Plan B for September morning

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Faced with the reality that there is no way they will be able to repair all the Hurricane-Melissa-damaged schools in time for the new school year, the education ministry’s Region Four has put contingencies in place to minimise disruptions. As a result, when classes get under way in September a combination of shift systems, staggered face-to-face classes, and the use of makeshift wooden structures will be used by some schools in St James, Hanover, and Westmoreland. These were among the parishes hardest hit by the Category 5 storm last October.

“There may be some schools that, they’ll definitely open, but we might have to open again with rotation and we have arranged for some temporary classrooms to be available,” the Ministry of Education’s regional director for Region Four Dr Michelle Pinnock said on Monday. She was speaking with reporters on the margins of a back-to-school event jointly staged at Pier One by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Excelerate Energy. According to figures provided by the Government, Hurricane Melissa inflicted varying degrees of damage — from leaks to destruction — to about 600 educational institutions.

During the initial return to face-to-face learning after the storm, tents and other temporary structures were used to accommodate some students. Progress has been made, in some cases, with educators and students no longer having to contend with inconveniences such as muddy floors. “In some of the schools we’ve put in temporary classrooms; meaning they are timber structures and we are now trying to put ply board along the sides, making sure ventilation is there, that there is shielding from the elements,” Pinnock explained.

We have taken up some of the tents off of the ground because we had issues with mud, etc. We’ve learned from our experiences last year and where we are not sure that our buildings will be finished and ready for occupying, we are putting in those temporary classrooms,” she added. The hope had been that damaged schools would have been repaired in time for September, but Pinnock explained that it has been very challenging to meet that target.

They are competing with property owners who are also trying to rebuild from Hurricane Melissa. Pinnock said the ministry and regional stakeholders are working to ensure schools have the necessary resources…