Parents of students at Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School were left bewildered by the abrupt closure of the institution on Monday, with officials providing no immediate explanation for the decision. Communication with families was delayed until after a scheduled meeting with teachers, leaving many in the dark about the circumstances. In an evening email, parents were informed that the school would remain closed on Tuesday to facilitate discussions between Ministry of Educational Transformation officials and the teaching staff. Earlier in the day, Principal Paula Toppin had issued a notice advising parents and guardians to collect their children “as soon as possible” due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
When Barbados TODAY visited the Government Hill school, parents expressed frustration over the lack of transparency. Many had received the email or seen the alert in a WhatsApp chat but were given no further details. “We received a notice via email and some of us have class chats, so that notice came probably after 11 a.m. No reason was given; we were just told to collect the kids,” one parent shared. “We would like to know what is the reason. After all, it’s our kids. Up to now, I still don’t know what is happening. This is the first time the school has closed for the term, and we would like some answers.”
The Ministry of Educational Transformation had pledged to release a statement clarifying the closure, but as of the time of publication, no such communication had been issued. Julian Pierre, head of the Barbados Union of Teachers’ health and safety committee, stated that the union would comment on the matter at a later date, further heightening the uncertainty surrounding the situation.