分类： education

As Barbados grapples with an extended period of record-breaking hot, dry weather that has pushed daily temperatures as high as 33°C across most of the island – and close to 45°C in urban and western regions when factoring in heat index – the country’s Ministry of Education is implementing a series of targeted adjustments to protect student health and safety amid escalating heat risks.

The intervention follows an urgent public warning from the Barbados Meteorological Services (BMS), which has highlighted the growing threat of heat-related illnesses including exhaustion, dehydration, life-threatening heat stroke, and fainting for residents across the island. With warmer-than-average overnight temperatures failing to provide the usual cooling respite, vulnerable groups including school-aged children face elevated risks of adverse health outcomes during the prolonged heat event.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman outlined the first wave of changes already underway at one local secondary school, where incoming first-year students are testing climate-appropriate new uniforms designed to keep bodies cooler in the persistent heat. “You will see a uniform at the Princess Margaret Secondary School with those first-year students that is fit for purpose in a hot climate,” Blackman told reporters. “Part of what the transformation requires is that, as we move forward with the confidence of 60 years behind us, we are determining that we must now come of age in a hot country, to wear uniforms that are appropriate.”

Blackman emphasized that the ministry is endorsing all evidence-based adjustments that help maintain comfortable, safe learning environments for students during the heatwave. One longstanding priority the ministry has promoted through its national school nutrition policy – increased daily water consumption – has become even more critical amid the high temperatures, he noted. “I must say over the last two years, even before I became minister of education, a number of our schools have seen a significant uptake in the use of water and we want to encourage that,” Blackman added.

Beyond uniform adjustments and hydration initiatives, the ministry is also carrying out targeted infrastructure upgrades to school facilities across the country to reduce indoor classroom temperatures. Key modifications include repainting building exteriors with lighter, heat-reflective paint that keeps indoor spaces cooler throughout the hottest parts of the day, and installing air conditioning units in high-priority areas where feasible – from administrative offices to core learning spaces – to bring more comfortable temperatures to school communities.

“We have made a deliberate intention to make sure that our schools and the infrastructure is modern and fresh,” Blackman said of the ongoing upgrade work.

According to BMS projections, the sweltering conditions are not expected to ease any time soon. The service confirmed that temperatures have settled between 32°C and 33°C across the southern, eastern, and northern parts of Barbados, while western and densely populated urban areas have regularly hit the mid-30s, with heat indexes pushing perceived temperatures close to 45°C. Worse, unseasonably warm overnight temperatures have offered almost no relief from the heat, increasing the cumulative risk of heat-related illness for all residents, particularly vulnerable groups and people who work outdoors.

The BMS noted that while occasional passing showers and light breezes may bring short-term temporary relief, the current high temperatures are forecast to persist for the remainder of the 2024 heat season, which runs from September through November. The national weather service has issued general public guidance advising all residents to drink sufficient water throughout the day, opt for loose, light-colored clothing, and avoid unnecessary exposure to direct sunlight during the peak heating hours of midday and early afternoon.

Barbados’ Ministry of Education has announced a major, year-long infrastructure upgrade project that will require relocating students from four primary schools for the 2026–2027 academic year, while wrapping up a separate round of facility improvements ahead of the upcoming 2024 school term starting Monday. Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman confirmed the long-term plans during a Friday press conference, noting that the relocation decision follows routine summer facility inspections carried out as part of the ministry’s ongoing nationwide school infrastructure improvement program.

Blackman named the four affected campuses as Good Shepherd Primary, Saint Paul’s Primary, Milton Lynch Primary and Eagle Hall Primary. Chief Education Officer Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw outlined the detailed temporary placement plan for all impacted students: At Good Shepherd, nursery through Infants B students will move to Eden Lodge Primary; Classes 1 and 2 will hold classes at Trent’s Resource Centre, and Classes 3 and 4 will relocate to the John the Baptist Church. All students from Eagle Hall Primary will be temporarily hosted at Lawrence T. Gay Primary School.

For Saint Paul’s Primary, Reception and Class 1 students will attend classes at Bay Primary, while students in Grades 2 through 4 will move to Luther Thorne Primary. At Milton Lynch Primary, Reception through Class 1 students will be hosted at St Christopher Primary, and older students in Grades 2 through 4 will take classes at St Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church.

