As Hurricane Beryl’s aftermath continues to impact educational institutions in St Elizabeth, both Munro College and Hampton School are making significant strides toward resuming full classes by September 16. Administrators from both schools are optimistic that recent relief efforts from Jamaicans Abroad Helping Jamaicans at Home (JAHJAH) Foundation and its partners will accelerate their recovery process.
While many schools across Jamaica successfully welcomed their students at the start of the 2024/2025 academic year the week of September 2, Munro College and Hampton School faced extensive damage due to Hurricane Beryl, which struck the island on July 3. To support their recovery, the JAHJAH Foundation provided crucial supplies such as zinc and plywood to help with repairs. Manning’s School in Westmoreland also received assistance from the foundation.
Clarence Burrell, Senior Teacher and First-Form Year Coordinator at Munro College, expressed gratitude for the support. “We are very grateful to the JAHJAH Foundation and Dr. Dixon for the assistance; it will definitely go a long way. This support complements the efforts of the Ministry of Education and the National Education Trust in repairing our facilities,” he said. Burrell noted that the donations would be particularly useful for repairing areas like the dormitory, auditorium, and staff housing, which were not covered by government assistance.
Burrell reported that 31 of Munro’s 35 buildings sustained damage, with some classroom blocks losing their roofs and other sections affected. “The auditorium lost about half of its roof, and while the dormitories sustained only minor damage, we had some broken windows and plumbing issues. The principal’s office and vice-principal’s office were also affected, and the sixth-form block lost its roof, causing water damage to the cafeteria below,” he detailed. Despite the challenges, Munro College plans to continue repairs while resuming classes.
Hampton School Principal Mahvell Charlton-Brown also acknowledged the critical role of the JAHJAH Foundation’s support. “Hampton experienced significant damage, including the loss of roofs on several classroom blocks and other facilities. The Ministry of Education and the National Education Trust have provided assistance, but we are still awaiting completion of three classroom blocks,” she explained. Hampton has adopted a phased reopening approach, starting with partial classes and aiming to fully accommodate its 1,200 students by September 16, contingent on the timely completion of repairs.
Charlton-Brown emphasized that the materials from JAHJAH Foundation will aid in restoring additional spaces not covered by the Ministry’s support. “In particular, we are responsible for restoring a classroom on the sixth-form complex, and the supplies we received will be invaluable for this project,” she said during the relief handover at Santa Cruz United Church in St Elizabeth.
Munro College, which has been granted a delayed restart, is conducting a phased orientation for its students starting September 8. “We are planning to bring in first-form students for orientation from September 8 to 11, followed by second and third formers on September 12 and fourth and fifth formers on September 13. We aim to begin full classes on September 16,” Burrell noted. He expressed confidence that the engineers contracted by the Ministry of Education would complete the necessary repairs in time for the full resumption of classes.
Both Munro College and Hampton School are hopeful that with continued support and repair efforts, they will be able to provide a stable learning environment for their students by mid-September.
