ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — The Ministry of Education has announced plans to merge two St Catherine-based institutions, Hydel High School and Cumberland High School.

The announcement was made by Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon during a press conference to present the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination results on Monday.

According to Morris Dixon, the Government had been called upon to intervene in the operations of the private Hydel Group of Schools at the secondary level.

“For some time now, the ministry has been paying the teachers; we’ve paid all of the bills for that institution,” the minister disclosed.

Founded in September 1993 by former Jamaican Senator Hyacinth Bennett, Hydel High School was initially located in Kingston before relocating to its current campus in Ferry, St Catherine.

Morris Dixon explained that challenges related to Hydel’s current location, coupled with the underutilisation of Cumberland High School’s facilities, influenced the decision to pursue a merger.

“I remember going to that school and walking around and seeing tonnes of empty classrooms, so it was operating well below its capacity, and so the ministry has been looking at a merger of the two schools and having one plant, and that is what we are in the process of working through,” she said, adding that consultations with teachers and other stakeholders are ongoing.