A visit to more than 20 schools islandwide, has revealed that the health and safety of students and educators are being seriously compromised daily, and that some classrooms have been taken over by birds.
The visits were carried out by members of the Jamaica Teacher Association’s (JTA) leadership. who have expressed concern about the well being of students and educators. a year after the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
At a recent JTA conference, the Association disclosed that some of the members had visited the schools to observe the conditions under which teachers are working, and students are learning.
The JTA described what it found as “untenable.”
The Association said some schools continue to have outstanding hurricane-related infrastructure damage, while others have been operating with limited classroom space and temporary arrangements since the passage of Hurricane Melissa last year October.
At Holland High, the JTA reported seeing abandoned rooms affected by pigeons.
“There are rooms that are totally abandoned,” the Association president, LaSoja Harrison said. “Those rooms that have been abandoned, they are totally a mess from the pigeons.”
Birds were observed flying inside other classrooms. The conditions she said, were “untenable.”
The Association also highlighted the condition of the school’s information technology laboratory.
According to the JTA, the laboratory has remained unusable since the hurricane, with no computers available.
Despite those challenges, the Association said Holland High submitted 123 students for Information Technology examinations, with 122 passing.
At Granville Primary, the JTA said part of the school remained without a roof.
The infant department had to merge classes to accommodate students across the campus while construction was taking place.
Concerns have been raised about the broader impact of damaged infrastructure on schools’ ability to provide students with a normal learning environment.
During its school visits, the JTA said it observed conditions involving damaged buildings, inadequate facilities and schools struggling to accommodate students.
The situation was particularly concerning because schools are expected to provide children with a safe environment in which to learn.
The JTA has called on the Government to provide comprehensive information on the schools affected, including the status of repairs, plans for outstanding work, temporary learning spaces and school closures.
The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information had reported at the start of the new school year in September that 95 schools would be fully repaired by the end of that month and another 34 schools will be fully completed by the end of December. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Kasan Troupe, promised that 60 per cent of the schools that were badly damaged, would be ready by the end of the first term of the new academic year. Those schools that were badly damaged will take 24 months to be completed.
