Classes at the Ross University School of Medicine are now in session and with the exception of a few minor complaints about the housing situation, students appear to be satisfied.

Barbados TODAY visited the Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Center-based campus this afternoon where a newly-refurbished building was buzzing with activity. Students, mostly first year, who were having their first taste of the Ross University experience, were pleasantly surprised with the school and its new host country.

[caption id="attachment_287130" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Ross University School of Medicine was a hive of activity as classes started for the first time today.[/caption]

Kelly Pedraza, a first-year, first-semester student who has only been on the island for a week said: “Everything has been great. The people have been really welcoming, which I am kind of surprised about.

“Today was our first day [of classes] and everything was pretty introductory, so I'm not very worried yet,” she said with a smile. “I think that after the initial adjustment period, everything will be really smooth.”

During her short time on the island, Pedraza has also paid a visit to a few of the country's popular landmarks.

“I've been to Carlisle Bay. It's really beautiful there. Everybody's been really warm and understanding about the fact that I don't know a whole lot [about the island]. I've been to Oistins. That was the first time I tried shark and it was really good, so no complaints,” she said.

Kinza Javed, a first-semester student from Connecticut noted that “the campus is beautiful on the inside and the professors and faculty have been very helpful in creating the perfect environment so far for me personally.” She added that the first few days had been surprisingly smooth.

“I actually thought it would have been much more difficult to adjust than it has been,” she said.

Despite the regular campus shuttle service, Kinza said transportation had been an issue and accused some taxi operators of attempting to scam students.

“Everyone charges you different amounts for going to the same places. I wish people would appreciate Ross students' business a little bit more and not charge us crazy amounts as you would for tourists. We've been scammed a little bit,” she said.

As it related to the contentious issue of housing, Kinza told Barbados TODAY that conditions could be a little better. Without going into detail, she said: “A lot of students are having major issues with the housing. It seems like it was a little bit rushed, but other than that, all other accommodations relating to the school have been great. All members have been very helpful, both Barbadian and American.”

Ryan Nguyn a Canadian of Vietnamese decent agreed that the housing situation was “a little bit rough right now”.

Nevertheless, he was happy to “have clean running water, an AC unit and a roof over [his] head.”

“I am by all means happy with what I have right now,” he said.

The Canadian student whose goal is to one day specialize in internal medicine is also very happy with the hospitality shown to him by locals.

“It's been phenomenal. The 'Bajans' here have been very helpful, very friendly. . . I am actually very surprised with the community here, with how everything is turning out. I didn't have any issues moving in, so I'm actually very surprised that it has been a very smooth transition.

“We just had our first class today, in biochemistry and a little biology. It was good,” he said, while adding that amid preparations for the start of class on Monday, he too was able to enjoy many of the activities offered on the island.

“We've been to the (St Lawrence) Gap so far, we went to Oistins fish market, the Boatyard as well. Those are phenomenal places. It was a time just to get all of the first-year, first-semester students to get together and interact and talk to one another about where they're from and what they're doing,” he said. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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An air of uncertainty surrounds the smooth functioning of Barbados' public transportation system after a request by public service vehicle operators for dialogue with the Barbados Transport Authority on a number of pressing issues appears to have been rejected.

[caption id="attachment_287132" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Disappointed PSV operators discussing the way forward with President of the National Union of Public Workers, Akanni McDowall.[/caption]

To make matters worse, primary and secondary students across the country return to classes tomorrow amid the uncertainty of what next step the aggrieved PSV owners will take.

President of the new group representing PSV operators, Shawn Best, spokesperson, Fabian Wharton and other members expressed extreme disappointment after the meeting, scheduled for 9:30 this morning was called off.

“We are trying to achieve the same things that everyone else is trying to achieve, and that is a better transport system,” said spokesperson, Fabian Wharton.

“So we are extremely disappointed with the turn of events, but we have not lost hope that we can have this conversation later in the evening with our members and then be guided by them. That is all we can do,” he said while indicating that no action had been planned.

The situation reached boiling point last week when PSV drivers and conductors staged a work stoppage over the imposition of 'an expensive' new uniform bearing the logo of the Barbados Transport Authority. Ever since then, there were suggestions that if this along with a slew of other grievances were not addressed by authorities, PSV operators, who make up approximately 65 per cent of the country's fragile public transport system could put down their vehicles.

“At this point, there's no planned course of action or anything like that. All we are interested in right now is to have some civilized dialogue on the way forward.

“After last week's events, we were scheduled to have a meeting with the transport authority this morning at 9:30. Our delegation turned up to the Transport Authority's offices. However we were subsequently informed that there wouldn't be a meeting,” said Wharton.

While top officials from the newly-formed group told media they were giving transport authority officials until the end of today [Monday January 7th] to engage them, they did not indicate what the next move would be.

“Basically we are going to wait until the end of the day. We are going to try all mechanisms and all resources to try to have that [dialogue] occur. All we are after is to have a conversation as it relates to the issues that we face and come up with solutions that are beneficial to everyone in the industry,” he said.

After receiving the disappointing news from transport authority officials, the group converged on the grounds of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) on Dalkeith Road, St Michael.

“We have asked the President of the NUPW, [Akanni McDowall] to assist us in trying to get that dialogue going and we are asking other friends that we have to do the same,” said Wharton.

McDowall again pledged his support, describing the fledging organization as a “friend” of the NUPW and indicating that for the time being he was just giving industrial relations advice to the group.

“I like the fact that they are very reasoned in their approach. They are looking for dialogue. They are not saying that they just want to take industrial action and inconvenience the public. All they want to do is have a meeting and I find that is a position that I can support,” said McDowall.

