The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union (SVGTU) says that the government should compensate the students, the teacher and the parent who were bitten by a dog at the Girls’ High School.
Earlier this month, iWitness News reported that a dog with a litter of pups had bitten at least 10 students, one teacher and a parent at the school’s temporary campus in Arnos Vale.
Speaking at a press conference last week, SVGTU President, Oswald Robinson referred to the recurring problem related to the stray dogs on the campus.
“… we got a report last year from a teacher that was bitten, and we advised the teacher how to proceed,” he said.
The union leader said that “based on the law, if you’re injured on the job, and if a dog bites you, you’re injured on the job, it’s government responsible for that, they must compensate all the children … and the teachers and the parent, those who are bitten by the dog because the dog is on the property of the school”.
He further noted that the government passed the Dog Bill in December.
The law provides penalties for a range of offences, including taking dogs to certain beaches, causing one’s dog to escape from one’s property and not cleaning up after the pet when it defecates in a public place.
Robinson said GHS was closed in January, for yet another time, because of fleas.
“They had to go there and spray again,” he said, referring to health officials.
“And they are faced with dogs,” he further said of the school population.
“The teachers union …, we were supposed to have a meeting [on Feb. 11] with the staff at that school, but we got reports they got rid of the dogs,” the union leader said.
“And when you expect the Ministry of Agriculture to be working to get rid of the dogs, they are taking police. I don’t know if the people that deal with animal care, if they were going there to adopt it,” he said.