School Boards, Teachers and Parents in Region Three Commended for Clean-Up Effort

School Boards, teachers, parents and Education Ministry personnel who have been collaborating to prepare campuses in St. Ann and Trelawny (Region Three) for reopening have been commended for their commitment in the clean-up activities.

Regional Director in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information, Karlene Segre, said the schools are working to resume normal operations following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“I want to acknowledge the effort, the work of the school teams, principals, the school Boards, teachers, and parents who came together with the support of the Regional Office to clean up their schools,” she told JIS News.

Ms. Segre said that of the 123 Region Three educational institutions, only four escaped damage. “Forty-three of them were significantly impacted, and the rest partially,” she pointed out.

She noted that an educational recovery plan of action has been developed for the Region, with each institution also establishing its own plan, based on its unique circumstances.

“Each school is different, the challenges are different, and we are supporting, we are collaborating, and we are trying to help them recover at the pace at which each school can,” she said.

Ms. Segre added that some schools are still without electricity and running water, and decisions about reopening will be guided by the need to maintain a safe and healthy environment.

“We want to ensure that these also are in place for the safety and security of our students and our teachers,” she emphasised.

Ms. Segre reported that clean-up teams were deployed across eight worksites in the Region, with additional assistance from personnel in Region Seven and the Central Ministry.

Schools benefiting from the current phase of clean-up in the Region include Salt Marsh Primary, Wakefield Primary, Hastings Primary, Westwood High and Albert Town Primary in Trelawny; and Brown’s Town Community College and Servite Primary in St. Ann.

“The Regional Office’s presence is also comforting and supportive as the Principals welcome us and engage with us in the clean-up activities and their planning arrangements for the recovery plan,” Ms. Segre said.