Top things to know
- JTA president La Sonja Harrison questions whether the $18 billion post‑Hurricane Melissa repair fund is sufficient.
- Approximately $5.6 billion (31 %) has already been allocated to just 60 schools in Regions 3 and 5, leaving over 530 damaged schools to compete for the rest.
- As of July 20 2026, $3.86 billion has been spent under a broader recovery programme covering 688 schools through 2030.
Newly reinstalled Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) president La Sonja Harrison has raised doubts over the adequacy of the $18 billion allocated by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information for post‑Hurricane Melissa school repairs. At the JTA’s 62nd annual conference in Trelawny on Monday, Harrison pointed out that roughly $5.6 billion—31 percent of the total—has already been earmarked for just 60 schools in Regions 3 and 5. This leaves more than 530 damaged institutions competing for the remaining funds. She slammed the use of temporary classroom tents, calling them “heat furnaces” and arguing that students and teachers should not be subjected to such conditions. Official figures as of July 20 2026 show that $3.86 billion has been spent under a broader recovery programme that covers 688 schools through 2030, yet many schools in western Jamaica, hardest hit by the Category 5 storm, still lack adequate repair resources.