Officials emphasized that the multi-million dollar upgrades are designed to transform the four schools into safer, more modern, inclusive and climate-resilient learning facilities. A public statement from the ministry outlined the full scope of planned works, which includes full roof replacement and structural repairs, upgrades to structural steel frameworks, the addition of new emergency exit staircases, installation of accessible, gender-inclusive restroom facilities, construction of covered outdoor learning spaces, new security guard posts, purpose-built classrooms for inclusive education programs, overhauls of outdated electrical and plumbing systems, replacement of old windows and doors, full interior and exterior repainting, improvements to school grounds and athletic fields, installation of new large-capacity water storage tanks, and structural upgrades to bring the campuses into full compliance with Category 1 hurricane shelter standards.

Alongside the long-term 2026–2027 project, the ministry is currently putting finishing touches on a separate round of upgrades for 13 schools, scheduled for completion ahead of the new school term starting this Monday. The 13 schools included in this summer’s immediate upgrade cycle are Blackman and Gollop Primary, A. DaCosta Edwards Primary, All Saints Primary, Roland Edwards Primary, St James Primary, St Stephen’s Primary, Hilda Skeene Primary, Bayley’s Primary, Christ Church Girls’ Primary, Hillaby Turners Hall Primary, St George Primary, Grantley Prescod Memorial Primary and Deacons Primary.

A Barbados TODAY on-site inspection Friday found campuses across the island already preparing for student arrival. School staff were documented deep-cleaning kitchen appliances, sanitizing classroom furniture, pressure-washing exterior walkways and restocking classroom supplies, while construction teams conducted final safety inspections and walkthroughs to confirm all works meet regulatory standards.

Specific on-site checks confirmed that repainting and kitchen upgrades at Blackman and Gollop Primary are fully complete. At St George Primary, the full roof replacement project has been finished, along with a full renovation and repainting of the school assembly hall. Grantley Prescod Memorial Primary has completed a full building repaint, replacement of damaged hall and corridor ceilings, and construction of a new auxiliary wing to host students from the Wilkie Cumberbatch Infants Department. At Deacons Primary, workers have applied a fresh coat of paint across the campus, and finished replacing the roof and windows on the school’s east wing.

A landmark universal breakfast initiative for public primary and nursery school students is set to launch this Monday, crafted to deliver balanced nutrition that fuels classroom focus without overtaxing young learners, Education Transformation Minister Chad Blackman has announced. Framing the rollout as a long-awaited milestone for public education, Blackman detailed the program’s core mission and preparations during a recent press briefing, addressing public questions about future expansion to secondary education.

Unlike large, heavy morning meals that can leave students drowsy during lessons, Blackman explained that nutrition experts have carefully calibrated portion sizes and menu options to keep children alert and energized through their first classes of the day. “This will not be a massive breakfast that sends kids off to sleep mid-lesson,” he told reporters. “The menu that the team has put together is so well-designed, I even joked that I wish this program had existed when I was a primary school student.”

Blackman emphasized that the program goes far beyond simply providing free food to enrolled students; its core goal is to close nutritional gaps that often leave food-insecure children unable to concentrate on their studies, setting them up for academic success from the moment they arrive at school. The rollout marks the culmination of years of public demand for modernization of the national school feeding system, he added, noting that his ministry has worked systematically to restructure and upgrade the School Meals Department to deliver consistent, high-quality meals across all public educational institutions.

“For years, we’ve heard public calls to revamp the school meals system. We’ve all been through primary school, and we’ve listened closely to what communities want: a modern, improved service that meets student needs,” Blackman said. “This breakfast program is just the first step; our goal is to lift the entire school meals framework into a new era of quality and accessibility.”

In response to questions about food insecurity and financial hardship among secondary school students, Blackman clarified that existing support systems for at-risk secondary students will remain fully in place as the government reviews options for expanding the universal program to older grade levels. Currently, the School Meals Department already provides targeted breakfast access for secondary students who demonstrate need, and ongoing public consultations have identified broader demand for universal access at the secondary level. No final policy decision on expansion has been made, but the ministry is conducting a full review of student needs across all age groups, Blackman said.