“Personally for me I remember catching vans when I was going to school and when I first started to work and I understand the environment they work under and if there's anything I can do personally or if there's anything that my organization can do to assist those members, we will do those things in order to achieve the best possible result,” the union president added. 

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Police and union officials are probing an incident at a primary school this morning when an unknown man barged onto the compound as teachers were attending a meeting in preparation for tomorrow's start of classes.

While no one was reportedly injured, president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Sean Spencer said the security breach could have resulted in a more serious outcome.

He said the manner in which the intruder entered the school caused some staff to be alarmed, forcing them to flee for fear for their safety.

“The janitor managed to lock herself up [in a room] to keep out of harm's way. The man apparently grabbed keys from a member of staff, entered the classroom and threw a television and other stuff across the room,” the BUT leader told Barbados TODAY this afternoon.

He said the majority of staff, mostly teachers, were in a meeting at the time.

“The police would have been alerted to the situation and responded. When they searched the area the individual was not found. It gives rise to a situation where the staff is now unsettled,” he added.

He lamented that the school has been without a proper perimeter fence for over ten years.

“The fence has been very porous. It could be one where you could say that the poles and the fence have long divorced and gone their separate ways,” Spencer said.

The union boss said that this latest incident brought into sharp focus teachers’ concern regarding the security at the island’s schools and he queried whether a more serious incident would have to take place for measures at schools to be urgently improved.

Spencer told Barbados TODAY this matter, along with other security breaches, would be high on the agenda of a planned meeting later this month with the Ministry of Education.

“A number of the staff members, both teaching and non-teaching members of staff [found themselves] having to secure themselves basically to escape what seemed to be some mentally-challenged individual,” he recalled.

“What this brings to bear is the fact that we have again, and unfortunately, been visited by a case where the outcome could have been much more severe and dire...and it seems it would take some more unfortunate circumstance or set of circumstances to see these security measures being improved,” he  contended.  He said the BUT was concerned that the school plants in Barbados appear now to be left open to all and sundry to traverse and trespass.

“And it really and truly is not a tenable situation. The teaching fraternity is really and truly highly desirous of seeing that these needs be addressed urgently...and we are going to be having to look into this matter more thoroughly,” he promised.

He suggested that some of the proposals which the union could submit for improved security include petitioning the Ministry of Defence and Security or addressing the Ministry of Finance which controls the purse strings of Government.

“But this is an issue which has grave consequences. You have schools which have nursery students, three years of age who can potentially be harmed. We had two cases early during the last school term . . . one at Belmont Primary which led to a parent being charged and another situation where another individual who also seemed to have mental challenges, went onto the compound of another rural school and threatened to kill a child. These are not the situations we want to be the common practice in 2019,” the BUT president warned.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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A group of stranded Haitians has not only run out of money, and is appealing for assistance with funds to purchase tickets to return to their homeland, but some of them are being exploited.

Barbados TODAY understands that some of the Haitians who came to the island looking for work, have found employment, but are not getting paid.

[caption id="attachment_286362" align="aligncenter" width="497"] Pastor David Durant speaking to the Haitian men last month.[/caption]

This development has angered former Government Senator and Chairman of the National Assistance Board (NAB), Reverend Dr David Durant, who told Barbados TODAY that he is currently trying to assist a young man who worked on a construction site for ten days, in accessing funds from a contractor who has been refusing to pay him his money.

The young man who speaks little English, told Barbados TODAY that he has been calling the contractor who has been rejecting his calls. He said he knows he should not have been working, but only did it to help himself because he has been on the island for almost five months and ran out of what limited money he came here with, weeks ago.

“I don't think it is fair for people to be so low in their particular situation, and for us to push them lower, or push them further into the mud, by exploiting them. I think that is very unjust and unfair, and if these situations are true, I would really want to appeal to those persons who are doing it, to desist from doing such a thing.

“If you are having people come and work, and because you know of their plight, you can refuse to pay them, and they can't do anything about it, then you are exploiting their energies and their work and their labour, without giving them a cent. So I want to appeal to anyone involved in this practice to stop it because we have a few that we have to deal with, and one is here right now on our premises who is asking me if I can get the money from the person that he worked for.

“So I plan to go to the person and I am going to ask them if they can pay, and if I have to get the law involved to ensure that he can get the money, that is what I will do, because it is over a BDS$1000 that he is owed from what he said,” Durant explained.

Over the past few weeks, the story of a group of Haitians who were evicted from the Bonnetts, Brittons Hill, St Michael home they rented, has been highlighted in the local media. The young men, between the ages of 21 and 36, who were rescued by Durant and taken to his Restoration Ministries Church where they rested and were fed, were offered shelter at the Salvation Army Church's Reed Street hostel, where they have remained.

However, the frustrated Haitians who paid between BDS$2500 and BDS$3000 to come to Barbados on the promise that work and accommodation would be provided for them, have been living a nightmare. Not only have some of them run out of money and are unable to feed themselves, but while some of them want to return home, they are unable to, because they cannot purchase the tickets.

Last week, Dr Durant and Barbados' Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong appealed to Barbadians to gave monetary donations to help purchase the return tickets.

However, Durant told Barbados TODAY this afternoon, that he would like to make a fresh appeal for help, since only one individual come forward with a donation of BDS$1000, some of which has already purchased a return ticket for one of the men who is expected to leave the island on Wednesday. Seven of them are still hoping for more money to come in so they too would be able to return home.

