United Nations, Nov 18 : Nearly 477,000 children in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica are experiencing significant disruptions to their schooling three weeks after Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean, a UN spokesperson said.

With many schools damaged or closed, children have been forced to miss classes or study in temporary spaces that may not be equipped for proper learning, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing.

In response, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is working with local governments and partners to deliver supplies and trying to rehabilitate damaged schools, he said.

In Cuba, UNICEF has pre-positioned supplies to reach 21,000 students, including school kits, while in Haiti, it has provided 2,800 school kits in Sud and Nippes departments, and additional actions are planned in the coming weeks, he said.

In Jamaica, the agency has provided teaching and learning materials along with up to 100 temporary learning spaces to support 10,000 children, said the spokesperson.

Additionally, 500 teachers will be trained, building on the 1,000 teachers who have already been trained in the Return to Happiness methodology, equipping them to support their own recovery and provide psychosocial assistance to approximately 18,000 students. Jamaica had not been impacted by such a powerful hurricane since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, WMO tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan said at a United Nations media briefing. Melissa would also affect Cuba, the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, bringing high levels of rain and strong winds, she said.

Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in the Caribbean late last month, affected more than 5 million people across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and essential services, according to UN estimates, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on October 29, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had said that Hurricane Melissa, the strongest tropical cyclone this year anywhere in the world, was expected to cause the worst storm impact of this century on Jamaica.

/IANS