THE future of early childhood institutions with small enrolment numbers that were damaged by Hurricane Melissa is to be discussed with the management boards and principals of those entities, an official of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) has said.

Sophia Stewart, Jamaica School Readiness Assessment coordinator at the ECC, made the comment following a presentation outlining the impact of the October 28 Category 5 hurricane on early childhood institutions across the island, during a National Education Trust Technical Partners virtual forum on Friday.

Stewart, who said that up to November 26 the ECC had assessed 616 institutions which were impacted by the weather system, reported that 20,080 children and 1,871 early childhood practitioners were served by those schools.

She said the damage to the institutions ranged from minor to severe and included 135 government schools.

According to Stewart, the estimated value for those repairs currently lies at $207.917 million.

Following a presentation which showed estimates of damage ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions in some instances, Stewart, in response to concerns about the practicality of repairing schools that served very small populations said, “So we have considered the fact that there are some institutions which have been damaged but, considering long-term benefits, it would be prudent for modernisation to take place. And so, further conversations will happen with the management boards and principals of these institutions as it relates to the way forward”.

As to the repairs generally, Stewart said, “Our recommendation, going forward, is that as we make adjustments with the evaluating and looking at roofing, that it transcends beyond that. It’s climate change and how it impacts the building in general, the heat that our children will undergo when it gets close to summer, what adjustments will be made as it relates to that [which need to be considered above all].

“So whatever changes we make to the roofs of institutions, it is to consider what are the ripple effects, what else do we need to make changes for — so not just one aspect of the building but the building in general,” she told the forum.