“I don't know how I got involved in this so deeply. I came out to rescue the group from being exposed to the early morning elements, and here I am now dealing with a situation that I did not anticipate. I find that they are all coming back to me, and more are even coming. Yesterday, six of them came to the church during service. These are young people who came here under the false notion that Barbados has jobs and also accommodation for them after paying exorbitant sums of money to an agency, and have discovered that they were really fooled.

“It is important therefore that something is done to help the situation at this time. I have asked for help from fellow Barbadians. I know that some of the stranded Haitians have appealed to some of their families back in Haiti, to help, but some of them are very poor as well, and are unable to do so, and hence they are still stranded here. I am waiting on other contributions to come in. If people can give BDS$100, BDS$200, BDS$300, they don't have to give a $1000 if they don't have. But whatever they can give, every little bit would add up, and we would be able to get more tickets, and we would be able to help the others,” he said.

“Some of the guys don't have any money at all. When they come here, of course, we have to give them something to eat because they are hungry. We experience that on a daily basis as they come. That is really their condition right now. What they came with has been exhausted. So it is for us to get them back, since in the six months they have to visit, work is prohibited. They cannot work,” Durant added.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Comissiong said while he does not want Barbadians to feel as though Haitians are coming to the island to be a burden on people, he believes that an appeal should also be sent to Haitians in Haiti and those in the diaspora, to make donations.

Ambassador Comissiong said it was unfortunate that when Barbados and other Caribbean countries lifted the visa requirement for Haitians, that the Haitian Government did not disseminate public education to explain to the people of that nation that the lifting of the visa requirement does not mean that Haitians could simply come and work in Barbados, or that jobs are readily available here.

“The Haitian people need to be given the correct information as a matter of urgency, because we are having this regrettable situation where a number of Haitians are coming to Barbados believing that they can work, and that there are jobs readily available when this is in fact not the case. I am trying as much as I can to urge the Haitian authorities to implement such a public information campaign. And I have been communicating with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Haitian Ambassador to CARICOM, and to Barbados' Honorary Consul in Haiti.

“If the correct information doesn't get to the Haitian people, we are likely to see more cases of Haitians coming here, thinking they can work, finding that they can't work, there are no available jobs, and therefore ending up asking Barbadians to assist where they can,” Ambassador Comissiong said.
 anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The man behind a new venture being advertised on social media over the last few days as a club catering to members of the LGBT community says response has been overwhelmingly positive so far and is reflective of a paradigm shift in how Barbadians are seeing that segment of society.

Well known entrepreneur, Charles “Charlie Spice” Lewis, told Barbados TODAY that ever since he started advertising his new club, G Lounge Barbados, on social media over the last 48 hours word has spread quickly, and has been mostly very positive.

“We have had 75 applications for membership and another 60 inquiries (about membership). I have also spoken to visitors from the LGBT community who are over the moon about it and are even willing to extend their vacations here so they can patronize it when it opens later this month. I have also had a positive response from some prominent Barbadians who say they have been longing for a place like this.”

While acknowledging there were other clubs with the G Lounge name in New York and Philadelphia among other places, Lewis said the name of his establishment was distinct enough from his counterparts’ not to create any problems, and indeed he had reached out to them regarding cross-promotion opportunities.

The businessman said he had encountered no legal difficulties with establishing the club, since it was located on a property he already owned. He added: “It is a legitimate bar I am operating, not a place where people will be indulging in sexual activities. As a matter of fact, there are gay patrons in every place of entertainment in Barbados; no one screens people at the doors based on their perceived sexual orientation!”

He added: “The only thing I would caution club members on, especially the visitors, is public display of affection owing to the nature of Barbadian society for the most part.”

According to reports, advertisements on social media for the club have requested “gay” or “gay-friendly” staff, which might generate controversy in some circles, but Lewis countered this. “Anyone is free to apply for a job at the club, but I have specifically included this because it is important that our employees do not offend anyone, even if they are not necessarily gay themselves.”

On that score, “Charlie Spice” said he grew up in a Barbadian society that was highly homophobic, but his attitude towards the homosexual community changed after he resided in Europe and the United States for many years. “After living in those places I realized people there were a lot more open-minded and tolerant of LGBT people living among them, and although I am straight, I have many friends who are gay. I am comfortable with my own sexuality, so their preferences do not bother me in any way.”

He has also noticed that younger Barbadians are more tolerant of the LGBT community than their forebears. “I am particularly excited about this project because it is coming at a time when Barbadians' attitudes towards the LGBT community are changing, especially among the millennials.

“In the past, you found people suppressed their homosexuality, but now they are becoming more open about it. My experience abroad showed me that homophobia is a learned behaviour as opposed to a natural reaction, and younger Barbadians are becoming more open-minded on this matter.”

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The Ministry of Health and Wellness today said that recent analytical results from the Medicines Quality Control and Surveillance Department (formerly CARPHA laboratory) has indicated that analysis of samples of Indapamide 1.5mg and Valsartan 160mg and 320mg manufactured by Ciron Drugs and Pharmaceuticals PVT Ltd failed to meet the dissolution test and, as a result, have been withdrawn from the market.

As a result, the government release stated that the Barbados Drug Service will seek to ensure that patients on these products are not disadvantaged and will therefore continue to supply the Diovan® 160mg and 320mg tablets, the Novartis brand of Valsartan. Natrilix SR® 1.5mg, the Servier brand of Indapamide will also be made available.

