NET drives post-hurricane rebuilding at Rusea’s, Green Island, Corinaldi and Chetwood Memorial schools

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The National Education Trust (NET) is helping hurricane-affected schools in western Jamaica restore critical infrastructure while supporting the wider effort to build back stronger, safer and more resilient learning environments for the children of Jamaica. NET, a registered charitable organisation and an agency of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, recently visited the Rusea’s and Green Island high schools in Hanover, as well as Corinaldi and Chetwood Memorial primary schools in St James, where restoration works have been undertaken to address damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. The visits provided an opportunity to see first-hand the progress being made and to hear from school leaders about what the restoration of classrooms, roofs, canteens, laboratories and other critical facilities has meant for their students and wider school communities.

Executive Director of the National Education Trust, Latoya Harris-Ghartey, said that while the physical restoration of schools remains critical, the true impact of the work is reflected in the return of students to spaces where they can learn safely and comfortably. Green Island High School “When we restore a roof, a classroom, a canteen or another critical space within a school, we are doing far more than repairing a building. We are helping a child return to a place where they can learn, helping a teacher return to an environment where they can teach effectively, and helping an entire school community regain a sense of hope and normalcy.

Every school we help to restore is another step towards rebuilding a stronger and more resilient education system for Jamaica,” Harris-Ghartey said. That impact is already being felt at Rusea’s High School, where several roofs damaged during the hurricane have been restored. Principal Donna Anderson said the works have allowed the institution to return several important areas of the school to use, including the science block, main campus, grade seven block, canteen and industrial arts department.

“I want to say a big thank you to the National Education Trust because, with their assistance, we were able to have our roofs restored. This has been extremely beneficial to us because, towards the latter part of the school year, we were able to accommodate all our students for their internal examinations,” Anderson said.