The recovery and rebuilding of the education sector, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, will focus on making school plants more resilient against future storms, says Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon. 

Following a tour of institutions in Trelawny and St James last Wednesday (November 12), she said that the long-term plan includes upgrading building standards, improving drainage, and strengthening the utility infrastructure to reduce future vulnerabilities and maintenance costs.

“This approach is a shift away from merely restoring what was lost to building back better, with an emphasis on resilience and safer building standards for the future,” she noted.

The minister said that the need for a safer and more resilient education system has been one of the major takeaways so far from her visits to hurricane-affected schools.

She noted that while some institutions escaped with only minor damage, the scale of destruction across the education sector is substantial. 

Over 600 schools have sustained some level of damage, with about 200 of those institutions severely affected. 

The scope, the minister said, is enough to “change the way we think about our infrastructure and our readiness for future storms.”

She noted that the recovery will be a phased, multi-year effort rather than a quick fix.

As it relates to the resumption of classes at the most severely impacted schools, the minister said that school leaders have been improvising, with some institutions experimenting with shift systems to maximise instructional time as repairs proceed.

“Given the extent of the damage, temporary classroom solutions are being considered for the most affected schools. The goal is to keep learning, moving, while reconstruction takes place,” Morris Dixon mused.

She pointed out that access to reliable water supply has emerged as a critical obstacle to the reopening of some institutions, noting that the ministry is coordinating with the National Water Commission (NWC) and trucking partners to provide the commodity to affected campuses.

She said that the target is to restart classes in as many facilities as conditions permit by the end of the month. 

For campuses with more significant damage, Senator Morris Dixon said there will be a phased reopening plan and potential relocation of classes to maintain continuity of education.

The education minister praised school leaders, teachers, parents, and community members who have been doing the clean-up work and putting measures in place to get students back into classes.

She pledged that there will be ongoing, transparent communication with the public as assessments conclude and reconstruction plans take shape.

This will include finalising interim operating models, including shift schedules and temporary classrooms, to optimise instructional time while repairs are being undertaken.

“Also, we will put together a comprehensive resilience upgrade plan with timelines and budgets and maintain regular updates on reopening timelines, safety standards, and progress,” she added.

“The path to full recovery will be long and challenging, but we are committed to returning every child to a safe, modern classroom, stronger than before Hurricane Melissa struck. We are also encouraging our school communities to stay engaged as plans move from assessment to action,” the minister said.