By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
WHILE eager to resume classes across all public schools, Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho said campuses will reopen only when safe, as the Public School System completes post-Sinlaku damage assessments.
The health, safety and well-being of more than 10,000 students and employees will remain a priority, he said.
To guide reopening efforts, PSS teams assessing storm damage across campuses are expected to complete their evaluations by Friday.
“There’s a lot of damage,” Camacho said.
“I am eager to reopen our schools, but we have to do this with a plan — one that reflects the conditions on the ground,” he told Variety. “That plan will be deliberate and methodical to ensure long-term safety and protection for both our students and staff.”
He added, “PSS will open when our campuses are safe.”
No power, no instruction
The lack of reliable power remains a major obstacle to reopening, as restoration work continues across the island.
“We don’t have the power capacity to provide uninterrupted instruction to our students,” Camacho said. “What our students need is a place to learn where their minds are free from the worries of what has just happened. A conducive learning environment, including a stable power source, will help them focus on learning while they are in school.”
Health and sanitation
Camacho said schools must also meet basic health and sanitation requirements before reopening.
Classrooms, libraries and offices must have water and electricity — critical components for safe operations — and campuses must be cleaned and sanitized to prevent exposure to mildew, mold and other health risks.
“This is a very critical aspect. Students and staff must be protected and free from disease,” he said. “We are ensuring that health and sanitation remain a priority and that they are not exposed to any unhealthy elements that may endanger them.”
Infrastructure and safety
Initial reports indicate that several school campuses sustained significant damage from the storm.
Camacho said ensuring the structural safety of school buildings remains a major concern, particularly for older facilities.
Most PSS school buildings across Saipan, Tinian and Rota were built in the 1980s and 1990s, with some undergoing repairs and reconstruction in recent years. Newer modular classrooms at Hopwood Middle School and Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School have also been added in recent years.
Over time, however, aging structures have been exposed to repeated weather events, raising concerns about their long-term integrity.
“We have learned from many typhoons that we have all encountered, including Soudelor and Yutu,” Camacho said. “One thing we should not do is second-guess or take lightly the safety of our students and personnel, especially when it comes to school infrastructure after a storm like Sinlaku.”
Variety records show that Super Typhoon Soudelor struck Saipan in August 2015, damaging 50 public school buildings.
Three years later, in November 2018, Super Typhoon Yutu — the strongest storm to hit the Northern Marianas in 80 years — caused widespread devastation to public schools on Saipan and Tinian.
Reconstruction and repair work, which took years to complete, had been ongoing when Sinlaku struck the islands on April 14–15, 2026.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
