KINGSTON, Jamaica— Nearly 700 students from the parishes that were most-severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa have been placed in host schools according to the Minister of Education, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon.

When the category 5 hurricane made a direct hit on Jamaica last October, many schools in the northwestern parishes of Westmoreland, St James, St Elizabeth, Hanover and Trelwany were impacted, some severely. Schools in Manchester, St Ann and elsewhere also suffered damage.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, the Ministry of Education moved to activate its host schools’ policy, bringing students from the disaster zone into schools that were able to accommodate them.

On Friday, Morris Dixon told the Senate that 680 students have been placed, many in prominent Corporate Area high schools. She was responding to a question from Opposition Senator Lambert Brown about whether the ministry had taken on board a suggestion from Opposition Member of Parliament for St Catherine North Western, Damion Crawford, for students to be placed in host schools.

“I applaud MP Crawford for also being a part of the ministry’s direction in terms of host schools; it’s been tremendously helpful for many of our children to be able to go to these schools,” Morris Dixon responded.

She said many schools are involved and named Alpha, Wolmer’s, Campion College and Kingston College among those that are hosting students.