Addressing Trauma in Jamaica's Education System

“School closures have caused large and persistent damage to children’s learning and wellbeing, the cost of which will be felt for decades to come.”- The World Bank. The 2025/20226 academic year will not be forgotten anytime soon. The impact of Hurricane Melissa which made landfall on October 28, 2025 has caused monumental disruption not only to the lives of countless Jamaicans but to the education system. Hurricane Melissa is the strongest storm to strike Jamaica in modern history, the hurricane sustained winds of 298km/h (185 mph) at its peak stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005. To date, 32 deaths have been confirmed, yet many more Jamaicans remain missing. What is evident is that it cannot be school as usual. Unfortunately, prior to the destructive force of Hurricane Melissa Jamaica’s education system was already showing signs of distress. A number of teachers were already teaching on empty. Additionally, a number of our students were already learning or trying to learn on empty. Moreover, both instances are a cause of concern and speak to the scant regard we give to mental health as a society. Collective trauma is both personal and communal. Trauma is an emotional and psychological response to a distressing event that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope, causing long-lasting harm. This can be from a single event, such as an accident or natural disaster, or from ongoing stressors like abuse, neglect, or chronic illness. Many schools will not be able to open their doors for the rest of the academic year. Even those schools which manage to reopen will face challenges especially in South Western Jamaica in the parishes of Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. James, St. Ann, Manchester, Hanover and Trelwany, The loss of electricity and internet services will make it impossible for virtual education. Additionally, sections of St. Thomas and St. Mary are still without electricity and internet services. A detailed check of electrical fittings as well as other building fixtures must be conducted on those schools which are scheduled to reopen during the week of November 3. As a society we have not done a good job at maintaining our schools and public institutions in general. This fact was highlighted when many of those who sought refuge at public schools during Hurricane Melissa were drenched as leaking roofs made sheltering a nightmare. We can and should do better. As per usual children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have been the hardest hit. These parents and students will find it increasingly challenging to have replacements for all their school related supplies without assistance. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1.6 billion schoolchildren were shut out of school. Literacy gains will be further eroded given that so many students will be out of school. Furthermore, the economic cost of lost learning is monumental in lifetime earnings of students if not cauterized early. Undoubtedly, many Jamaican students will have their education upended as a result of the displacement caused by Hurricane Melissa. Additionally, electrical gadgets such as laptops, tablets, smartphones would have been destroyed by flood rain which accompanied the catastrophic category 5 hurricane. The best time is now to examine how best to abridge the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) as well as the curricula for City and Guilds, the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), the National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQ-J) and the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ). An abridged curriculum is a shortened version of a standard curriculum that removes non-essential content to cover priority learning outcomes in a shorter time. It is typically developed to help students recover lost learning time due to disruptions, such as school closures, by focusing on the most vital concepts. Despite being shorter, the goal is to maintain educational quality, ensuring that learners can still achieve the necessary competencies for their level and receive appropriate certification. Among the key characteristics of an unabridged curriculum are: it prioritizes essential learning competencies and concepts, leaving out less critical topics, it is designed as a recovery tool to help students catch up after a period of disruption, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts are made to ensure that quality is not compromised. Additionaly, assessments, grading, and certificates remain the same as the standard curriculum. Psychosocial Support. Once schools reopen many students and teachers will relive the trauma associated with the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Is the education system ready to address the psychosocial needs of its stakeholders? One solution is having an abridged curriculum for the rest of the academic year. This abridged curriculum must have as its centerpiece a holistic programme of psychosocial support not only for students but for teachers as well. We have all seen the horrific and apocalyptic images. Some only from a distance, yet so many of us all were traumatized. Many of our mental health professionals are themselves traumatized. Mental health support is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is a basic human right. The World Health Organization (WHO) adds that mental health exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one person to the next. Social and environmental factors including poverty, violence, inequality and environmental deprivation also increase the risk of experiencing mental health conditions. Special attention should be given to our primary school students especially those who have their Primary Exit Profile (PEP) to sit. Oftentimes, we discount the voices of our students at the Early Childhood level, however, to continue along this path would be detrimental not only to the individuals but also toward nation building. Upon the resumption of school, our students should be allowed the time to express themselves and grieve. The curriculum should be suspended and art therapy, dance therapy, writing and speech therapy should be infused to facilitate students, even the teachers to cope emotionally. Drama is also a powerful tool than can be used to assist students in coping with the trauma they experienced. An intentional framework of empathy, compassion and good citizenship should be included in the daily instructional delivery of teachers. Sadly, this is however challenging given that most times teachers teach the curriculum and are not able to engage with students socially, as a result of a culture steeped in preparing students only to pass examinations and matriculate to higher level studies. It is for this reason all public schools should have guidance counselors. In fact, our Early Childhood level institutions should also have guidance counselors. Our public schools also need social workers. In the narrative surrounding the reopening of public schools we should also include private educational institutions. It is only through building partnerships that our educational institutions will be able to meet the needs of the 21st century learner. In the words of Napoleon Hill, every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©