“We are therefore advising patients to consult with their pharmacists to determine if their particular brand is affected. The Ministry of Health and Wellness also wishes to inform Barbadians that the Valsartan affected by the recent recall on the international market is not available locally through the Barbados Drug Service. It should also be noted that the Servier brand of Indapamide, Natrilix SR, was not part of the recall.

“We therefore wish to assure the Barbadian public that the Ministry of Health and Wellness stands behind the Barbados Drug Service in commitment to its mission “to provide quality pharmaceuticals to all residents of Barbados at an affordable price and to serve the beneficiaries in a courteous and efficient manner,” the release stated.

The Ministry said it would continue to keep abreast of all warnings from the international regulatory agencies to safeguard the interest of the Barbadian population.

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As Government continues to seek out ways to improve efficiencies in the public service through greater use of technology, a Toronto-based firm is making a bid to help with just that.

Officials of signature company Syngrafii Inc. were recently in Barbados meeting with private sector and government officials in order to introduce its online technology, which they say could help companies and government collectively save significant sums each year.

Syngrafii is an e-signature company, which provides companies with the option of executing original biometric ink signature onto hard copy or electronic documents when and where they want without having to incur mailing and other costs.

Vice President of Technology Ravi Dave told Barbados TODAY such a technology was critical if companies in Barbados wanted to minimize travel and save money, time and paper, while being more efficient.

[caption id="attachment_287149" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Vice President of Technology at Syngrafii Inc. Ravi Dave (left) and Vice President of Sales Eric Strong.[/caption]

“So there is a lot of green savings to it. There is a lot of efficiencies in time benefits from being able to execute agreements in that fashion,” he said, pointing out that the use of Syngrafii software would also allow companies to save big time by not having to send documents via courier for signing.

Pointing to Barbados’ reputation of being a jurisdiction for international business and the government’s need to go paperless, Dave said his company was a perfect fit.

He also noted that more people were becoming less interested in face-to-face business transactions, especially when all that was required is a signature.

“On the compliance side of things, there are many e-signature laws globally and we comply with the different requirements for the different jurisdictions,” he said, while giving the assurance that the system was highly protected.

“If you have to sign 20 times on an electronic contract you have to sign 20 times. So instead of signing once and copy and paste your signature, which other competitors allow you to do, it protects you as an individual and each signature is unique . . . and in the background we have the compliance audit trail,” he explained.

Syngrafii, started in 2004, targets firms that carry out legal and other transactions that require signatures, spanning a range of industries in the private and public sectors including law, immigration, health, real estate and tourism.

The company was recently introduced to Barbados through a partnership with the Barbados-based outsourcing company Crucible International.

Vice President of Sales Eric Strong told Barbados TODAY that so far Syngrafii has clients in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Canada and North America and was now expanding into Africa.

“Why Barbados? I think it is an interesting central hub for innovative business solutions and opportunities. We have a key relationship with Crucible International, a local company. We are finding that as organizations and governments are looking for digital transformation to improve how they deliver services. It is about the client experience of interfacing and with their constituents or customers, then it is about how you can improve the efficiencies of what you do,” said Strong.

He said following meetings over three weeks ago with local officials, things were looking promising.

“We presented what the technology was as an introduction to the market. We anticipate further conversations and presentations and dialogue on helping organizations determine how the technology can be used for their benefit,” he said.

“We had some very good conversations with some of your government ministries that attended and there is an initiative to do a digital transformation and becoming more efficient at delivering government services. So there was expressed interest in the evaluation, looking at how this might be deployed in one of the government offices and we will continue down that path. We will see in the weeks and months to come how that evolves, but we are very interested in helping them evaluate the technology and determine the specific use within their business environment,” he added.

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Commuters were this morning experiencing difficulties in Speightstown as some public service vehicle (PSV) operators go on strike on the first day of the new school term. (KS)

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Police are seeking the public's help in finding 34-year-old Mary Oxley, of No. 13 Church Hill, Christ Church.

She was last seen by her parents on Monday January 7 about 8:45a.m.

Oxley is about 5'6" tall, light in complexion, stoutly built and is soft spoken.

She drives a silver grey Suzuki Swift registration number  XD712.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the nearest police station, Police Emergency 211 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 TIPS.

The post Christ Church woman missing appeared first on Barbados Today.

Police have identified the body of the man found floating in the Careenage on Sunday, January 6.

It is that of 41-year-old Shon Adrian Edwards, of The Ivy, St Michael.

The post Police identify body found in Careenage appeared first on Barbados Today.

Th 34-year-old woman who was reported missing has been found.

Mary Oxley, of No. 13 Church Hill, Christ Church, was traced by lawmen at the Worthing Police Station.

The Royal Barbados Police Force thanks the public for their support in this matter.

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Below is a statement by Chairman of the Transport Authority, Ian Estwick, on today's strike by some PSV owners and operators.

“We are very surprised by the action taken today as we agreed to sit down on Wednesday January 9, 2019 to hear the operators’ issues. As the regulatory body our remit is with the permit holders. We are sensitive to the representation made to us and, therefore, agreed to meet with the newly formed group. I know that at this time it’s a very emotionally charged climate with pressing issues. However, it is through listening that issues can be resolved and not through emotional responses. We are prepared to sit and have reasoned discussions with the new group. As I have said repeatedly since assuming the chairmanship of this Board, we cannot fix overnight all the problems that have existed for decades.

As a regulatory body – we do not make the laws; we issue permits based on the laws and regulations that govern the acceptance of the permits. Where there is room for us to compromise in areas that will lead to a better service, we are willing to listen and act but at the same time it has to be understood that we cannot and will not compromise in areas that will affect the safety and security of our travelling public and other road users.

