Even at the best of times the start of a new school year, commonly referred to as ‘back-to-school’, is no picnic.

The stresses, strains, for parents and guardians, school leadership and staff, students — spare a thought for the very young ones just starting out — are always enormous.

Far more so now in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which, in the words of Education Minister Senator Dana Morris Dixon, caused “historic, once-in–a-one-hundred-year devastation…”

The Category 5 storm which struck in late October last year not only left a trail of death and utter destruction in western Jamaica particularly — where the eye crossed over land — it ruined and upended lives.

In terms of damage to schools, Senator Morris Dixon tells us that 688 were damaged by the ferocious winds and heavy rain generated by Melissa, and of that number 313 were “severely damaged”.

According to the minister, $26 billion is being spent on repairs and reconstruction of schools. And while “repairs are not advancing as fast as we would like… once we have this work completed, our schools will be stronger than ever”.

That last thought is supported by principal of Edwin Allen High Mr Jermaine Harris who believes he is among “the happiest principals in Jamaica” because post-hurricane restoration work has transformed his school.

Located in the hills of northern Clarendon, central Jamaica, Edwin Allen High was perhaps closest to Melissa’s centre as it exited the country over Trelawny in the north-west.

Regardless, structures which Mr Harris tells us were already unsound and long in need of repair were undone, thereby providing the opportunity to rebuild far better than before.

It’s a very different story for many schools in the west — sometimes referred to as ‘ground zero’, where the dream of restored structures remains way down the road.

Melissa’s horrific damage was bad enough, but we are told that restoration work, which it was hoped would have been much further advanced during the long summer holidays, has had discomforting delays. These have been largely laid at the feet of tardy contractors, and also persistent heavy rains in western parishes.

Inevitably then, there will be an inadequacy of classroom space in some schools. Rotation of student attendance — a continuation from the last academic year — is an obvious short-term solution. That’s until required classrooms are built out.

We are encouraged by word from Maggotty High in north-western St Elizabeth that students from the school’s construction course have been involved in that institution’s rebuild.

For as Mr Sean Graham, principal of hard-hit Maggotty High, told our reporter last month, “I am big on students being a part of rebuilding this school, for their own attachment to the school now, but in years to come they can come back and say ‘this did happen and I played a part’, and it can also help them [to earn]…”

At bottom line as our children return to school today, Jamaicans should all pull together regardless of circumstances so that in the education minister’s words “we can play our part in unleashing” their full potential.