After 128 years of offering educational services in Barbados, the Ursuline Convent School will be closing in August 2023.
A press release from the Ursuline Sisters said that challenges already being faced by the school, such as ageing Sisters and dwindling enrollment, were compounded by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The statement follows.
“In 1894 the Ursuline Sisters responded to the call to provide sound catholic education to children in Barbados. Over the years, thousands of students received their educational foundation at the Ursuline Convent School.
“Last week the school, situated on Collymore Rock, celebrated 128 years devoted to the integral formation of individuals, pointing them towards the service of others, especially the most needy, through its motto, SERVIAM. Countless young children and older students have passed through our doors and emerged to lead productive professional and family lives. This is cause for celebration.
“However, times change and the pandemic compounded the challenges we were already facing. Ursuline Sisters in the Caribbean are few in number and are ageing. We can no longer continue to provide the necessary leadership, and there are no replacements to come from outside.
“Moreover, in recent years we have noted a significant decline in enrollment, to the point where the school is no longer financially viable. Therefore, the Ursuline Sisters in the Caribbean have taken the painful and hard decision, after consultation with experts and dialogue with the Ministry of Education and the Bishop, to end our educational service here in Barbados by August 2023. We will not be admitting any new students for September 2022.
“We thank all those who have supported us over the years. We ask for your continued support and prayers as we work through this transition. As we leave these shores next year, we expect to continue hearing good news about our past pupils. (PR/KG)
Ursuline convent provided education to privilege mostly white Barbadians. That institution never really represented the larger population of the island at all.
Funny how they decided to discontinue as an educational institution after the island became a republic!
Thank you, Sisters, for a job very well done. Thank you for facing bravely what must have been a difficult decision. Entrust yourselves to God’s mercies for the future, and to St. Angela’s motherly care.