Teachers fear for their safety at school in St Michael East Loop Barbados

Black Immigrant Daily News

The Ministry of Education Technological and Vocational Training (METVT) is assuring staff, parents and students of Belmont Primary School that the school’s inner security remains unbreached and intact despite the outer gate being damaged in a recent shooting.

The METVT advises “there remains an inner security fence and gate that, over time, has protected the students, teachers, support staff and buildings of the school from outside interference. The inner security fence and gate have not been compromised in any way.”

This comes after the Education Officer for Belmont Primary School today held a meeting with teachers and at the meeting, some teachers expressed grave concern for their safety due to the damaged gate. The report is that the damage and resultant debris arose from circumstances related to a shooting incident that occurred in the environs of the school, on Friday, November 11. Others cited experiencing psychological trauma due to the recent spate of gun-related crime in the school’s neighbourhood.

Their comments and feeling echo the sentiment of the constituency representative Trevor Prescod who told Loop News that residents in St Michael East, where Belmont Primary is located, are very concerned about the recent spate of shootings, not just Sunday’s shooting.

Following the meeting today, of the 18 teachers present, 15 indicated that they were unwell and subsequently left the compound. Given the reduced teaching complement, permission was granted to close the school for the duration of the day.

Chief Education Officer, Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, and other Ministry officials toured the compound at 11:15 am and engaged the Principal in a discussion about the concerns of the teachers.

Following that discussion, it was determined that the Chief Education Officer will have a meeting with the teachers at the school tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15, at 9:00 am.

Although the meeting will be held at the Belmont Primary School, parents are advised that there will still be school for students tomorrow. The Ministry of Education assures parents that all students will be adequately supervised while the meeting is ongoing.

The Ministry of Education, Technological, and Vocational Training reiterates that “the safety of all members of staff and students is paramount and will do all in its power to secure the school’s compound.”

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