Cabinet approves $500-million relief grant to clean up schools
Published:Wednesday | November 12, 2025 | 9:28 PM
Cabinet has approved a relief grant of $500 million for schools damaged during the passage of Category Five Hurricane Melissa.
“We have to clean up and we have to get the debris moved out of our schools. Over $500 million has been approved to do the clean-up work already and we will be disbursing the grants to the individual schools so they can mobilise on the ground to move out the debris and to set up temporary learning spaces,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr Kasan Troupe.
She was addressing the launch of National Parent Month on Wednesday at Tivoli Gardens High School in Kingston.
The Permanent Secretary shared that, to date, 653 schools across Jamaica have reopened.
“We have over 40 technical workers in the field trying to assess the damage, so we know how to rebuild and which school to rebuild. Our Minister has set up a technical team and we are meeting twice per week,” she said.
Troupe noted that the Ministry has pulled on the expertise of external stakeholders and consultants like the Jamaica Institute of Engineers and the Jamaica Institute of Quantity Surveyors.
“They are sending a proposal to us, so we can get more technocrats in the field to get the rapid assessments done, so we can submit to the Cabinet the cost for the rebuilding,” she said.
Meanwhile, Troupe shared that counselling support is being provided by guidance counsellors, deans of discipline and health and family life educators.
“They are out in the field working with the people who are impacted. UNICEF has already sponsored the training of our guidance counsellors and helping professionals to build their capacity to respond to the needs on the ground at such a time like this,” she said.
- JIS News
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.