Barbados Union of Teachers Calls for Resolution to Grantley Adams School Closure, Emphasizing Need for In-Person Learning to Resume Next Term

The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) condemned the ongoing closure of the Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary School as “a disgrace”, urging authorities to ensure in-person learning resumes next term after months of disruption due to unresolved environmental issues.

President Rudy Lovell told Barbados TODAY on Wednesday he was displeased that classes had been held online for an entire term due to ongoing efforts to rectify several environmental issues plaguing the Blackman’s, St Joseph school.

“School will not be opening until next term. As far as I know, the work has not been completed, and there still has to be an air quality test when the work is finished to ensure that it did what it was supposed to do,” he said.

“I am hoping that the work can be completed during the Christmas break, but school must open in January. If it doesn’t, it would be a big disservice to the students and staff at Grantley Adams, so it must open.”

Lovell stressed that in-person learning was essential, given the challenges associated with e-learning.

Last month, the chairman of the school’s board of management, George Griffith, reported that many students had difficulty accessing online classes due to a lack of devices. However, he said efforts had been made to distribute tablets to those in need.

When contacted for an update on Wednesday, Griffith said he was not in a position to provide one, as he had just returned from an overseas trip.

But last month, he noted that school management was awaiting the results of an air quality test to determine whether the school plant was fit for purpose.