State Minister for Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, has commended school leaders in Manchester and St. Elizabeth for their hard work in getting their schools back in operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Addressing a function to honour region five principals at the Ocean Coral Spring Hotel in Trelawny on July 29, she hailed them as heroes in Jamaica’s post-disaster education recovery.
She said that the successful resumption of classes in the parishes was due to the yeoman service and personal sacrifices made by the school administrators under deeply challenging circumstances.
She said that the principals refused to let the widespread destruction caused by the Category 5 storm derail the academic year, noting that they showed exceptional resilience.
“We saw the true measure of your leadership,” Ms. Crawford told them.
“While many were looking for safety, you were looking for your students,” she pointed out, noting that they navigated ruined infrastructure and personal hardships to locate displaced families, offer critical emotional reassurance to traumatised teachers and students, and meticulously coordinated the safe reopening of school facilities.
Ms. Crawford pointed out that many of the school administrators put their own domestic crises aside to prioritise the collective well-being of their school communities.
“You demonstrated a level of commitment that cannot be quantified by a basic job description,” she said.
“Your dedication in the face of absolute adversity has safeguarded the future of our nation’s youth,” she added.
The Ministry continues to prioritise physical infrastructure restoration alongside academic continuity.
Comprehensive rehabilitation projects are currently underway across the island to repair storm-damaged institutions.
