Some storm-hit schools to continue temporary learning arrangements

 

 

 

As the Easter Term officially gets underway on Monday, the Ministry of Education says several of the damaged schools in western parishes will continue to engage students through the temporary arrangements that were implemented after hurricane Melissa.

 

Among the measures were the setting up temporary classrooms, facilitating remote lessons and hosting students at other institutions.

 

Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon says work is ongoing to have all the affected schools reopened as quickly as possible. 

 

"I thank our boards, our principals, our teaching and ancillary staff for their excellent leadership at the school level. Your creativity and your heart have gotten us to this point. And today I'm so proud to say that many schools across Jamaica will be back in session. Some schools will continue with temporary arrangements while major repairs continue. Some will share spaces with our innovative host schools and others will use blended approaches. And for a little while longer, learning will continue in these modalities, but no child will have their academic future put at risk because of these challenges that are beyond their control," she outlined.

 

Dr. Morrison Dixon has reiterated that, while the fast-tracking of repairs and restoring of safe learning spaces are priorities of the ministry, the rebuilding of resilient infrastructure is equally crucial.

 

"We're not just restoring what was damaged. How could we do that? We must use this disaster to rethink, redesign and rebuild an education system that is safer, smarter and more resilient for the future. The level of damage we experienced just a few months ago should not be experienced again," said the minister.

 

 

In the meantime, many schools in Westmoreland did not reopen on Monday.

 

Some schools are still being used as shelters, while repairs are yet to begin on others.

 

The school that has been at the centre of national discussions, Petersfield High, is still housing victims of Hurricane Melissa.

 

Radio Jamaica News was informed that the handful of students who turned up for school at Petersfield High were sent home to return on Wednesday.

 

Radio Jamaica News also visited Unity Primary in Savanna-la-Mar, which still has hurricane victims. The school said it is trying to work around shelter residents, as it plans on reopening on Tuesday for Grades 5 and 6.

 

The Manning's School, also in Savanna-la-Mar, which was severely damaged during the hurricane, opened as scheduled, but only some students were asked to show-up on Monday.