Stakeholders in the education sector are awaiting instructions from the Ministry of Education on whether masks will remain mandatory in schools. But at least one union and the island’s parent-teacher association are open to the mandate being lifted.The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), and the Barbados National Parent-Teacher Association (BNPTA) told Barbados TODAY the Ministry has not sent any correspondence on when the stakeholder meeting to discuss the matter would be convened.On September 23, mask-wearing became optional except in schools, on public transportation, and in facilities such as hospitals, dental offices, clinics, nursing homes, and daycare institutions.Following that announcement, the Ministry of Education said it would review the mandate in two weeks and get back to the public on the way forward.
