Jamaica Students Get Learning Support as Hurricane Melissa Recovery Moves Forward

The visit marked the closing stage of ExamReady, a Hurricane Melissa recovery project designed to help students prepare for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations and improve access to educational resources in schools and surrounding communities.

Students in Jamaica are returning to classrooms with new books, school supplies and renewed confidence as communities continue rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa. UNESCO and the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network have completed a youth-led education recovery initiative that combined exam preparation with practical support for schools facing shortages of learning materials.

On September 15, 2026, representatives from the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean and the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network visited four schools in St. Elizabeth, a parish in southwestern Jamaica, to distribute textbooks, storybooks and other school supplies. The visit marked the closing stage of ExamReady, a Hurricane Melissa recovery project designed to help students prepare for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations and improve access to educational resources in schools and surrounding communities.

Exam Support Turns Into Real Results for Students

The project brought together targeted tutoring and wider efforts to address gaps in learning materials that became more visible after the hurricane. At St. Elizabeth Technical High School, known as STETHS, and Maggotty High School, students who had joined tutoring sessions earlier in the year were able to share their examination results with the teams that had supported them.

For STETHS student Marcolet Wiliams, the programme made a noticeable difference during a difficult period. Williams said the support contributed to results that brought great happiness to the family and expressed strong gratitude to the people behind the initiative, describing the programme as something worth recommending to other students.

The visit also showed another part of the recovery process, with students returning to restored learning spaces and beginning a new school year in environments that had been repaired following the disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Books Bring Excitement Back to Primary School Classrooms

Support continued at Siloah Primary School and Mayfield Primary & Infant School, where children welcomed the new books with excitement, questions and curiosity. UNESCO said the donated resources are expected to keep that interest in learning alive and give pupils materials they can use throughout the school year.

The handover highlighted how disaster recovery in education involves more than repairing buildings. Students also need access to books, learning materials, academic guidance and supportive spaces that allow them to regain confidence and continue their studies without being left behind because of circumstances outside their control.

By combining tutoring for older students with resources for younger learners, the initiative responded to different educational needs across the affected communities, creating support that reached beyond examination preparation alone.

Youth Leadership Becomes Part of Jamaica's Recovery Story

A central part of #ExamReady was the role young people played in identifying problems and helping create solutions for their own communities. The Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network worked with UNESCO to turn local concerns about education access into practical action, showing how youth-led projects can become part of recovery efforts after disasters.

Natalia Burton, Project Officer at the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, said the experience demonstrated what young people can achieve when they are trusted with responsibility and supported by committed partners. She said young people can help solve challenges within their communities and create meaningful change when they are given space to lead.

Burton also expressed gratitude to UNESCO for supporting the network's vision throughout the project and said the initiative could encourage others to recognise the potential of youth-led responses to community problems.

As schools in St. Elizabeth move further into the new academic year, the books, supplies, restored classrooms and academic support left behind by #ExamReady represent more than individual donations. They reflect an approach to recovery that places students, teachers and young community leaders at the centre of rebuilding education after a crisis.