Jamaican schools reopen amid ongoing repairs following Hurricane Melissa

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon

As students across Jamaica return to classrooms for the Easter Term, education officials say disruptions caused by last year’s devastating hurricane will not derail students’ academic progress, even as repairs continue at hundreds of schools.

More than 600 educational institutions sustained damage during the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025, forcing the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information to implement temporary learning arrangements at several locations.

“Some schools will continue with temporary arrangements while major repairs continue. Some will share spaces with our innovative host schools, and others will use blended approaches, and for a little while longer, learning will continue in these modalities,” said Portfolio Minister, Senator Dana Morris Dixon.

She outlined the ministry’s plans in a back-to-school message for the new term, which commenced on Monday.

Morris Dixon emphasized that while short-term solutions remain necessary, the ministry is focused on long-term recovery and strengthening the education system.

“We’re not just restoring what was damaged. We must use this disaster to rethink, redesign and rebuild an education system that is safer, smarter and more resilient for the future. The level of damage we experienced just a few months ago should not be experienced again,” she said.

The minister acknowledged that the return to school comes after an especially difficult period for many families, describing the past few months as one of the most challenging in Jamaica’s recent history.

Morris Dixon said Hurricane Melissa had a severe impact on the island, particularly the western end, disrupting school operations and the lives of thousands of students and education workers.

“From day one, our teams across the ministry, our partners, our school leaders and our communities came together. We worked around the clock to clean up, repair, restore and, most importantly, make sure our students and stakeholders can return to safe learning spaces as quickly as possible,” she said.

She also praised school leadership and staff for navigating the challenges brought on by the storm.

Morris Dixon expressed gratitude to school boards, principals and teaching and ancillary staff for their leadership and commitment at the school level.

“Your creativity and your heart have gotten us to this point, and today I’m so proud to say that many schools across Jamaica will be back in session,” the minister said.