We want to commend those owners/operators who have not withheld their services and thank them for their support in the interest of the travelling public."

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Proponents for the disbanding of the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), familiarly known as the Common Entrance or 11-plus exam, have found a strong ally in the form of the head of the School of Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus.

As a matter of fact, Professor of Education and Director of the School of Education, Joel Warrican, contends that Barbados and the rest of Caribbean are subjecting Class 4 children to an assessment system that is racist in its origin.

[caption id="attachment_287172" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Professor of Education and Director of the School of Education, Joel Warrican, is adamant that the Common Entrance Exam should be a thing of the past.[/caption]

“The funny thing is that this exam came out of an unjust system. It’s an exam that we inherited from the UK, started through a psychologist called Cyril Burt. He devised this exam basically to separate the sheep from the goat, to ensure that the best students go to top schools and the others somewhere else. Later, Cyril Burt was discredited as being racist.  He did not like blacks, did not like Pakistanis and so forth. This exam is really to make sure that the best white persons go to the top schools,” explained Warrican.

In his interview with Barbados TODAY this morning the academic noted that even though the demographic makeup of Barbados is predominantly black, the elitist construct of the Common Entrance Exam has not changed.

“We have kept it. We hear officials say to us that it is the fairest way to ensure that our people get the best education. Well, who are our people? Is it just the few persons who are going to do extremely well and benefit from the so-called top secondary schools? What happened to the large percentage of students, who through this exam, are sent to certain schools? They are not well supported, and they end up quite often becoming a stress on our society,” said Warrican, who acknowledged that in recent years the success rate of the “second tier” secondary school had improved tremendously.

However, the educator said that it would not be an easy task to convince the decision-makers in the education system that change was necessary, as many of them are the beneficiaries of the elitist structure and therefore want the system of exclusivity to remain intact.

“I contend that many people like it because many of us have benefited from it. Many of us have gone to those same top schools and do not want certain types of students going into these schools and we want to keep the status quo” he charged.

Warrican told Barbados TODAY that he was not against assessment before entering secondary school but rather was concerned about the manner in which the garnered information was being currently used. He argued that instead of using Common Entrance results as the benchmark for school allocation, they should be used to correct the students’ deficiencies.

“I think it should be disbanded, totally disbanded. I support an assessment system because it is not just about disbanding an exam. You can use an assessment to get the relevant information, the necessary information about a child so that you can help them. So, when the student goes to secondary school, it should not just be a transfer from primary to secondary school,” he stressed.

Last week former Member of Parliament for St Michael South East, Hamilton Lashley, made a similar call for scrapping the 11-plus examination. He linked social segregation in the island to the BSSEE. He suggested that the exam has led to division among young children who passed for older secondary schools and those enrolled in the newer secondary institutions.

“I am one of those persons who believes that the examination should be scrapped. I do not understand why in a modern era when we have so many different models of primary education that we cannot find the right model. What has me puzzled is why do we continue with an examination that determines the success of a child based on two subjects English and Maths. It lends a sort of inferiority complex to some of those children who fail the 11+ exam,” Lashley said at the time.

colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb

The post Scrap it now appeared first on Barbados Today.

The confusion and anxiety over mistakes in the grading of the Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC) School Based Assessment (SBA) projects, are now over.

This is because the regional examination body has introduced a new fix for the glitches which plagued the online uploading of the project scores in 2017 and to a lesser extent 2018, CXC Registrar, Glenroy Cumberbatch, has revealed.

[caption id="attachment_287173" align="aligncenter" width="400"] CXC Registrar Glenroy Cumberbatch[/caption]

This morning Cumberbatch did not go into specifics about what was wrong in the first place but he told Barbados TODAY that the technology, which was supposed to have been ready last year, would now be introduced in time for the 2019 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.

“Yes, the process of uploading the SBA scores is done, but we had a new system that we used for uploading SBA and it did have some teething problems. We were hoping to introduce a revised version of it in 2018 but unfortunately that was not ready for that year. However we will be ready for this year,” Cumberbatch assured.

The CXC Registrar made it clear that there would be no going back to the old way of doing things, noting that there was no hiding from technology.

“What you used to have was sheets of paper where you have to enter scores in and then send those scores forward. Obviously, you can get transposing problems with those if you don’t do them properly. We have gone to a technological environment. We
are trying to make things a lot easier,” he said.

When exam results came out in 2017 and 2018 students from several secondary schools, in some cases entire classes, complained that they received ungraded for their SBAs even though the projects were submitted on time and the teacher uploaded the marks via the CXC online portal. This was also the case for some schools in St Lucia and Trinidad. In 2017 some students of Combermere School were left in tears after learning their SBAs for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination Management of Business course and a CXC Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Geography examination were not graded. CXC has since adjusted the marks where proof of submission was provided.

However, the matter was compounded by the ongoing calls from teachers across the region, including the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU), to be paid by CXC for marking the SBA projects. On several occasions in the last two years, teachers have threatened not to mark them. They have long argued that the workload was too much. This morning Cumberbatch told Barbados TODAY that his organization is no longer a part of the dispute as any discussion of payment is now between teachers and their respective governments.

“The SBA discussion relating to whether teachers are paid or not, was approached by the teachers’ unions through CXC.  We had a discussion and we also had a consultation with our governments. I can tell you that the matter is now being dealt with at each governmental level by the unions for those countries. So, the Caribbean Examinations Council is not involved directly in this discussion about payment for teachers,” he said.

The post CXC fixes SBA glitch appeared first on Barbados Today.

