have had requests even the Prime Minister tion. I know some people of COVID-19, a private tem to deal with the fall- dents in,” he predicted. when we had a retrench- or the Minister of may not get the wifi or school principal is urg- out from private schools, It is for this reason, Ifill ment, we had to look for Education, when you are tablets or the systems to ing the Ministry of because there will be fall- explained, that many per- alternatives as well, so we looking at things, it is im- assist their children, but Education to be pre- out," he assured. sons are wondering about will try wherever possible possible to please every- it is not a perfect world pared for an influx of “I said this when it the start of the September if we have to accomodate body and I have tried to do and they are trying. It is students seeking to started early....A lot of the school term. “That is why anybody who would want that and failed miserably not like other parts of the transition into public private schools said ‘we at least I can appreciate to transfer into the public at it. But the parent has to Caribbean because I have schools in the new are fine, we are good’, that the Ministry giving up- system because education take a lot more responsi- travelled to different parts term. wasn’t the case.They can’t dates every few weeks,” he is mandatory,” she reiter- bility.” of the Caribbean and It came from principal be good, because people said, adding that people ated. “I am saying the looked at the education of the Ifill School,Akil Ifill, don’t have the ability to need to know how to plan Ifill, used the opportu- Ministry has done every- system and Barbados has who called into the radio pay so therefore they are the way forward. nity to commend the thing they could possibly a lot of people working, programme Down to going to have to withdraw In response, Adamson Ministry for the handling do and I am saying that as trying their best, but I Brass Tacks, which fea- the child." said while the Ministry of the education system someone who critiques think some people are ex- tured Chief Education “In our case, when we cannot predict the future throughout the COVID-19 and I would criticise, they tremely unreasonable Officer Joy Adamson yes- would have said, if you to determine whether period, which led to online have done everything they given the circumstances terday morning. can’t afford, you have to there will be an influx or learning. could do. What more and they want more than According to Ifill,“From cut from the portal... you not, she said education is “It is not an easy journey would you expect them to they can get,” he opined. the private school space, are going to have a fall- mandatory for children in when you seek to transi- do?” (JH) Prepare now to avoid surprises in September WITH schools now par- explained that going for- Noting that the lock- ing his stance on the supe- tially reopened for stu- ward, things would be down kicked in before riority of classroom in- dents with the most press- very different. everyone could be properly struction over distance ing assessments ahead of Noting that his school’s trained in the G Suite and teaching very clear, he did them, the island’s educa- roll was currently 1055 that some teachers were a say that technology did tion system is sailing in students, Dr. Browne said bit slow to pick it up, have its merits and adds uncharted waters. After that if there was no Browne added that it was value to education. He secondary schools opened change in the situation, currently working well for then revealed that he last week for students to there could be no normal his school but that the im- moved a resolution at a complete School-Based resumption of school in plementation system principals’ conference in Assessments (SBA) and September. He did make needed to be perfected Jamaica about four years Caribbean Vocational a suggestion to the should they be forced to go ago to all governments in Qualifications (CVQs) and Ministry of Education on back to it in September. the region to raise their primary schools opening how to remedy this.“If the Stating that one of the level of expenditure in today for Class 4 students, virus is still around, there bigger challenges was the technology in education to the next few weeks will be can’t be 1000 children in number of devices per at least 7%, calling it in- closely watched by educa- here. And in most of the household versus the vestment and not expendi- tion officials and members secondary schools, number of persons using ture. With only Barbados, of the public.