CORAL SPRING, Trelawny — The Ministry of Education is contemplating the use of solar energy to power cooling systems in schools across Jamaica to counter the severe heat which many students, teachers and administrators have had to endure in recent times.

Speaking at the 60th Jamaica Teachers’ Association annual conference on Wednesday, Education Minister Fayval Williams invited discussions on whether solar technology can be introduced as a part of the practical education in technical schools.

“We would love our technical schools to come on board, your students are learning about solar technology. Can they use this as part of their practical education? Let’s begin those discussions,” Williams urged.

“I know of the problems that we have to deal with include cooling of classrooms or staff rooms, or administrative facilities. We have to do this frontally, using the God-given sunshine. We have to install solar panels in schools,” added Williams as she highlighted a video she said she recently received from a school displaying the use of solar power.

“One of our technical schools, St Mary Technical High School, recently sent me a video to show how they’ve used solar to power their refrigerator because they were not connected back yet to the JPS [Jamaica Public Service Company] system. Can we scale up that knowledge to have solar power in our schools? I think we can,” said Williams.

According to the education minister, The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology (UTech), the nation’s two foremost tertiary institutions, have already indicated their willingness to discuss the issue.

“And just recently, I spoke with UTech and UWI, and they have expressed an interest in sitting down with us to solve this problem,” Williams said.

Despite an expected increase in rainfall for the rest of this year, Jamaicans should anticipate warmer days and nights through September and November.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica Preliminary Rainfall and Drought Report, published in May, predicted above-normal temperatures for western and central areas of the island during the period.

The temperature forecast for the island from September to November shows a 40 per cent chance of above-normal temperatures, a 35 per cent chance of normal temperatures and a 25 per cent chance of below-normal temperatures.

There have been repeated concern in recent time that with so many schools in Jamaica having poor ventilation and cooling systems in the classrooms, students could face heat stress with dire consequences.

Some schools have started to take precautionary measures while exploring resourceful ways to minimise the impact, but that may not be enough.

Last September the education ministry issued heat safety guidelines for schools. The ministry encouraged school administrators to take proactive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff as the soaring temperatures persisted.

In a bulletin the ministry recommended several heat safety protocols that schools could implement based on individual circumstances.

These included the development of guidelines for outdoor activities and sports during hot weather, by adjusting school schedules to minimise such events during the hottest parts of the day or rescheduling to cooler times.

According to the ministry, students and staff should also have access to shaded areas where possible, and every effort should be made to eliminate the need to have students stand in the sun for long periods, such as for general assembly.

Administrators were also encouraged to ensure that students and staff have access to clean and safe drinking water, encourage regular water breaks and educate students about the importance of staying hydrated.