Education Ministry to Strengthen Oversight of Repairs at Schools

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information is moving to strengthen oversight of Hurricane Melissa repairs at schools, as Portfolio Minister, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has raised concerns about the progress of works at some institutions.

Dr. Morris Dixon said that despite funds being allocated and contracts awarded, the pace of work in some instances has not met expectations.

“I’ve worked with the team to push and push the Minister of Finance to allocate the funds to education, and we got the funds allocated and we’ve done the contracts, but then we don’t see the work finished,” she said.

Senator Morris Dixon was speaking on August 11, at the Region Three Back-to-School Leadership Summit for Principals and school Board Chairs of 123 institutions, held at Ocean Coral Spring Resort, in Trelawny.

The summit was held under the theme, ‘Shaping the Future of Education Through Resilience and Innovation’.

The Minister urged school leaders to pay close attention to the progress of reconstruction work and report challenges to their Regional Director, so that the matters can be escalated.

She said approximately $5.698 billion has been allocated to repair 60 schools in Region Three, underscoring the significant investment being made to restore the institutions.

“Fixing our schools is important work, and so I ask you to work with me. We put online the names of all the contractors, which school they are assigned to, and what’s the value of the contract. Because at the end of the day, we need to hold everybody involved accountable,” she said.

Dr. Morris Dixon said she is also visiting schools to assess the progress of repairs, including making unannounced visits to get a clearer picture of the work taking place.

The Minister urged contractors to keep schools informed about the expected timelines for completing the various aspects of the repairs.

She noted that some works may not be completed in time for the start of the new school year, making it important for school administrators to know when specific works are expected to be finished, so they can make the necessary arrangements.

“The school needs to be kept informed because you have to make decisions about September. How do you make decisions if you don’t know what’s the timeline?” she said.

“And sometimes it’s not going to be ready. You know, when I go to some schools, the contractor will be honest and say, ‘Look, this is what will be ready for September. These pieces will not be ready in time. They’ll be ready mid-October or maybe late December.’ That’s important,” she added.

Turning to another area of recovery, Dr. Morris Dixon said the Ministry is exploring additional support for schools whose agricultural facilities were damaged by Hurricane Melissa.

She said discussions are underway with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, on the possibility of accessing support through hurricane rehabilitation funds available to the agricultural sector.