Barbados Ministry of Education Reopens Alma Parris Memorial Secondary School for Special Needs Students Amid Calls for Expansion

The Ministry of Education’s decision to reopen the Alma Parris Memorial Secondary School for special needs students in January 2025 has been met with approval from key stakeholders, including both teachers’ unions, a special needs advocate and a veteran educator. But there are also calls for another one or two similar schools to be opened.

The St Peter educational institution will provide a specialised learning environment for children with autism and other learning challenges, a move the Ministry of Education said is a response to “an increased number of persons presenting with autism and other challenges”.

The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) on Thursday joined the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) in supporting the initiative. BSTU president Mary Redman expressed her delight, noting that the union had long been advocating for the return of such a facility.

“We are very happy” Redman told Barbados TODAY. “We had called for that on more than one occasion, and we had said that there actually needs to be two of that type of school. There is one in the north, there should be one somewhere in the centre or towards the south of the country to deal with the needs that we know exist in the society in relation to certain learning deficits.”

Veteran educator and former principal Jeff Broomes echoed this sentiment while criticising the initial closure of the school in 2017 by the Democratic Labour Party administration, which had sparked public disapproval.

Broomes, a staunch advocate for the school’s mission, was adamant that the institution’s downfall began when it became part of the general school allocation process.

He said: “I do not believe it should ever have been destroyed and then closed. When Alma Parris School was first opened, it was to help children who have special needs. Then all of a sudden it became part of the allocation process like all other schools. That is what destroyed the school. Then when it was closed, I felt it was an abomination.”

Broomes, like Redman, also called for the creation of additional special needs schools across the nation. He suggested that at least one more such institution is necessary, particularly in the south.

“There is not only a need for an Alma Parris in this country; I suggest there is need for one in the north and one in the south of the island because there are struggling children,” Broomes contended. “The same way we look out to help the high achievers with scholarships, we should highlight [those in need].”

Frederick Johnson, president of the Autism Association of Barbados, described the planned reopening as “excellent news” for the autistic and special needs community. He emphasised the critical importance of providing early and consistent interventions for children on the autism spectrum.

“These children need special needs education throughout the course of their lives, so the earlier they get it, the earlier the interventions take place, the better for them. It gives them the best chance possible to develop the skills that they do have. The children need special needs education and there is no substitute for it,” Johnson told Barbados TODAY.