From left: Second Vice President of the BSTU, Charles Morris and President of the BSTU, Mary Redman making their way towards yesterday’s meeting.
The growing level of violence in schools is of great concern to the president of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, Mary Redman, and she believes this is something that needs to be addressed.
She expressed this concern during an interview with The Barbados Advocate before heading into a meeting that was held at the Grantley Adams Memorial School yesterday afternoon.
“Of continuing concern to me is the fact that today again, it was reported to me, and I have some measure of visual evidence, that the police have stopped at least one minivan and in searching the bags of students, have recovered numerous weapons,” she said.
“The ministry has sat back on this for far too long. The Minister talked about a committee almost two years ago now and in the meantime, nothing has been done and the violence has escalated and the problem has deepened and widened.”
She believes that by now a committee should have been formed comprising of relevant stakeholders as they seek to find ways to reduce the level of violence in schools.
She noted that the violence is now deep-rooted and referencing another incident, which took place at a primary school sports day, believes that action must be immediate.
“If ministry officials think that by not addressing it, it will go away, then we are in for some sad times ahead,” she said.
“The Union will not sit back and watch sad times arrive on our members. We cannot, in all faith, face them as leaders and not seek to represent and protect them.”
Going forward, she revealed that they planned to apply as much pressure as they could to get things done, to get those meetings held; get relevant partners in and formulate strategies across various levels.
“I envisage that it will mean changes made to existing legislation,” she said.
“But we cannot sit back and do nothing. That is not what the BSTU is about. Our seventy-plus years of representation is not characterised by accommodation of wrong and of actions, attitudes and behaviours that disadvantage our members and the children of Barbados.”