THE education ministry on Monday reported a generally smooth reopening of schools across the island for the start of the 2026/27 academic year but principals, mostly in hurricane-ravaged western Jamaica, highlighted a raft of difficulties.

Among the complaints were incomplete repairs as well as classes held in heat-trapping tents that turn into sweltering ovens under the tropical sun.

“Based on preliminary data received from all seven educational regions covering approximately 1,000 schools, only three schools did not open today, meaning that approximately 99.7 per cent of the schools captured in the data were able to open on the first day of the new school year,” the ministry said in a news release.

While the ministry said late furniture delivery was among the most frequently reported challenges on Monday, Jamaica Observer journalists received first-hand reports of the rough start to the academic year in the sections of the island that suffered the brunt of Hurricane Melissa’s fury last October.

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