ST JAMES, Jamaica — Ninety-eight per cent of schools in region five have reopened for the Easter term, as recovery efforts continue following extensive damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Regional Director at the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information – Region Five, Susan Nelson Smith, told JIS News that the region has made steady progress despite the impact of the hurricane on school infrastructure and surrounding communities.

“As a region, we’re happy to report that 98 per cent of our schools would have opened for the commencement of the academic term,” she said.

Region Five, which consists of St Elizabeth and Manchester, is comprised of 162 schools, of which 58 were classified as priority one, after sustaining significant hurricane damage.

“Work would have commenced at most of the schools that were significantly damaged,” Nelson Smith said.

She explained that the ministry has been actively monitoring the progress of repair and restoration works through site visits and stakeholder engagement.

As part of the inspection exercise in St Elizabeth, education officials toured Ballards Valley Primary School, Lacovia Primary and Infant School, and Clapham Primary and Infant School, institutions that were among those most severely affected by the hurricane.

Addressing student attendance, the regional director noted that displacement caused by damage to homes and communities has affected full participation.

“Our attendance is between 70 to 80 per cent because there are still some of our students that our guidance unit is working with our parents to identify them, to find them in the communities, and to place them in schools,” she said.

Nelson Smith added that some students were temporarily accommodated at other institutions within and outside the region, requiring coordinated efforts to ensure their return.

She also commended school administrators for maintaining teaching and learning despite ongoing repairs.

“Our principals have been very proactive in ensuring that our students are hosted in alternative spaces,” she said, noting that temporary arrangements have included the use of tents and tarpaulins.

Despite the challenges, Nelson Smith said the region continues to make positive strides towards full recovery.

“In spite of the onslaught that Hurricane Melissa would have done to this region, we are recovering,” she said.

– JIS