The state-owned enterprise which manages the local sugar sector is optimistic of reaching a settlement when its retrenchment talks resume tomorrow with the workers’ bargaining body.

General Manager of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) Leslie Parris said today, that after meeting yesterday with the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), there were no longer any significant differences between the two parties that should prevent an agreement from being reached.

Parris told Barbados TODAY this afternoon that tomorrow’s discussions were aimed at finalizing the number of workers who would be sent home from the BAMC as a result of Government’s cost-cutting and restructuring programme.

“The meeting seeks to finalize the numbers as it relates to the company in general, to ensure that we have the manpower levels necessary to get the crop going, while at the same time, reducing our overall costs with respect to wages and expenses,” the BAMC boss said.

When asked to comment specifically about yesterday’s meeting with the BWU, Parris replied: “We are moving closer to a resolution.”

Parris also revealed that the outcome of a separate and distinct meeting - at a date to be determined - between the BWU and the wider cane industry as a whole would have an impact on the start of this year’s sugar crop which is projected to produce similar yields as last year’s or a slightly more.

“The start [of the crop] would depend on a satisfactory conclusion of the meeting between the union and the cane industry . . . that is, the BAMC and the independent cane farmers,” he pointed out.

“”Those discussions would no doubt centre around things like the pay and conditions of work and so on, for workers in the industry. So that meeting will be with the independent producers as well as with the BAMC with respect to the totals and the 2019 crop,” he added.

Parris disclosed that this year’s harvest was expected to produce 146,000 tons of cane, which converts into a little more than 11,000 tons of sugar.

“We are looking at approximately 1.3 per cent above last year, which would bring us around 146,000 tons of cane or slightly more. If we use the last conversion rate, which we had last year, we should get a little over 11,000 tons of sugar. Last year’s production was 146,000 tons or 11 and a half thousand tons of sugar,” the BAMC general manager told Barbados TODAY.

He said that as far as preparation for the 2019 sugar crop was concerned, the industry was about 84 per cent ready based on what was done at the lone factory at Portvale, St James between the end of the 2018 harvest and when the workers went on holiday last month.

However, the BAMC spokesman revealed that the factory should be ready by February 21 when steam trials will take place.

The post Settlement soon appeared first on Barbados Today.

There is an urgent need for more criminal attorneys in Barbados.

This call comes from Attorney General Dale Marshall, who believes that the small pool of criminal lawyers has way too much on their plate, contributing to backlog of cases in the court system.

In a recent interview with Barbados TODAY, the AG contended that too often it is difficult to get cases completed because of the caseload carried by the available criminal defence lawyers.

“There are not a lot lawyers who do criminal matters. If you follow criminal matters you would see that there are a number of names that appear all of the time. The priority for getting the backlog down has always been homicide cases but only three or four lawyers do these cases consistently. This raises issues in terms of scheduling,” Marshall said.

Yesterday, the AG revealed that the fulfilling the promise of three additional judges to assist the congestion of the court system would not be possible until repairs were completed at the Supreme Court Complex on White Park Road.  He also pointed out that there were not enough secure locations to conduct criminal matters.

“In relation to criminal matters there are some practical difficulties and the completion of the work in Whitepark Road is one of those issues. In order to be able to do criminal trials there are certain arrangements that have to be put in place. You have to have cells as well as other security measures
and when we looked at the cost it was not feasible,” said Marshall.

However even with increase capacity to hear cases when the court is returned to Whitepark Road by the end of March, without more lawyers to fast track the matters, the court system could be back at square one.

“We will increase the number of judges on the criminal bench but equally there needs to be enough lawyers to push cases through to effectively do trials. We are hopeful that all of these things will be worked out,” he said.

Back in November Marshall expressed concern that eight murder accused on remand at Her Majesty's Prison at Dodds had applied for bail in one week alone, an indication that the wheels of justice were moving much too slowly.

“So with the best will in the world and with all that the police do, if at the end of that process when people are presented for trial we are not in a position to deal with them effectively, then we have a problem,” Marshall argued.

Marshall said the slow pace to trial is emboldening offenders and contributing to this country's rising murder statistics.

The post Criminal attorneys urgently needed says Marshall appeared first on Barbados Today.

A Stage Four cancer patient is allegedly being denied her right to choose whether or not she should take chemotherapy to help combat her illness.

The patient who was recently discharged from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after spending ten weeks there told Barbados TODAY: “I had fluid removed from my lungs during my hospital stay, and after two procedures, the doctors examined me and found no traces of cancer, yet the hospital was still insisting that I take chemotherapy treatment.”

The 50-year-old, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in 2017, said the doctors did not explain clearly to her why she still had to have the treatment despite showing no signs of cancer, and she was concerned about some of the practices she saw at the island’s primary healthcare institution.

“I noticed that Stage 4 patients who got chemo on the ward, both men and women, died within a day or two of receiving it, and 28 patients died during the ten weeks I was on Ward C12 (the cancer specialty ward).” She also claimed that some patients were forced to take medication.

She added that when the fluid was removed from her lungs, the procedure caused her body to swell up and she could not move, and according to her, other patients experienced a similar thing.

She said her illness was presently in remission, which she attributed in part to much prayer and assuming a vegan diet since her initial diagnosis. “I am not experiencing any pain, there is no longer any fluid on my lungs, and there does not seem to be anything wrong with my liver either, so I do not understand why they seem to be forcing me to take the chemotherapy.”

