Munro College implementing measures to address learning loss
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Principal of Munro College Dr Mark Smith, says the institution is implementing targeted measures to support students and recover academic ground lost following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
“We believe that with the special interventions that we put in place, we’ll be able to recover,” he told JIS News.
The St Elizabeth-based institution sustained extensive damage, including destroyed roofs, flooded classrooms, and significant structural impairment.
The campus is undergoing major rebuilding with the support of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information through the National Education Trust (NET) and the Munro College Old Boys Association.
Smith told JIS News that about a month after the hurricane there was limited reopening to facilitate learning continuity for upper-form students preparing for external examinations.
“We anticipate that we would have lost roughly four weeks’ worth of contact time,” he noted.
He said that for first and second-formers, who lost two full months of schooling, there are also special measures in place to close learning gaps.
Smith told JIS News that the Munro College administration “takes the matter of academics very seriously. Our boys do exceptionally well”.
In the 2025 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) the school achieved 100 per cent passes in several subjects, including English Language.
Smith credited the achievement to the collective effort of the school community.
“The truth is, it really does take serious will and commitment on the part of our teachers, students, the general support staff at the school, and also the parents that have also rallied to our support,” he said.
“It has really been a collaborative effort, working together, really looking at how best we can meet our boys at their point of need, ensuring that lessons are tailored to impact the greatest possible learning outcomes and really help the boys to realise their full potential,” he added.
Smith also expressed gratitude to the alumni. “I want to especially thank the Munro College Old Boys Association for the work they have done and, of course, individual old boys who have seen the needs,” he said.
-JIS
