Primary and high school Dominican students are expected to attend schools throughout The Bahamas which is a part of the government’s pledge to assist the Caribbean country that was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis made the announcement of the government’s pledge to accept Dominican students yesterday, during the visit of Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to The Bahamas.

Press Secretary Anthony Newbold told The Bahama Journal that the government is prepared to facilitate Dominica’s children and the government is working with CARICOM to determine how many students would come.

Dr. Minnis said a lot of Dominican schoolchildren have been displaced by the storm and this is why The Bahamas is opening its school system to accommodate them.

“The immigration minister would deal with that matter so that they can be placed within our school system,” the prime minister added.

While the government would place the students in public schools, Dr. Minnis pleaded with Bahamians, especially those with Dominican roots, to assist in accommodating the students in private schools.

“I’m sure there is a lot of Bahamians out there who would assist in accommodating these individuals both financially and otherwise,” Dr. Minnis said.

Last week, the powerful category 5 Hurricane Maria swept through Dominica with heavy rains that destroyed many homes throughout the tiny island.

According to international reports, Prime Minister Skerrit sent a series of dramatic messages over the internet as the storm battered the country.

“So far the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with,” Skerrit wrote. “The roof to my own official residence was among the first to go.

“The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God.”