The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TEACHERS at CV Bethel High School are grappling with overcrowded, stiflingly hot classrooms, inoperable bathrooms, and a rodent-infested campus, prompting the government to intervene after a list of complaints, according to Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson.

She told The Tribune yesterday that some windows at the school had no operators, while others could not be opened, worsening the classroom heat.

Purported photos and videos of the school’s bathroom showed clogged, dirty sinks and a toilet filled with black sludge.

Mrs Wilson claimed the principal failed to promptly respond to teachers’ written complaints, leading staff to exercise their right not to work in unhealthy conditions on Friday. She further alleged that another senior administrator threatened the teachers that day.

She said the teachers would be at school as usual today.

“The Ministry of Education said the work will be done,” she said. “The Bahamas Union of Teachers will be monitoring this situation closely, and if the repairs and conditions are not completed in a timely manner, our members will take the necessary action to protect themselves and ensure they are not working in unsanitary conditions.”

“There is also concern about the teacher shortage at CV Bethel Senior High School because the classes are overcrowded. Many classrooms lack ventilation, and the heat is unbearable. So, the Ministry of Education must address this matter.”

Regarding the construction of Ragged Island Comprehensive School, Mrs Wilson confirmed that it is nearly complete.

Last week, Member of Parliament Chester Cooper said the school’s construction is “99% complete.” Students on Ragged Island have been without in-person teachers since Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017.

However, Mrs Wilson claimed that while the school nears completion, the teacher’s residence has not yet been furnished, despite a teacher expected to arrive within a week.

“I would like for the Member of Parliament, Mr Chester Cooper, and the Minister of Education, Mrs Glenys Hanna Martin, to give truthful information to the public,” she said.

“The BUT is very pleased with the new school on Ragged Island because those children have suffered since Hurricane Irma. They’ve not had a teacher face-to-face. Yes, a teacher has been identified, though not yet on the island, and we know the children’s education is important and comes first. But school has not yet started face-to-face. So I urge the Member of Parliament and the Minister of Education and her team to ensure the residence is furnished, and once the teacher arrives, hopefully within a week, school can begin face-to-face.”

Currently, Mrs Wilson said school desks are placed at Holy Innocents Anglican Church, but the building lacks WiFi to facilitate virtual learning.