KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dana Morris Dixon, says as of November 19, 2025, 78 per cent or 791 schools have been reopened following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Morris Dixon made the disclosure during a statement in the Senate on Friday.

“The psychologists will tell you that after a disaster, it is extremely important that our children get back to their normal routine, it helps them to deal with the trauma. So, it is extremely important that we do everything we can to get our students back in school as quickly as possible, and that’s why I commend all our principals and board chairs under very difficult circumstances to have done this,” she said.

Morris Dixon also thanked her Opposition counterpart in the House of Representatives, Damion Crawford, for supporting the quick resumption of classes where possible.

Meanwhile, the minister informed that $325 million in clean-up grants have been disbursed to over 500 schools to date.

Morris Dixon said through the Rapid Resumption Grant, the ministry is providing initial clean-up funding ranging from $300,000 to $1,000,000, based on the severity of the impact of the Category 5 hurricane.

The money will be used to facilitate debris removal and sanitation, restoration of utilities and essential amenities.

“The recurring activity across all schools I have visited is clean-up. School leaders, staff, community members, students, volunteers, all across Jamaica, they are helping our schools to clean up.

“In fact, the principal of St Elizabeth Technical is looking forward to using that school as a way to propel their community to normalcy. Schools are an important part of the social fabric of a community. I commend our school leaders who are going above and beyond to re-establish a good school environment,” Morris Dixon stated.

— JIS