Rehabilitation of schools will include storm-proofing measures

  

With just under six weeks to go before the start of the new academic year, the Education Ministry says storm-proofing measures have been embedded into the rebuilding process.

 

It comes as the Ministry started rebuilding exercises on Monday as part of its Hurricane Beryl response plan.

 

Based on ongoing field assessments, at least 309 schools have been structurally compromised by the hurricane.

 

The most severely damaged institutions are being prioritised.

 

Education Minister Fayval Williams said hurricane resistant mechanisms have been included in construction plans for schools for years.

 

Still, she said storm-proofing all institutions poses a challenge.

 

"Many of our schools were built decades ago, and so whenever we do any work on schools, it's with this in mind that we have to build better, stronger. And so that will be also evident during the rehabilitation of schools. For example, if a school has a zinc roof that has been totally damaged, I know that our technical people will assess it for a slab roof. Obviously, they will need to see if they have to have reinforcement for the buildings and so on. But they have that in mind. It's part of the process," she noted. 

 

Mrs. Williams added that the ministry is working to ensure limited disruption to the start of the 2024/25 academic year. 

 

"We are going to give it our all in terms of the severely damaged schools. Will they be 100% ready? I'm not going to stand here and say, because you heard the numbers. But I'm pleased with the effort so far in terms of engaging the contractors, impressing on them the urgency of this. And what I do know is that we will ensure that even if there's work going on, that the school property will be safe for our teachers, our students, our parents to enter and so on," she acknowledged. 

 

Schools are expected to reopen on September 2.