Education Minister Fayval Williams
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Education Minister Fayval Williams
By Kimone Witter
The Ministry of Education says the emergency procurement method is being used to carryout repairs at the 94 schools severely damaged during the passage of hurricane Beryl.
Education Minister Fayval Williams says this process was undertaken following review of procurement guidelines and discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.
Addressing Wednesday's post Cabinet media briefing, Minister Williams said work has started at a number of the schools, designated as Priority One.
Meanwhile, some schools are still without utility services.
"Beyond the infrastructure damage, we are assessing schools for electricity, water, and telecommunication services. To date, we continue to assess the network of schools across Jamaica. We note that 223 schools have not been reconnected yet to the JPS system. This represents approximately 22 per cent of our schools," she said, adding that the information has been sent to the Energy Minister to bring to the attention of JPS.
The affected schools are spread across all seven regions, with the majority in regions 4 and 5 which cover Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Manchester and St. Elizabeth.
Mrs. Williams said school administrators will be urged to move up the start date for their usual cleanup activities.
Cleanup would usually start a week or two before the reopening of schools, but the minister has urged administrators to begin the process no later than Monday, August 12 this year, "just in case in the process of the cleanup, items are discovered that need to be replaced or restored".
"We are ensuring grants to our schools are processed earlier than normal. The regions have some financial resources to help with minor repairs as well," she said.
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