Despite education officials reporting a successful start to the new school year, President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell has expressed concern about three schools remaining closed because of ongoing repairs.So concerned was Lovell about what he referred to as a recurring situation, that he suggested that perhaps the time had come for the Educational Technical Management Unit (ETMU) under which school repairs fall to become a separate unit from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MEVT) and be given independent funding.The BUT head complained that the Ministry of Education approached school repairs the same way every year but expected to get a different result.He pointed out that during the September 12-16 planning week, teachers had to be at school plants while construction and industrial cleaning were ongoing – a practice which Lovell said the union was opposed to as it could affect the safety and health of teachers.
