Established October 1895 Former Transport Board chairman alleges sabotage PAGE 3 Tuesday August 25, 2020 $1 VAT Inclusive STRICT RULES FOR SCHOOL PARENTS and teachers can of Health and Education, teach- “Myself, the Ministry of day, these are the ones we re- protocols it is not only about the expect very extensive ers’ unions and educators to Education, the teachers and all ally have to protect,” he said. children, but also about who COVID-19 protocols to be discuss these, Director of of us who are part of that Chapman outlined while chil- they go home to. There are a lot implemented when this na- the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit, process will be meeting to(day) dren tend to be asymptomatic, of different nuances that have to tion’s schools reopen next Ronald Chapman, revealed and Wednesday to discuss the they are also the ones who spend be looked at when you deal with month. these rules would be compre- protocols. I do not want to put the most time with the older children and we all know that During a morning interview hensive to protect not only the anything out there yet, but there population who may have un- the younger the child, the on Slam 101.1 ahead of today’s youth, but the adults they come is a very extensive protocol for derlying health conditions. harder it is to get them to meeting between the Ministries into contact with. schools because at the end of the “So when you look at those SCHOOL RULES on Page 3 BSTU concerned about meetings THE Barbados Secondary deviation from the agreed plan about the extent to which any Teachers’ Union (BSTU) is not was disrespectful, while hint- such large meeting, within a pleased with the decision taken ing that it was also putting their two-and-a-half hour timeframe, by the Ministry of Education to members at risk. could be productive in the way hold only two meetings with “Our members have raised that teachers were originally teachers from both the primary concerns therefore for their anticipating. Moreover, she said and secondary schools, to dis- health and well-being, in a questions have also been raised cuss the safe reopening of known COVID environment at the lack of scheduled meet- schools in the COVID-19 envi- where government’s regula- ings for ancillary staff of the ronment. tions stipulate physically schools. In a statement released yes- spaced crowds of no more than She added in the statement, terday from BSTU President, 500. They are concerned about that written correspondence as Mary-Anne Redman, the union the disrespect shown to the well as “other forms of at- expressed concern about the unions in the manner in which tempted intervention” to relay large gatherings, indicating too plans were changed one day their position to Ministry offi- that the teachers’ unions have after agreement, with no prior cials in an effort to “seek some been bombarded by members notification to the unions,” she measure of amendment and also expressing “great fear and added. compromise”, so as to allay the reservation” about being invited The union boss added that fears of the teachers, had been to attend large meetings of concerns have also been raised unsuccessful. 2 000 plus persons in each instance, in an enclosed, air con- ditioned environment at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium. Those meetings are scheduled to take place today and tomor- row from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day. Redman explained that dur- ing a meeting last Wednesday, August 19, they were informed that the intention was to have ten meetings, with little more than 400 persons each, at vari- ous locations across the island. This plan, she said, was agreed to by the unions and communi- cated to their members the fol- lowing day,but was unilaterally changed by the Ministry the Thursday night. “...Surprisingly, emails were sent from the Chief to all teach- ers indicating plans for the meetings that had changed fun- damentally from what had been originally agreed to the day before. There was no prior com- munication of these changes to any of the unions,” she lamented. The BSTU head while adamant that the union is “fully supportive of any constructive attempts by the Ministry to communicate and interact with Acting Chief Education Officer, Joy Adamson, in conversation with Ricky Redman of Acute Vision ahead of today's meeting. its members”, insisted that the INSET: Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) President, Mary-Anne Redman. 2 • Tuesday August 25, 2020 The Barbados Advocate Everything in place for meeting with teachers today THE Ministry of screen will be in place nursery school teachers Education, Techno- and microphones will be and 45 special schools’ logical and Vocational strategically located for teachers. Training has informed persons to pose questions. All sessions are closed that everything is in Also attending today’s to the media. place for meetings meeting will be Minister with teachers and of People Empowerment Acting Chief Education Minister of Education, and Elder Affairs, Officer, Joy Adamson, Santia Bradshaw, this Cynthia Forde; Minister getting her temperature week. of Youth, Sports and checked by one of the tem- During a site visit yes- Community Empower- perature machines in place terday at the Wildey ment, Dwight Suther- at the Wildey Gymnasium. Gymnasium in St. land; and Director of the Michael, officials from COVID-19 Monitoring the Ministry and Gym- Unit, Ronald Chapman. nasium staff made sure Ms. Bradshaw is ex- the venue was ready for pected to meet with pri- the first consultation mary school teachers on with secondary school Wednesday,August 26, at teachers today, Tuesday, the Wildey Gymnasium, August 25, beginning at also at 9:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. It is anticipated that Staff ensured that over 1 000 teachers from COVID-19 protocols were primary and secondary in place by making sure schools will attend the the seats on the main consultations on both floor were distanced three days. The Gymnasium feet apart. Additionally, has the capacity to seat the seats in the stands over 1 500 persons. are marked to observe A site visit was also physical distancing held at the Samuel rules. Persons utilising Jackman Prescod the stands are asked to Institute of Technology sit only in the seats which (SJPI) yesterday.On have markers. Friday, August 28, the Sanitisation stations Education Minister will are set up at the entrance meet with nursery school (nearest to the tennis teachers from 9:00 to courts) of the Gymnasium 11:30 a.m. and special and there will be schools’ teachers from temperature checks. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Additionally, a projection SJPI. There are 96 Gymnasium staff making sure that the seats are three feet apart for the consultations. The seating layout at the Gymnasium for today’s meeting with secondary school teachers. The Barbados Advocate Tuesday August 25, 2020 • 3 Monitoring Unit: High level of compliance SCHOOL RULES from Page 1 80 to 85 per cent. ting down businesses “is the last Former Transport “Over the time, we have seen thing we do”, underlining this comply in the initial stages, compliance get better and bet- only came after repeated warn- although they will eventually ter,however there are still some ings to the operators or owners comply much easier than pockets and we are working of establishments. The most Board chairman adults,” he stressed. with those.There are just a cou- common breach was that of pa- With the Monitoring Unit ple sectors that we are focusing trons not wearing masks, having shutdown several busi- on – the high risk areas. So we Chapman highlighted, even alleges sabotage nesses for non-compliance or are going to spend a lot more though according to health ex- FORMER Chairman of the two million trips per year, breaking the protocols over the time dealing with high-risk peo- perts these had been proven to Transport Board (TB), Wiltshire said the Board did past weeks, Chapman however ple than settings which are low the most effective way to pre- Anthony Wiltshire, said not handle the day-to-day highlighted there was an overall risk,” he said. vent spread of the novel coron- that during his tenure at operations, adding too that level of compliance of between Chapman insisted that shut- avirus. (JMB) the helm of the Board of despite their efforts to turn Management of the state things around, they got no owned entity, the TB faced support. He cited resistance a number of challenges, in- from some staff and political cluding sabotage. interference as reasons for He made the comments this. King: Lord Nelson statue while answering questions “…I must remind you the after being sworn in before the Transport Board is highly Public Accounts Committee unionised and we had also a (PAC) yesterday afternoon. large group who supported Wiltshire, an attorney- the Opposition, and no matter definitely coming down at-law, defended the Board’s what we do to bring the IT is not a matter of if, but when decision to engage the services Transport Board out of the the Lord Nelson statue will be of Trinidadian David Bartho- economic doldrums, we were removed. lomew as a consultant to re- not given support. In addition So says Minister in the pair defective buses between to that, you find that anything Prime Minister’s Office with 2016 and 2018, arguing that which was done was inflated,” responsibility for Culture and while Bartholomew was doing he said. the National Development his best he got “backlash” from Commission, John King.