All secondary and 49 primary schools in Dominica open following Maria

Last updated: 26 November 2017, 01:43 am

Every single secondary school and almost every primary schools has now reopened, two months after Dominica was devastated by the passage of category five Hurricane Maria.

Of the 58 primary schools on the island, 49 are operational – 42 for all students, and seven for pupils in the upper grades.

And of Dominica's 15 secondary schools, nine have opened for every pupil while six have been restricted to older forms.

Chandler Hyacinth, permanent secretary in the ministry of education and human resource development, told a press conference this morning that work is still very much ongoing.

"Focus is on providing temporary learning spaces for all our students to be back at school," she said.

"We are feverishly making arrangements to provide all our students with learning spaces, whether it is temporary or whether it is in the original structure that is safe for us."

Melena Fontaine , the chief education officer in Dominica, made it clear that although schools were reopening the situation is far from back to normal.

A number of schools are sharing buildings, meaning pupils attend in shifts.

Of the 49 reopened primary schools, eight of them are still in shelters. Three secondary schools remain in shelters.

"Our main goal is to provide access to all students to ensure that the facilities that we offer are safe," added Hyacinth.

"We especially place an emphasis on the wash facilities to ensure our students have good drinking water."

Psychosocial support training has been delivered to 842 primary and secondary school teachers, and they will use their skills once students are back in the classroom.

"As we speak, psychosocial support training is ongoing for teachers in the early childhood sector and the special education schools," said Fontaine.

"And the intention is that as soon as their students come in they are expected to do at least a three-day psychosocial support programme with all students."