Hanover schools up and running despite ongoing repair work
Published:Tuesday | September 3, 2024 | 12:09 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Unlike in some of the other parishes in western Jamaica, the 2024-2025 school year got off to a smooth start in Hanover yesterday, with all institutions across the parish opening their doors to students despite some adjustments having to be made by some principals.
Jasmin Johnson, principal of Bethel Primary in Hopewell, told The Gleaner that her institution had fully recovered from Hurricane Beryl and has now reopened although the process is taking place in phases.
“We have all our grades five and six students present today and will be expecting all students from all the other grades tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Johnson. “In regard to the main building here, that is the building that houses the principal’s office, staff room, students’ restrooms, three grade-six classrooms, four grade-five classrooms, four grade-four classrooms, one grade three, the library, and the music room. This building was leaking for many years. Then Beryl came, and the roof deteriorated further, so the Ministry of Education (MOE) sent in a work team, and they started work last week. They are still working on it, and completion is expected today.”
Johnson also pointed out that the work being done on the school included electrical renovation of all classrooms, staff room, offices, the auditorium, the computer laboratory, and the storerooms.
“My greatest hurdle right now is that on the inside of the literacy laboratory, the roof is collapsing, and that is there for a long time. Building officers from the MOE have looked at it, so I am hoping that it will be dealt with soon,” she said, noting that estimates for the repairs are approximately J$1.5 million.
Johnson, who is a senior principal in the MOE’s Region 4 Quality Educational Circle, said that based on postings in the group’s social media group, all the schools have reopened, including Mount Hannah Primary School in western Hanover, which had lost all its roof during the hurricane.
When The Gleaner contacted Nicholas James, the principal of Mount Hannah Primary School, he confirmed the smooth start at the institution.
“We are open and fully functional. I have just one slight issue with the roof of the school, which was removed by Hurricane Beryl, and the repair work is not yet complete, so I have to make some other arrangements for the children,” said James. “The staff has agreed to share their bathroom with the students, and we have made some contingency plans to work around whatever problems we are having. The repair work will be completed by next Monday, September 9.”