With more than 600 schools across western Jamaica damaged by Hurricane Melissa, the Ministry of Education is racing against time to keep learning alive — even if it means turning tents into classrooms. The category-five storm, which devastated large sections of St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, and Trelawny, left thousands displaced and triggered what experts are calling one of Jamaica’s worst education crises in decades.
According to preliminary assessments from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), over 120,000 buildings lost their roofs, and approximately 90,000 families were directly impacted. Commander Alvin Gayle, the newly appointed Director General at ODPEM, said during a special briefing that 27 communities remain cut off. “We are acutely aware that many communities are still marooned, primarily in the difficult-to-reach areas of St. Elizabeth, St. James, and Trelawny,” Gayle confirmed.
Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, revealed that 616 educational institutions have sustained damage — from minor leaks to total collapse. “We have encouraged schools to open, and on Tuesday there were over 100 schools that had reopened. Obviously, we need to have water and a safe environment,” she said. The Ministry plans to prioritize students sitting major national and regional exams such as PEP, CSEC, and CAPE, with temporary structures and tarpaulin roofing expected to serve as stopgap solutions.
“We may have to use tents; we may have to get makeshift structures that our students can continue to learn in,” Dr. Morris Dixon added, noting that collaboration with the private sector and international partners is already underway. The government has pledged flexibility to ensure that “everybody is going to be at school, but it will not look like regular school.”
As recovery efforts ramp up, both ODPEM and the Ministry of Education have underscored that rebuilding will take time — especially for schools in rural and coastal regions hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa. For now, the focus remains clear: restoring classrooms, even if they’re made of canvas and hope.