 In response to the patient’s concerns, President of the Barbados Cancer Society, Dr. Dorothy Cooke-Johnson, acknowledged that patients had the right to choose their treatment and doctors should not pressure them to do otherwise. Nevertheless, it was a common practice to administer chemotherapy to Stage 4 cancer patients as a precautionary measure.

“Even if it looks like the symptoms are all gone, chemotherapy is recommended because in case further cancerous cells are detected, it can stave off further infestation and “buy the patient more time”. Pain management and other elements are also included at this stage to make it easier for the patient to cope with the ravages of the illness. And generally speaking, doctors all around the world carry out this practice based on research findings over the years.”

She, however, recommended that the mother of two sons in their early twenties discuss the matter further with the doctors, either alone or in the presence of her children, in an effort to outline the best way to proceed under the circumstances. The other charity which looks out for the interests of cancer patients in Barbados, Cancer Support Services, declined comment on the matter.

When Barbados TODAY approached the QEH on this matter, it issued the statement: “Patients do have the right to choose the treatments best suited for them and the chemotherapeutic treatments prescribed are within acceptable international best practices, and are recommended based on a number of factors including the individual’s diagnosis, life expectancy with and without treatments, and client preference.

“Based on an analysis of these factors, the oncologist will recommend a course of treatment and discuss it with the individual, following which the patient is allowed to determine his or her treatment regime or in some cases, decline the treatment.”

Regarding the incidents the patient said she noticed during her stay, the hospital added that the “medical staff of the Clara Brathwaite Centre of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine is unaware of any complaints made by patients or relatives of patients. Beyond that, the QEH has a Clinical Risk Management Unit responsible for the mediation of complaints made by patients, relatives and caregivers, and staff of this unit is available to assist individuals with any problems which may arise, including talking to staff members on behalf of the patient or complainant.”

The post Patient questions treatment appeared first on Barbados Today.

Tempers continue to rise in Applewhaites, St George over the stench from a pig farm in the area.

[caption id="attachment_287188" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The farm at the center of residents’ concerns.[/caption]

And Member of Parliament for St George North, Gline Clarke, is hoping that a remedy can soon be found to deal with the offensive odour allegedly emanating from the property.

Last November Clarke had spoken to the matter and noted that it needed to be remedied. “We need to see that the Government moves swiftly on these things. That is if there are problems you go through the legal process but move on them with haste. There are a lot of problems across my constituency with people doing . . . things,” Clarke said, adding it was incumbent on the Ministry of Health and Wellness, to do something about it.

[caption id="attachment_287187" align="aligncenter" width="393"] Resident Beverley Forte showing how she has to cover her face in order to pick up her laundry outside her Applewhaites, St George home.[/caption]

Anita Yarde, a newlywed female, said that she has been unable to invite anyone to her marital home due to the odour emanating from the pig farm.

“We still getting the smell from the pig farm. It is really awful. I cannot open my house, I cannot invite anyone at me. No one wants to come down through here with the smell. I am right below the pig farm. I does feel so awful because my family does not want to come out here because you cannot open the house. Even at nights, I have to put up a towel to keep the scent out of the house,” Yarde told Barbados TODAY, adding that persons visiting the area have started to name it.

“People have started to rename out here Mount Stinkeroo' because out here smell so stink. Sometimes when I leave home to go work after 5 a.m. I can smell it. We cannot live like this! I am asthmatic, and I have sinuses real bad. A couple weeks ago I was on vacation. I had to go to the doctor and then get medication because the smell had my lungs actually blocked and it is real awful,” she said, adding that she would like to see the pig farm closed.

“I would like to see it closed because we cannot go on with this. At the end of the day, it means that we have to go to the doctor and then pay money for medication. Sometimes even if you go and buy over-the-counter medication it does not work,” Yarde said.

Another resident Allison Murray-Browne questioned how Town and Country Planning could permit the operation of a pig farm on tenantry land.

“Tell me how on earth Town and Country Planning could give them permission to build an entire pig farm in front of a residential area on residential land,” Murray-Browne told Barbados TODAY, adding that she cannot open her home to get fresh air.

“In such a small neighborhood [we are dealing] with two pig pens - talk about flies! I cannot open my windows to get a little air. It is overbearing and the Government is not doing anything about it. If it was in a high society area someone would have done something about it,” she said.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY owner of DL Prestige Farms, Gregory Forde, said what was being alleged about his pig farm was untrue, and added that his business was registered. This was subsequently verified at Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office as having been registered and incorporated on September 20, 2017.

Pressed to comment on suggestions that he had no permission from Town and Country Planning for the farm and that its presence was making the residents in the community ill, Forde responded: “When I am ready, I will give you full details.”

The post Residents complain about pig farm appeared first on Barbados Today.

Some of the newly installed community water tanks donated by corporate Barbados to the state-owned Barbados Water Authority (BWA) seem to be falling apart.

At least two of the tanks, installed in December 2018, have collapsed, leaving residents in Ginger Works, St Joseph, and Pot House, St John, shocked and wondering what will happen when no water is running from their taps.

[caption id="attachment_287201" align="aligncenter" width="500"] A fallen water tank at Ginger Works, St Joseph.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_287202" align="aligncenter" width="500"] This water tank (at left) at Pot House, St John is no longer useful.[/caption]

When Barbados TODAY visited the two locations today, residents who did not want to be identified, said the tanks exploded and collapsed last week.

However, the tank installed by Innotech was still standing and residents said the unit at Pot House was recently filled by workers from the (BWA).

“That is the new one that fall. The old tank still standing up there with the white bands around it. I never see a tank do like that yet. It inflated like a balloon and burst. It fall down like a balloon, I can’t understand. I come by my window and say geez on, look the tank fall down,” an elderly resident at Ginger Works said.

