Bellefield making strides to exit shift system
Principal optimistic 17% student vax rate will increase
Published:Tuesday | December 21, 2021 | 12:10 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Despite having only 17 per cent of its students vaccinated – a far cry from the education ministry’s intended goal of 65 per cent – Bellefield administrators are making headway to remedy a long-standing challenge with a $60-million push to eliminate the shift system.
Work is advanced on a new block being constructed at the Manchester-based school, with four classrooms, a restroom, and one mini office which have been completed for its ground level that will consist of a total of eight classrooms and five mini offices.
According to Principal Paul Grant, roughly $30 million has so far been spent to ensure that the construction of the ground level is complete, with the addition of windows and doors, building of a corridor, and tending to electrical work left to be done.
An additional four classrooms and three small offices are to be constructed on the second level by September 2022 as more funds roll in.
“We have really taken the bull by the horn in faith and so we want to thank all of our stakeholders who would have supported us thus far in realising this project,” Grant told The Gleaner, noting that more assistance is expected from the school’s alumni association and a fundraising effort by the parent-teacher association.
One past student has donated US$1,000 to assist in the cause.
Established in 1969, Bellefield High has been under the double-shift system since it was introduced in the 1970s to increase the number of school spaces and reduce class size.
While the shift system has alleviated some problems, Grant believes that it has also been creating challenges with a move, for example, to place students who live further away from school on the morning shift, which starts at 7. This has unintentionally exposed them to risks, especially female students who have to set out before daylight to arrive on time.
Additionally, students on the afternoon shifts, who arrive for a noon start, are also at higher risks of low retention levels as they become sluggish from the midday heat.
Students will continue to suffer
Grant lamented that despite efforts to schedule mathematics – a subject with traditionally low pass rates – for the afternoon shift to prevent further weakening of retention levels of the material, the students will continue to suffer.
As a result, he wants to eliminate the need for students to return home late at night after ending their evening shift at 5.
These, among other concerns, have caused administrators to be pushing to have all students start school at the traditional 7:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.
Although the Ministry of Education has plans to eliminate shift systems – with roughly 37 schools so engaged in 2019 – Grant said that because this is being done in zones, he grew impatient as his institution would not benefit from the project any time soon.
“So, as a school, we have decided to take on the challenge,” said Grant.
Councillor Mario Mitchell of the Bellefield Division also supported the project and told The Gleaner that while the block will not have a full complement of classrooms, it was a step in the right direction.
Grant, however, is not as pleased with the low take-up of vaccine among the school’s more than 1,400 students, of which 83 per cent are yet to be inoculated against COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, we are far off,” the headmaster told The Gleaner.
He is, however, remaining hopeful that the numbers will increase as the school is set to host another vaccination drive this Thursday.