NET Mobilises Contractors in 48 Schools Impacted by Hurricane Melissa

The National Education Trust (NET) has mobilised contractors across 48 schools impacted by Category Five Hurricane Melissa.

Executive Director, Latoya Harris-Ghartey, told JIS News that several contractors have submitted engineering reports, with cost proposals now being verified and validated by NET’s technical team, which includes a quantity surveyor.

She disclosed that instructions have been issued for contractors to begin work in at least three institutions.

“Most of those are boarding facilities, or institutions where we had a contractor on hand. So if we had a contractor on a project site, we would have asked them to do an assessment and commence work to rehabilitate whatever is required for that school to operate,” the Executive Director explained.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Harris-Ghartey indicated that NET’s aim is to implement the new Building Standards for Schools, which were approved in December 2024.

“You’ll realise that when you go to a school, you’ll see the new infrastructure standing, and that’s because they were built to a higher code than what would have existed in our school stock,” she informed.

The Executive Director noted that post-hurricane school infrastructure repairs will be undertaken more strategically.

“We’re trying to be quick… but with quality that can possibly stand up the best to a Category Five [Hurricane]. For the roof repairs that are going on, we’re moving it from the minimum requirements in our building code to a higher point or the highest point there is. So we’ve pulled those out and we’re going to make those public. So if anybody’s doing any roof repairs, we ask that they be guided by that,” she stated.

Mrs. Harris-Ghartey emphasised that, where possible, NET will move away from using wooden frames and zinc in school repairs and construction.

“We know that in some schools, that’s all that they can put on their building. But in doing that, we want extra reinforcement,” she said.

The National Education Trust, a charitable organisation and government agency, has played a pivotal role in transforming Jamaica’s education sector by mobilising resources and fostering strategic partnerships with the Jamaican Diaspora, as well as local and international stakeholders.