Repairs will soon be completed on nearly 150 Priority One schools, that were severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa last October

That’s according to Chairman of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee, ETOC, Dr. Adrian Stokes.

He was speaking at ETOC’s quarterly media briefing at the Regional Headquarters of the University of the West Indies on Thursday.

The Education Ministry categorised 306 schools as Priority One post-Hurricane Melissa.

Data from the ministry presented at Thursday media briefing show that 63 of those schools have their repairs completed.

That’s two fewer than the 65 announced as completed by Executive Director of the National Education Trust, Latoya Harris Ghartey, in mid-September.

Latoya Harris Ghartey, Executive Director of the National Education Trust.

The Ministry says repairs have been completed on six of the 100 Priority Two schools, which were moderately damaged, and one of the 119 Priority 3 schools, which suffered minor damage.

The ministry has put the estimated cost of repairing and reconstructing schools damaged by Melissa at $26 billion.

Dr. Stokes revealed that so far, over $9 billion of that amount has been spent.

The ministry says the pace of repairs to the schools has been delayed mainly due to a shortage of grade-one contractors, a scarcity of skilled labour, and material shortages.

Dr. Stokes is calling on the ministry to import the resources where needed to ramp up the rebuilding efforts.

Dr. Adrian Stokes, Chairman of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee, ETOC.