By KEILE CAMPBELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Educators Managerial Union (BEMU) president Stephen McPhee has warned that repeated school closures could leave students struggling to recover lost learning time, while accusing the Ministry of Education of excluding administrators from discussions about the disruptions despite their responsibility for managing affected schools.
Mr McPhee said interruptions caused by electrical, plumbing and health problems since the academic year began have threatened what he considers the most important period of the school year, with students potentially unable to recover missed lessons when classes resume in January.
His concerns come amid the latest disruptions caused by suspected impetigo outbreaks at several public schools, which he said have left administrators managing anxious teachers and students without adequate information about the contagious skin infection.
Mr McPhee said BEMU has had no discussions with the Ministry of Education's executive management about the outbreaks, relying instead on updates posted to the ministry's Facebook page.
"We've not been invited to any meeting, however, our members are on the frontline," Mr McPhee said. "As managers and supervisors, we've had a number of schools where teachers, rightfully so, refuse to remain in certain environments without having help or information."
He said administrators are also responsible for supervising students awaiting collection by their parents when suspected cases force early dismissals.
The latest concerns follow the early dismissal of students at Sadie Curtis Primary School and EP Roberts Primary School last week over suspected impetigo cases. Both schools were scheduled to reopen on Tuesday following the National Heroes Day holiday.
Those disruptions followed similar concerns at Gambier Primary School in New Providence and Samuel Guy Pinder Comprehensive School in Spanish Wells, which the Ministry of Education cleared to reopen on October 5 after consultations with health officials and the completion of cleaning and sanitation.
However, Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson subsequently urged teachers at Gambier Primary to leave their classrooms following reports of additional suspected cases, raising concerns about the decision to reopen the school.
Mr McPhee called on Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville to launch a public education campaign explaining impetigo, its transmission and its potential effects, saying uncertainty about the illness was contributing to fear.
"They're not aware, they don't know what is this thing," he said.
"What is impetigo? How does it impact me? How does it impact those that you love and care about?"
While commending the Ministry of Education for "doing their job", he said the Ministry of Health needed to take a more prominent role in informing Bahamians and helping to "minimize fear".
Beyond the immediate health concerns, Mr McPhee warned that the cumulative effect of school closures could prove difficult to overcome.
He said lessons missed between September and December may be particularly difficult for students to make up in January, when examinations, prize-giving ceremonies and other activities compete for their attention.
"We go into exam periods, prize giving, and it is easy for the students to lose focus," he said, adding that BEMU was "very much concerned".
"As we know we are coming up in this term, we can tell you in education is the most powerful term."
Mr McPhee also challenged the government's position in its ongoing Supreme Court dispute with BEMU, questioning why the union's September industrial action was characterised as disruptive to students' education when subsequent school closures had occurred independently of the union.
BEMU took industrial action last month over longstanding promotion disputes and administrative vacancies at public schools. Members returned to work following intervention by Prime Minister Philip Davis, but the dispute continued before the Supreme Court after the government sought an injunction against further industrial action.
The Ministry of Education had stressed the importance of protecting instructional time during the dispute, warning that students should not lose valuable learning time while negotiations continued.
Mr McPhee argued that the subsequent disruptions exposed a contradiction in the government's criticism of the union.
"We're presently before the Supreme Court because we were standing up for those children, those students and teachers who have gone too far without leadership, and we were told is one of the key pints of the affidavit was that we disrupted the learning of students," he said. "Well, who's responsible now for all of the disruptions, because if we're before the courts because we executed our right to not allow those we lead, manage, and supervise to be left in this continued damning position that interferes with the instructional program."
He maintained that BEMU could help address some of the problems affecting public schools but was being denied an opportunity to contribute.
"If you're not meeting with us, if you're not involving us at the tables, then what can we do?" he asked.
Mr McPhee previously complained that the union had held no further direct discussions with Education Minister Chester Cooper or senior ministry officials since a meeting following September's industrial action, although communication with Labour Relations Unit officials had continued.
He said longstanding concerns remained unresolved despite progress on some promotion matters.
Among those concerns, he claimed that 36 public schools remained without substantive principals, including 29 schools without substantively appointed administrators.
He distinguished those vacancies from promotion disputes dating back to 2016, some of which were addressed following the union's industrial action.
Mr McPhee said Director of Education Dominique McCartney Russell had previously indicated that only seven schools lacked substantive principals, but claimed an affidavit submitted in the government's Supreme Court proceedings identified 29 schools without administrators.
He said the union was still awaiting discussions about filling the vacancies, while members who participated in a promotion exercise in 2025 had yet to receive the results of their interviews.
Mr McPhee appealed to the Ministry and Department of Education to set aside their differences with BEMU and include the union in discussions about the challenges facing public schools.
“We will continue to appear by whichever means that the ministry and the Department of Education put aside what we see us personally,” he said. “This is profession and industry. Allow us as workers as is our right, representing a certain group of workers our space in the day.”
Education Minister Chester Cooper previously said the government was seeking to contain the spread of impetigo while limiting disruption to classes. He deferred questions about the illness to the Ministry of Health and public health officials.