WESTERN BUREAU:
Teachers across the parish of Hanover reported for duty in full force on Monday as the 2026 Easter term officially began although student turnout was below normal at most schools.
The start of the term came amid challenging teaching and learning conditions, with many schools still grappling with damage caused by Hurricane Melissa and persistent unfavourable weather across western Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa, which passed over the island on October 28, 2025, left widespread damage to educational institutions in Hanover. Almost all schools suffered some level of destruction, including damage to roofs, infrastructure, furniture, and equipment. Several were also used as emergency shelters during and after the hurricane. Despite this, schools were expected to resume face-to-face teaching on January 5, 2026.
Even with ongoing rain linked to a weather system affecting the country, teachers across the parish demonstrated their commitment by turning out for the start of the new term.
“It was a low student turnout for the first day, and we think it was because of the bad weather,” chairman of the Bethel Primary School in Hopewell, Hanover, Kadian McNeil-Ellis, told The Gleaner.
She explained that significant hurricane damage had forced the school to adjust its operations.
“We are now using the auditorium and the library to host all the grade one and grade two classes as the roofs on both groups of classes were blown off by the recent hurricane,” McNiel-Ellis said.
As a result, teachers have adopted a team-teaching approach in the shared spaces.
Visits to two of the three high schools in eastern Hanover – Hopewell High and Merlene Ottey High – showed that efforts were also being made to resume classes though not without difficulties.
At Merlene Ottey High, the canteen was closed for sanitation reasons while roof damage to four buildings led to waterlogged classrooms and offices, requiring alternative arrangements for students who reported for classes.
Hanover Eastern Member of Parliament Andrea Purkiss, who was visiting the school, told The Gleaner that she had already taken a look at a number of educational institutions on the return from the holidays. She was not pleased.
UTILITIES OFF
“All the staff have showed up for work, but there is no electricity or water at this and other schools,” she said.
“At Hopewell High, this morning, the teachers had to vacate four classrooms as they leaked from the roof and the rain was drizzling, and those classrooms had suffered roof damage from the recent hurricane,” she pointed out.
Purkiss said she was informed that all damaged schools in the parish had been assessed by the relevant government agencies, but no repairs had been carried out to date.
“I don’t want to go out on a limb and say that the schools are not yet ready for holding classes, but more repair work should have been done over the Christmas holidays to make them teaching/learning ready,” the member of parliament stated.
She argued that fancy speeches about building back stronger while nothing is happening are hot air.
Overall student attendance remained below normal due in part to adverse weather and the fact that many families are still recovering from hurricane-related losses.
Reports indicate that Knockalva Technical High School also suffered severe damage from Hurricane Melissa, with no repairs completed so far. Nevertheless, the school reopened with classes for grades 10 and 11 on January 5.
Brownsville Primary School has also reopened but remains without electricity and other teaching aids, affecting its breakfast programme. Purkiss appealed for a government generator to be provided to the school.
Despite the challenges, she commended teachers across Hanover for their dedication, noting that many continued to report for duty even after suffering personal losses during the hurricane.
