With work still ongoing to reconstruct a building that was flattened by Hurricane Beryl’s torrential winds and rain, Hall’s Delight Primary Principal Denise Dunchie says the school will have to host a group of grade two students at a nearby church for the opening of the academic year on September 2.

At the same time, Dunchie said she is grateful that the school will get a well-needed facelift.

“A lot of people are disappointed with Beryl but we’re happy because if it wasn’t for Beryl, we wouldn’t be getting a new building here. It has been years that we have been asking and begging and yes, NET (National Education Trust) and all those persons came to our rescue now, so we thank God for Beryl because we are seeing upliftment,” she said.

“We might be held behind for some time, we might have to go online for some time, but we want it, and we will accommodate that because thanks be to God we will be seeing a school that will impress parents,” she said, her face lighting up as she observed the work taking place on the school grounds.

“That building hosted one classroom, the sick bay, an isolation station, and a bathroom,” the principal said in reference to the flattened structure.

“For the classroom, we were given permission by the Methodist church to use the space. The church is beside the school and they gave us permission to use a section for the classroom,” Dunchie told the Jamaica Observer.

“In regards to the isolation station and the sick bay, we’re parting off another classroom to host a small area where we can put even one bed and store some of the other things that were left out in the open after the hurricane,” she said, adding that the school has another bathroom students and teachers can use in the meantime.

Hall’s Delight Primary, located near Mavis Bank in St Andrew, was listed as priority one on the Ministry of Education’s list of schools to be repaired following Hurricane Beryl, which impacted the island on July 3. According to an NET document obtained by the
Sunday Observer, $77.2 million was allocated to NF Barnes Construction and Equipment for the re-sheeting and ceiling of two buildings, the replacement of internal and external timber cladding of a building, sections of wooden flooring and windows and doors. An award letter was issued on August 2, and site possession was anticipated on August 5.

During a visit to the school on August 21, the Sunday Observer saw workmen clearing debris from the collapsed wooden building and preparing the land for construction. Additionally, work was well advanced to repair the roof of another building.

Dunchie said construction officially started on August 20 despite initial projections to get the ball rolling by August 12.

“They had some differences in how they would do over there [the destroyed building] so that is why it did not start yet because it should’ve started from last week Monday [August 12] I think, but because they were still making decisions as to what to do over there, it stalled,” she explained.

“The building was a wooden structure and they said they are gonna give us block and slab it so we can go on top. It’s still going to be a classroom, the sick bay, the isolation station, and the bathroom,” she added.

Dunchie stated that while she does not anticipate the building to be completed by September 2, she is grateful that the Ministry of Education and NET kept the school abreast of the developments and maintained consistent dialogue.

“I had a number of people come to do assessments. NET was here about three times and the building officer about one time,” said Dunchie.

Omar Stewart, NET project manager overseeing the work, told the Sunday Observer that work is 40 per cent complete with repairs to the roof of another building that will host grade one and grades four to six almost complete.

The school has a population of approximately 110 students with one classroom used for each grade.

“The bigger building will be ready [for back-to-school] but this one [the destroyed wooden structure] won’t be and it won’t be until a short while after, maybe two to three weeks into the new school term,” said Stewart.

The principal said that often times parents, after examining the school’s infrastructure, would decide to place their children in other schools that are more appealing to the eye, a long-standing issue that affects student enrolment.

“Parents will tell you point blank, ‘I’m not sending my child to play on that surface’. You notice we don’t have a playing field? They’ll pass and take their children way out; they go as far as St Martin de Porres Primary in Gordon Town and Louise Bennett-Cloverly All-Age [also in Gordon Town],” she said.

“I am hoping and praying that work continues smoothly. I will sleep here day and night to make sure that it is built because we are really, really grateful,” said the principal.

“Beryl positive till it can’t positive anymore!” she exclaimed.

Minister of Education Fayval Williams, speaking at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association 60th annual conference at Ocean Coral Spring Hotel in Trelawny last week, admitted that there were several schools in need of infrastructure work and Hurricane Beryl had expedited the process.

“Hurricane Beryl accelerated some of the work that needed to have been done decades ago. Some roofs that used to leak will leak no more because they have been replaced as a result of the work that we did to rectify the hurricane damage. But I don’t want to depend on a hurricane to do what we ought to be doing in and out of season,” said the minister.

She added that despite the expedition of these works, “serious building infrastructure upgrade is still ahead of us”.

Construction is ongoing at 352 schools impacted by Hurricane Beryl. Minister Williams said it is expected that the majority of these schools will be ready for September 2, with the focus placed on schools listed as priority one.

“We focused on priority one schools to get those back up and running, and we commit to priority two and three schools that your damage will also be repaired, but it will be done during the school year,” said Williams.

She described priority two and three schools as those that have minimal damage such as a broken fence, wall, or any damage that will not directly impact the operation of classes.

“We’re asking for understanding as we lay out our approach to this so that schools don’t feel as if they’ve been neglected or victimised. It’s just a reality of prioritising the severely damaged schools versus those that are moderately damaged versus those with minor damage,” she explained.