Hurricane Melissa Disrupted Schooling for Hundreds of Thousands of Children

Hurricane Melissa caused significant damage to schools in three Caribbean nations, leaving nearly 477,000 children unable to attend classes normally, the United Nations has reported.

The storm struck the region in early November 2025, affecting Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. Three weeks later, many schools remained damaged or fully closed. Children were either missing classes entirely or attending lessons in temporary learning spaces that often lacked proper facilities.

The United Nations highlighted the scale of the educational disruption on 20 November 2025. A spokesperson for the organisation noted that the affected children represented a substantial portion of the student population in the impacted areas.

Haiti, which has faced repeated natural disasters and political instability in recent years, is particularly vulnerable to such setbacks in its education system. The country’s schools already operate under strained conditions, and further damage from hurricanes can delay progress for entire school years.

Cuba maintains a strong state-run education system with high literacy rates, but physical infrastructure can still suffer during intense tropical storms. Jamaica, meanwhile, has been working to strengthen its disaster resilience, yet school buildings in some coastal and low-lying areas remain at risk.

The disruptions come at a critical time for students preparing for end-of-year examinations or transitioning between academic levels. Temporary learning arrangements, while necessary, often fail to provide the same quality of instruction or access to resources such as laboratories, libraries and information technology.

International agencies have previously stressed the long-term consequences of prolonged school closures in the Caribbean, where education is seen as a key pathway out of poverty. Recovery efforts typically focus on rapid school repairs and the distribution of learning materials, but full restoration can take months.

The United Nations data, released through its spokesperson, underscores the regional nature of the hurricane’s impact. Melissa affected multiple countries simultaneously, stretching local and international response capacities.

Based on reporting by The Independent UG.