NET rebuilding hope at Strawberry, Catherine Hall Primary and Infant schools

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The National Education Trust (NET) continues to advance post-Hurricane Melissa rebuilding efforts across Jamaica, restoring critical infrastructure at affected schools and helping to create stronger, safer and more resilient learning environments for students and educators. Representatives from NET, a registered charitable organisation and an agency of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information (MoESYI), recently visited the Strawberry Primary and Infant School in Westmoreland and the Catherine Hall Primary and Infant School in St James, where rebuilding works have been ongoing following damage caused by the hurricane The visits provided an opportunity for the NET team to see first-hand the progress being made at the institutions and to hear directly from school leaders about the impact of the rebuilding efforts on their students, staff and wider school communities. At the Strawberry Primary and Infant School, Hurricane Melissa caused significant damage to the institution, including the loss of sections of roofing and windows.

Principal Travert Clarke said NET’s intervention has played an important role in helping the school recover and commended the speed at which support was mobilised following the hurricane. “As a result of Hurricane Melissa, we lost sections of our roofs and several windows, and the school sustained quite a bit of damage. NET has partnered with us to help with the rebuilding and recovery process, and I want to commend both NET and the Ministry of Education for their support.

I was particularly impressed by how quickly they came in and began the recovery process following Hurricane Melissa,” Clarke said. The rebuilding efforts at Strawberry Primary and Infant School will also extend beyond some of the works that were initially identified. Clarke explained that the school lost a chicken coop during the hurricane, which had been used to rear chickens in support of the school’s canteen programme.

He welcomed NET’s commitment to have the facility replaced. “We also lost our chicken coop, where we reared chickens to support our school’s canteen. NET has indicated that the coop will also be replaced, which is truly commendable, particularly as this was not part of the initial rebuilding plans.

We are extremely grateful for that additional support,” he said. For the school community, the intervention represents a…