Uncertainty surrounds Christ Church Foundation School reopening

No decision has been made on whether the Christ Church Foundation School will reopen for in-person classes on Monday, acting Deputy Chief Education Officer Julia Beckles said Friday.

She spoke to journalists following a walk-through of the school on Friday by officials from the Ministry of Education, the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT).

Beckles said that while significant progress had been made on refurbishments over the past week, additional work was required before the school could safely accommodate students.

“We have seen considerable progress based on the concerns that were raised earlier, but there are still some minor works to be done, and we will make a final determination once they are completed. There is some industrial cleaning to be done, and we want to ensure that it is carried out,” Beckles said.

She confirmed that renovations to the staff rooms and laboratories had been completed but reiterated that the school was not yet in a condition to welcome students back.

When asked when parents and guardians would be informed about the school’s status for the reopening, the deputy chief education officer said it was uncertain, as new issues had surfaced during the ongoing works.

“Of course, because of the ageing plant, once the scope of works had been established, contractors uncovered additional problems as they began the job. We want to get it right, so we prefer to take the time. Our students are online, and we agreed that was the best course of action for now. We want to ensure we do the best job possible to guarantee the safety of staff and students,” she explained.

BSTU President Mary Redman expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far and supported the ministry’s decision to delay the announcement of the reopening.

“The decision was a united one,” Redman said. (SB)