Jamaica Teachers’ Association calls for urgent school building upgrades

La Sonja Harrison, President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), has called on the Jamaican government to upgrade dilapidated school buildings to ensure student safety. This demand follows a recent incident at Balcombe Drive Primary and Infant School, where a concrete structure collapsed, resulting in the death of one workman and the injury of another.

During a tour of the school, Principal Yvette Foster identified several compromised sections of the infrastructure. Harrison emphasized the necessity of increasing maintenance grants for primary schools and noted that many institutions have not received meaningful upgrades since their original construction. She urged the Ministry of Education to intervene to prevent further accidents.

Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon stated that the ministry’s building team is currently conducting an assessment of the school. A formal report regarding the collapse at Balcombe Drive is expected to be submitted by the ministry’s building officers and engineers.