The minister also highlighted that long-standing public-private partnership programs that currently provide breakfast to vulnerable secondary students will continue operating uninterrupted while the government formalizes a broader national policy. “These community and private partners have been doing critical work to address nutritional gaps for years, and they will continue to collaborate with us to support secondary students as we map out the next steps,” he stated. “I want to give the entire public full assurance: the ministry and the broader government are committed to ensuring every student, whether in primary or secondary school, has access to the adequate nutrition they need to thrive.”

Closing the briefing, Blackman reaffirmed that all infrastructure and preparations are complete for the Monday launch, with universal access ready to roll out immediately across every public primary and nursery school in the country. “We’ve left no stone unturned to make sure this program is ready to serve our kids, and to create a more comfortable, supportive learning environment for both students and teachers alike,” he added.

Three associate degree students at Barbados Community College (BCC) have become the first beneficiaries of a newly launched agriculture scholarship that will cover all remaining registration fees for their programs, opening new doors for young talent invested in the island’s agricultural future.

Named the Lion Roy Ward Scholarship, the initiative was developed through a year-long partnership between BCC and the Lions Club of Barbados North, created to honor the club’s founding charter president, the late Elkins Leroy Ward—universally known as Lion Roy—who spent decades advancing Barbados’ agricultural sector. The scholarship was formally awarded during an official presentation ceremony held Wednesday.

The three selected recipients are Delano Lorde, Traude Walton and Joshua Yearwood. Each brought diverse agricultural interests that reflect the modern evolution of the industry: one focuses on dairy farming, another on entomology, and the third on integrating artificial intelligence into agricultural practices.

Dr. Arlyn Linton-Jones, Acting Senior Tutor in BCC’s Division of Natural Sciences, explained that the project filled a longstanding gap for agriculture students at the institution, which had not previously offered a dedicated scholarship for the field. Over 12 months, the college and the Lions Club worked to finalize eligibility criteria, selection processes and funding structures to bring the award to fruition. “We have worked on this scholarship, getting all the requirements in place… where we can officially reward these students,” she noted.

Louis Ifill, chair of the Lions Club of Barbados North Special Projects Committee, said advancing agricultural development and strengthening Barbados’ food security were core motivations for creating the scholarship, a mission directly aligned with Ward’s life’s work. “He was deeply involved in the production of sugar cane, various ground provisions, vegetables and also dairy farming as well,” Ifill shared. Beyond crop production, Ward helped grow the island’s iconic Sea Island cotton industry, was once Barbados’ largest dairy farmer, and counted among the first milk suppliers to the prominent local brand Pine Hill Dairy. He also made his mark in agricultural leadership: he was the first appointed chairman of the Barbados Agricultural Development Company and contributed to a landmark government project that launched the national school meals programme back in 1962. Most importantly, Ifill added, nurturing the next generation of agricultural professionals was one of Ward’s greatest passions.

To earn the award, applicants were required to hold a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and submit a detailed essay outlining their long-term career plans for agriculture in Barbados. Shortlisted candidates then moved forward to personal interviews with the Lions Club selection panel before the three winners were chosen.

Ward’s daughter, Linda Ward-Bowen, called the scholarship a perfect tribute to her father’s lifelong dedication to the sector. She recalled his core belief that still resonates amid ongoing conversations about food sovereignty: “One of the things he used to say all the time was ‘you should grow what you eat and eat what you grow, that way you would never starve.’”

BCC Deputy Principal Samuel Bowen framed the scholarship as more than just immediate financial relief for students; it is a strategic investment in Barbados’ agricultural future. He noted the launch comes at a particularly meaningful moment, as the first cohort of students officially began studies this week at the new Hope Agricultural Training Institute in St Lucy, marking a broader push to expand agricultural education across the island.

Speaking on behalf of the three recipients, Traude Walton expressed gratitude to BCC staff and the Lions Club for recognizing the students’ potential and investing in their education. “Having our registration cost covered throughout the remainder of our associate degree was a major help to us and it will allow us to focus even more on our studies,” he said, adding that all three awardees plan to apply their education to drive growth and innovation in Barbados’ agricultural sector.