Principal of Accompong Primary and Infant School Garfield Rowe is considering hosting some classes under tents and implementing a rotation system as he tries to get a phased resumption of learning in the major maroon settlement.

“We could have grades four to six on some days and grades one to three on other days. I want to prevent learning loss as best as possible,” Rowe told the Jamaica Observer when a news team made it into the deep-rural community on Wednesday.

According to Rowe, the school — which is perched on a hillside in the Cockpit Country in St Elizabeth — was in the middle of the devastation when Hurricane Melissa slammed into the island on October 28.

Now he is hoping to restart classes sometime this month, to cut back as much as possible on learning loss among his roughly 100 students.

“The school was extremely devastated by Hurricane Melissa. The roof completely gone. We are completely roofless. We had damage to furniture [and] equipment. The school was a designated shelter; however, during the hurricane it was one of the first buildings to lose its zinc roof.

“We were able to save the more important documents and the school records. We have a library and that roof is decked, so we were able to store important records there. We will be having a massive clean-up [but] based on several factors, so far I have been only able to contact about 50 per cent of my [12] teachers,” said Rowe.

The principal is well aware that he, and the teachers, will have to find special ways to deal with children who experienced trauma during the hurricane and appealed for as much assistance the school, and the community, can get from outside, based on the severity of the situation.

“Some of our teachers are still marooned, some of the students are traumatised. Their parents lost their homes with clothes, shoes, and text books. Any assistance we can get at the moment we will be grateful for — like tents. If work is going to take place on our roofs, we are going to need somewhere to stay,” he said.

“We appreciate any assistance we can get. Learning resources would be welcomed, equipment, black water tanks, you name it. Whatever care packages we get, will be welcomed,”Rowe stressed.

He told the Observer that Accompong Town saw at least 85 per cent of houses, and almost all farms destroyed during the Category 5 hurricane which packed winds of above 185 miles per hour when it slammed into Jamaica.

On Thursday, Minister of Education Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon reported that more than 600 educational institutions sustained damage during the passage of Melissa.

“In the [most] affected parishes [St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover and St James] we have a little bit over 450 schools that have been affected, and that’s across the board — infant schools, primary schools, secondary schools and also eight tertiary schools. So far, we’ve seen estimates of 616 institutions having some kind of damage,” said Morris Dixon.

She shared that the damage range from leaks to complete destruction.

Morris Dixon described the initial school repair bill as “humongous” and promised that the ministry will confirm the figure by next week.

“We have encouraged schools to open, and on Tuesday there were over 100 schools that had opened, so those that can, should open. Obviously, we need to have water at the school and it needs to be a safe environment,” noted Morris Dixon.

She said the ministry plans to prioritise students who are doing exams — Primary Exit Profile (PEP), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) — with temporary school structures being considered.

See more on Melissa’s impact on Accompong in the Sunday Observer.

The library at Accompong Town Primary and Infant School was the only room that was spared by Hurricane Melissa. (Photo: Gavin Jones)

Debris in the yard at Accompong Primary and Infant School in St Elizabeth after Hurricane Melissa. (Photo: Jason Cross)

This was the state of one classroom at Accompong Primary and Infant School. (Photo: Jason Cross)