ST JAMES, Jamaica — Students and staff at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) returned to bright, newly repaired classrooms on Monday, September 7, marking a milestone in the recovery of the institution following the extensive damage sustained during Hurricane Melissa.

Education, Skills, Youth and Information Minister, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, who was on hand to welcome the students for the start of the new academic year, was pleased with the progress of the restoration works.

She noted the remarkable improvements since she visited the institution in the aftermath of the storm, which impacted the island last October.

“My heart was completely broken when I came to this school. I was in this classroom and there was no ceiling, no walls, there was just devastation everywhere. However, it is so amazing to be here today to see walls, windows, fans and new electrical work that has been done,” she said.

The senator stated that the rebuilding effort went beyond simply restoring what was lost as emphasis was placed on strengthening the buildings.

She noted that priority was placed on restoring classrooms so that the school could accommodate students safely at the beginning of the new academic year.

“Some work is finished while some work is ongoing. There are other parts of the school that also need more work and that work will continue throughout the term, but I think we’re looking good,” she pointed out.

Principal of STETHS, Keith Wellington, noted that the progress of works marks a return to normalcy, bringing an end to months of creative arrangements to keep classes going after the hurricane.

“When this block was not available, what we had to do, we got our grade-11 and sixth-form students to come in every day beginning on November 21, 2025, when we resumed classes following the hurricane, and the other students had to rotate. So, first- to third-form students came two or three days per week, and grade-10 students, we tried to get them in four days per week,” he pointed out.

He noted that sixth-form students are the only cohort not yet back on campus but are scheduled to begin classes on Wednesday, September 9.

The repairs at STETHS are being done under two contracts totalling $370 million.

Over at Holland Primary School, the new term also kicked off without a hitch. School administrators greeted students and parents at the gates with warm smiles, helping to ease first‑day jitters as children prepared for a full day of learning.

The atmosphere was calm and orderly with classes beginning promptly and everyone settling in comfortably.

At Burnt Savannah Primary and Infant, where hurricane repairs are under way, the school year started with a blended system of face-to-face and online classes.

Grade-six students are back on campus for in-person lessons, while pupils from grades one to 5 are being taught virtually.

Principal, Janet Stephenson-Atkinson, informed that the grade-five block is partially ready, with electricity to be restored, and the grade-six block is far advanced, with ceiling works being completed.

—    JIS