KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Education, Youth and Information Senator Ruel Reid, this morning defended the decision to reopen schools today amidst widespread flooding. Despite outcry from several people on social media, the minister insisted that the move, “in and of itself, is caring for our children”.

All schools in Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth were ordered closed yesterday as heavy rains lashed the island, causing flooding in several communities. However, the minister in a release last night said all schools should reopen today.The announcement last night drew ire from a number of readers, who felt that the ministry’s decision was cold and heartless.“WRONG decision Mr Minister!!! If anything happens to any of these kids while trodding through these flood-ravaged streets…. smh,” one reader said.Another expressed: “Some students and teachers are stranded in their homes. How dare you make a decision like this. You clearly didn’t consider their health and well-being.”“This is horrible…not everyone live on top of the hill where you might not be affected by the floods, at the end of the day its about the children safety and not about your ego,” a third commented.However, Reid told OBSERVER ONLINE a short while ago that ultimately, it is the decision of the parent(s) to allow a child to attend school based on their safety assessment.He explained that it is a partnership and the Government “can’t just close schools or hospitals, children’s homes and police stations because of heavy rains”.The minister also stressed that “local authorities were also mandated to assess each local situation on a school by school basis to determine safety. The safety and security of our children are always a priority.”Reid went further to state that “some children are in fact safer at school than home, hence why many schools are used as shelters”.He also advised the public to monitor the media for regular updates to determine if the weather conditions would allow safe commute to schools.According to the Meteorological Office of Jamaica, the rainfall, which has been affecting sections of the island unrelentingly since Saturday, is as a result of a broad trough located west of the island. The system is expected to continue affecting all parishes into Thursday.Shanica Blair