HOLLAND, St Elizabeth — Space is tighter than ever at Holland Primary School in this parish because even as administrators struggle to find enough classrooms, students who temporarily joined after last year’s hurricane have opted to officially enrol.

The school needs five classrooms to comfortably accommodate its 215 students but only three are available now.

“Our population increased after Hurricane Melissa, because we got students from some other schools that were more compromised than ours. The students came here and they liked us and they didn’t return to their previous school,” Principal Simone Doctor told the
Jamaica Observer Monday.

Holland Primary School Principal Simone Doctor standing beside an abandoned classroom block on Monday. (Photos: Naphtali Junior)

She said a wooden structure donated by Food For the Poor Jamaica in 2010 was destroyed last October during the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. It formerly housed two classrooms.

“It is only the base that is there now. We got 15 wonderful years from the structure,” she said wistfully.

Doctor also spoke of the need to replace two structures, including an adjoining mould-infested classroom block, with a modern two-storey building.

A mould-infested classroom at Holland Primary School in St Elizabeth

“It was the original school, called the nog; the material it is made from is not cement and steel. The Ministry of Education is not repairing these old structures anymore, so the idea is to basically remove this building and reconstruct it,” she told the Observer.

“Every sheet of zinc went from the building. We still have tarpaulins on this building and we were using it, but the building is very much compromised now with the mould that is growing in here. We cannot use it anymore. Within five minutes of entering you will have a headache. The mould is an issue; it is still leaking. We have tarpaulin, but I suppose sections on it are compromised,” the school administrator added.

She said the only habitable structure at the school has three classrooms on the main building.

The abandoned classroom block at Holland Primary School in St Elizabeth (Photos: Naphtali Junior)

“This building was completely re-roofed. In the meantime, the Ministry of Education will be providing tents, so we will be getting tents this week to accommodate [students] for next week,” Doctor said.

“What we will need are cooling devices, like portable air conditioners, to make those tent classrooms more comfortable for our students,” she added.

She said parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education Senator Marlon Morgan visited the school last Friday, did a walk-through, and made suggestions.

Holland Primary School in St Elizabeth

“For this week the Ministry of Education will be providing four-classroom tent spaces for grades five, four, and three,” the Holland Primary principal said.

“We have a building here with three classrooms. Some classes will be joined. For example, we have two grade fours and the teachers will just team teach, because of the space,” she added.

Also among the changes that will be made when the school year begins is an earlier start to the day.

“When it comes to September we have the rainy season, so from midday onwards it rains. We have suggested to the parents to start half an hour earlier. We would normally start at eight o’clock, so we will start at 7:30 am to get half an hour extra in the morning and the lunch time will be at 12:30 [instead of midday]. That way we will have an additional hour in the morning session,” the school principal said.

She said school will still end at 2:30 pm daily.

“We are trying it for this term. We are trying to maximise as best as we can the morning hours,” Doctor added.