Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has signalled that more underpopulated schools could be consolidated or left off the Government’s reconstruction list, arguing that Jamaica cannot continue maintaining costly education facilities with too few students to fill them.

Speaking during Tuesday’s official launch of the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC) at Jamaica House in Kingston, Holness stressed the rebuilding of Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa would not simply mean restoring every damaged asset to its previous form.

He said some infrastructure would be rebuilt differently, some would be relocated, and some assets would not be rebuilt at all — a position he linked directly to the Government’s plans to consolidate parts of the education system.

“Please note they will not necessarily be rebuilt in the same place or in the same way, and there are some assets that will not be rebuilt. I think the public should become aware of that… We are in the process of consolidating our education infrastructure. There are… many schools that are underpopulated. And I know there is a great attachment to the schools because they signal the life of the community, but it is highly inefficient,” he said.

Holness argued that maintaining underpopulated schools places an unnecessary burden on taxpayers, as Government still has to cover fixed costs regardless of enrolment.

He said it was inefficient to maintain facilities designed for 1,000 students when only about 300 are using them, with taxpayers effectively footing the bill for space that remains unused because of sentimental attachment to the school.

Holness did not identify specific additional schools for closure or merger, nor did he announce a list of institutions that would be excluded from reconstruction. Instead, he described consolidation as part of a broader rethink of the country’s education infrastructure, against the backdrop of the massive rebuilding exercise triggered by Hurricane Melissa which ravaged sections of the country last year on October 28.

The prime minister’s comments come as Government has already begun restructuring schools where existing facilities and enrolment levels make consolidation a practical option.

On Monday, Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon officially unveiled the newly merged Hydel Cumberland High School in Portmore, St Catherine, bringing the two school communities together at the former Cumberland campus.

The move followed concerns about infrastructure at Hydel and the underutilisation of Cumberland, which had capacity for 1,200 students but was operating with just over 300 when Morris Dixon visited about a year earlier.

Morris Dixon said the merger was intended to make better use of existing resources and form part of a strategic restructuring of the education system.

“One of the things we had thought about was potentially moving the children in little groups to different schools, putting them all around St Catherine. But I think this is the best option. I think this was quite strategic in nature, and that’s how we’re going to continue to do this restructuring of education in Jamaica — be strategic — because now that we have one institution instead of two, it means we can direct more resources to one… that is our plan,” she said.

However on Tuesday, the prime minister acknowledged that schools are not simply buildings and that closing or consolidating one can have consequences for the communities around it.

He said the Government therefore intends to consult before making such decisions, while maintaining that public money must be used responsibly.