KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has activated the host school initiative to assist students whose institutions have been severely damaged and not yet reopened following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

Portfolio Minister, Senator Dana Morris Dixon, provided an update on the initiative while making a Ministerial statement on the impact and response to Hurricane Melissa during a sitting of the Senate on November 21.

“To ensure learning does not come to a halt for the thousands of children in the severely damaged schools, we have activated a Host School modality. This is a temporary arrangement where a student from a non-operational school continues learning in another institution for a defined period of time,” she said.

She explained that students nevertheless remain anchored to their home institutions. “So, we are not doing a transfer… .  Hosting is an interim solution,” she said.

Morris Dixon said students and their host schools will be supported by strong regional coordination and clear accountability measures.

“As a ministry, we understand that different institutions have different cultures. One does not change school mid-term without some transition pains. As a result, students and their host schools will be supported by strong regional coordination, psychosocial services, and clear accountability measures,” she noted.

She said several principals have reached out to the ministry expressing their interest in hosting students displaced by the passage of the category-five hurricane.

“I find it encouraging that many schools, both public and private, have already volunteered to host displaced students. Many principals have reached out to the ministry, indicating their interest. This is demonstrating the very best of our national spirit and our shared commitment to Jamaica’s children,” the minister said.

Furthermore, she urged parents who want to benefit from this initiative to reach out to one of the ministry’s regional offices for assistance.

“There you will be able to sign up for one of these spots that we have,” she said.

Some of the schools include Kingston Technical High School, St Andrew Technical High School, Campion College and Ardenne High.

“There are a range of schools in Kingston and also in St Catherine that have said they are willing to take students. Some of our schools in Manchester are also renovating their boarding facilities to facilitate children from the west, and so we thank them and congratulate them and we hope other schools will do similarly,” she said.

The Host School initiative is among one of the operational models being instituted by the ministry to support the continuity of learning.

The models depend on the level of impact the hurricane had on a school’s infrastructure.

Some of the others include rotational model or extended day; alternate or temporary sites, including the use of tents on the existing site or use of another space; and temporary consolidation of some schools starting in Regions 3, 4 and 5.

Region 3 includes St Ann and Trelawny; Region 4, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland; and Region 5, St Elizabeth and Manchester.

The use of the models will be complemented using several remote strategies to extend learning, including printed kits, and broadcast lessons via radio.

The minister indicated that the modality chosen will depend on the levels of connectivity and supporting infrastructure available to teachers and students.

–       JIS