PONDSIDE, Hanover — Classes are slated to begin at Merlene Ottey High today, even as repairs continue on sections of the Hanover-based school.

Acting Vice-Principal Ingrid Johnson is hoping work to fix damage left by Hurricane Beryl will be completed by next Monday.

Johnson said arrangements may have to be put in place to utilise other sections of the compound if the repairs are not completed by then. Orientation began on Monday and efforts are being made to ensure students stay away from areas still under construction.

“For the safety of our students, because the work is in progress, we are not going to allow that block to be occupied until everything is properly fixed and the equipment is moved out,” she explained.

Johnson told the Jamaica Observer that repairs started in August on two blocks — the industrial arts and science area — and work is 75 to 80 per cent complete on one.

At Mount Hannah Primary School in the parish, where the hurricane’s damage was not as severe, Principal Nicholas James is also hoping work will be completed within a week, as promised by the contractor. The school was already fully up and running on Monday.

“I am fully operational and I have all my teachers and staff. I did not lose any teachers. That is the good thing about it,” he stated.

The rural school, which has a student population of 55, lost the entire roof of its students’ bathroom, suffered damage to its electrical network, and also had minor damage to the roof of the main building, canteen and furniture.

James noted that while he went ahead and used school funds to repair furniture and replace zinc lost from the classrooms and canteen, the education ministry repaired the electrical network and will also complete work on the students’ bathroom.

“We know that there was quite a bit of damage across the island and we knew that they were placed in categories based on the amount of damage. So, I understand that the ministry has a lot of work to complete,” he conceded.

“My bathroom is not yet finished. The promise that I have gotten from the contractor is that I will have it for this coming Monday morning,” added James.

Mount Hannah Primary and Merlene Ottey High are two of four seriously damaged institutions in Hanover which Education Minister Fayval Williams visited in July.

Meanwhile, in Westmoreland there was also significant damage to Manning’s, Unity Primary and George’s Plain Primary schools. They were all placed, alongside Hanover’s Merlene Ottey High, on the priority one list of schools to receive attention. On Monday, work was still ongoing at Manning’s, which lost the roofs of its fourth form block and a section of the third form block.