Gaps in public planning are at the centre of the slow pace of repairs at hundreds of schools damaged by Hurricane Melissa last October.
So says president of the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association, Richard Mullings. He was speaking during Nationwide at Five on Monday.
According to Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Senator Marlon Morgan, only about 50 of the more than 300 schools severely damaged by the hurricane have been repaired ahead of the start of the new academic year.
Senator Morgan says another 71 schools are expected to be completed by next Monday, while repairs on a further 62 schools are slated for completion by the end of September.
But concerns remain about the pace of the repair programme.
At Burnt Savannah Primary School in St Elizabeth, repair work only got underway in earnest on Friday, almost 10 months after Hurricane Melissa devastated the institution.
A construction worker at the school says the late start was due to delays in getting the necessary materials.
But Mullings says there is a history of contractors being blamed when construction projects are delayed. He warns that an ad-hoc approach to public planning is unsustainable.
Richard Mullings, president of the Incorporated Master Builders Association.
