When Do Kids Go Back to School Ma

PM: Back to school only when safe

Published on
December 16, 2021

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has promised that the return to the face-to-face teaching environment will be done safely, in due course, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delivering the feature address at the Leadership Badge Presentation at the Wildey Gymnasium on Wednesday, Mottley said she sympathized with school children who were longing to return to face-to-face classes, and assured that efforts will be made to work with students and their parents for the return to classrooms.

"But we need to do it safely and we need to make sure that as you do it you can also be safe, because we don't want anybody harming anyone or getting sick," she said.

The Prime Minister also assured students that authorities understood the challenges they faced in the online teaching environment and were putting measures in place to ensure they would be able to make up for what they may have lost in the almost two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I know that your [Minister of Education] Santia Bradshaw, every week she talks about how she can make things better for you and how she can make it easier for some of you to make different choices that the system doesn't allow.

"So that some of you who are on this side of the room [where primary school recipients of leadership badges were seated], by the time you get to this side of the room [where secondary school recipients of leadership badges were seated], that you will have an education system hopefully that recognizes that you have different abilities," she said.

Congratulating all those students presented with leadership badges, Prime Minister Mottley reminded the children that being leaders meant that they must know right from wrong, care about others, and stand up against bullying and other issues affecting their peers.

She also shared with the students that as they grow older, they would understand that every choice they made had a consequence. She told them they must also be able to inspire their peers.

"Everybody is worthy of our respect and our care. And if you can do these things while doing marine biology or law or being a cricketer or being an accountant or being like Rihanna, or being a politician, then believe me, you will be honouring the faith that we have put in you this morning to be leaders of this country.

"The journey is not about you alone; the journey is about us together. And if you remember nothing else this morning, remember that you have to honour leadership by being able to take care of us together," Mottley said.

Minister Bradshaw indicated that her ministry has been working closely with the youth to deepen student engagement in a virtual environment during the pandemic.

She also disclosed that the Ministry recently re-established student councils across all schools to provide students with the opportunity to contribute to the development of policies at the national level.

"As head boys and head girls at your respective schools, it is anticipated that you will actively participate in your school's council and bring the critical issues to the national council for ventilation and resolution as necessary," Bradshaw said.

She also said that the logo and slogan of the National Student Council were chosen in a recently concluded competition, and indicated that the prize-giving ceremony and full rollout of the councils will take place early next year. (AH)

Read our ePaper. Fast. Factual. Free.

Sign up and stay up to date with Barbados' FREE latest news.

When Do Kids Go Back to School Ma

Source: https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/12/16/pm-back-to-school-only-when-safe/

Share this post