A younger resident said that he was happy water was running from the taps, and indicated that he hoped it would not go anywhere anytime soon.

“If the water stop running now, them got to send the truck because the big tank ain’t got in no water. I don’t even know what happen to it, maybe it ain’t strong enough for out here,” the young man said.

Meanwhile, another elderly woman at Pot House said she was asleep one night when a loud explosion woke her. She said when she looked through her window, she saw that the tank had fallen and the cover was nowhere close to it.

“I stand in my bed and I hear this thing explode. I say to myself, ‘what is that there so.’ When I get up the Sunday morning I see the tank explode and the cover up the road,” the Pot House resident said.

Residents from both areas said that they saw workers from the BWA inspecting and taking pictures of the fallen tanks.

Late last year in the midst of a national argument over the cost and maintenance of the water tanks leased to the BWA by local firm Innotech in a $52 000-a month arrangement signed by the last Government, the tanks were removed by the leasing company. This led to individuals and private sector businesses donating water tanks to BWA.

Efforts to reach BWA’s General Manager, Keithroy Halliday, proved futile, as he is said to be on holiday.

When contacted, BWA’s General Manager Leodean Worrell said she was unable to speak about the matter at the time and asked  Barbados TODAY to send her a WhatsApp message outlining the questions. This was done at 1.20 p.m.

Late last night the Barbados Water Authority issued a statement indicating it had removed the collapsed tanks and investigations were being conducted.

 “A full assessment of the damage is being carried out as there is evidence of vandalism to both tanks. In the process, there was also approximately nine hundred and fifty gallons of water lost per tank. The Authority notes that both of these tanks were next to two Innotech tanks which were not damaged. The Authority will be engaging the services of the Royal Barbados Police Force to investigate the matter. The BWA is determined to have these tanks replaced by close of business tomorrow Wednesday, so that our valued customers who rely on them will not be without access to the water for a prolonged period,” the statement said.

However, a credible source last night scoffed at the BWA’s suggestion of vandalism, noting that there had been similar issues with the locally-made 1000-gallon water tanks before and that Innotech had brought in the sturdier 2000-gallon water tanks from Trinidad and Tobago as a result. The source said one merely had to look at the two different water tanks with the “naked eye” and one could easily discern the difference in their quality.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

The post Busted tanks appeared first on Barbados Today.

The operators of privately owned public service vehicles will be back on the country’s roads tomorrow, following what leaders are claiming as a successful island-wide work stoppage, unleashed at the start of the new school term.

After marathon talks at the National Union of Public Workers’ (NUPW) Dalkieth, St Michael headquarters, where workers gathered after refusing to work during the day, spokesperson for the new group representing workers, Fabian Daddy Fabian Wharton revealed the group would release its hold on the country’s fragile public transport system.

Wharton told media that PSV operators would again return to the bargaining table with officials from the Barbados Transport Authority at 10 o’clock Wednesday morning. The development followed a failed attempt at dialogue between the two bodies over a growing list of grievances outlined by the operators on Monday.

[caption id="attachment_287225" align="aligncenter" width="500"] President of recently formed PSV Workers Association Shawn Best (left) and spokesperson Fabian Wharton.[/caption]

At around eight Tuesday evening, officials from the new body received information from ‘a source’, which, according to them, provided the necessary assurance that a meeting would take place.

“We’ll resume normal duties tomorrow because we have been guaranteed and we have confidence in the person that told us that we will have the meeting tomorrow,” he said.

“So from the time I heard that, I gained a little more confidence that the process would follow through tomorrow as planned,” said Wharton.

It appears however that Wharton’s confidence was not shared by dozens of his colleagues. During the over six-hour meeting, loud shouting was heard coming from the NUPW’s auditorium and many left the meeting frustrated as the embattled operators remained divided on their next move.

Wharton revealed that after being given the run around by Transport Authority officials earlier this week, many frustrated PSV operators were losing trust in the system, but decided as a body that they would try again.

The operators also outlined numerous grievances, which urgently needed to be addressed, as Wharton stressed that PSV operators wanted nothing more than to be a part of the consultation process and no longer wanted to be viewed as “a pack of wild dogs”.

“We are trying to be better. Do you think we like being beaten up on all the time? Do you believe when guys were in here they were happy to hear the things that were being said about them on the radio and on the call-in programs?” he asked.

Operators again made it clear that they had no problem with uniforms and were making every effort to wear the grey and yellow shirts, blacks pants and enclosed shoes previously agreed upon. The biggest issue for them however is over the price of up to $70 per shirt and the fact that they were being forced to purchase them from a particular supplier.

Other pressing issues surround the day-to-day PSV operations including a “five-minute rule” requiring operators to spend only a brief time at the Constitution River Terminal’s boarding point, forcing them to hit the road even if their vehicles were empty.

The operators also took issue with the “three-strike rule” which they charged is poorly defined and implemented in addition to poor overall communication by regulators and blatant disrespect by law enforcers.

While he admitted that over the years, PSV operators had contributed significantly to the challenges they now face, Wharton stressed that the operators were ready to turn the page.

“We want to change decades of madness, decades of bad behavior which to some extent has become acceptable and ingrained in Barbadian society and culture,” he said, while admitting the process would take time.

“We just want to be involved and consulted on the things that affect us. We just want to be able to have our voices heard. We just want to be a part of the process going forward, because for too long the operators and the drivers and conductors have been ignored,” he said.

kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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