Following the ill-fated tragedy of the Mahdia Secondary School Female Dormitory Fire on May 21, 2023 the Guyana Fire Service Report stated the dormitory had ‘26 heavily grilled windows and five doors that were padlocked.’
Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips Tuesday attended the one-year anniversary of the tragic fire which resulted in the death of 20 children. He was loud in praise about what the government will do for the honour the 20 children, who were in the custody of the state when they died tragically.
A 2022 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) assessment of Guyana’s 24 school dormitories flagged several discrepancies and made recommendations which were ignored by the government. Some of the issues pointed out in the report were the need for fire drill procedures, training staff and students how to extinguish fire using fire extinguishers, and fire sand buckets and other evacuation procedures at least evvel in an academic year; post printed information in areas visible to on fire safety rules, procedures on excavation, identification of assembly safe zone/area, etc.
In 2023 when Stabroek News asked Minister of Education Priya Manickchand why the government did not act on the recommendation, she opted to use the line of Jamaican reggae artiste, Shaggy, ‘It wasn’t me.’ The minister attributed responsibility to everyone else except her ministry that too have a responsibility for ensuring the physical safety of students in the education environment, including the dormitories, which are extensions of.
Society could only speculate had government implemented UNICEF’s recommendations if the tragedy of May 21, 2023 could have been avoided or minimised.
The prime minister paying tribute to the victims said “the Mahdia dormitory fire was a reminder of our vulnerabilities and the imperative need to safeguard our children—the very future of our nation.” The prime minister said government has been working diligently to address safety protocols and emergency response mechanisms and recommendations highlighted by the Commission of Inquiry in its report, but did not specify.
Immediately following the tragedy the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) called for a thorough investigation of all dormitories across Guyana and immediate remedial actions to improve the situation. However, a report including identifying the problems and recommendations were in the government’s possession a year earlier.
SRDC recommended:
1) The occupational, health and safety standards be vastly improved with emergency plans and equipment be in place.
2) Replace all steel grills with less hazardous construction materials.
3) Improve sleeping conditions for students.
4) For every dormitory, a welfare officer be stationed to provide the necessary support to the students.
5) Increase the number of caretakers at the dorms and carry out training so that they can adequately carry out their duties.
6) Appropriate and adequate food supply for students.
7) An enhanced team be established to monitor the dormitories across the hinterland.
Meanwhile Tuesday at the children’s graveside Phillips promised government will implement the recommendations in the Commission of Inquiry report in the tragedy, build a permanent memorial site to honour the 20 innocent lives.
Having offered the family $25,000 each for the loss of each child, the prime minister made another promised Tuesday that the government will provide support, offering counselling and community support programmes to help persons rebuild their lives.
The parliamentary Opposition, A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) flayed the government for the sum paid which represented part of a settlement to avoid any further claims in the case
Phillips said the memory of the 20 young victims should also be honoured by “building a nation that truly values and protects its most vulnerable.” This is a task the government has failed to upkeep. One such being the continuation of the public school teachers strike because the government refuses to honour the teachers’ right to collective bargaining. Each day the teachers are away from the classroom the learning loss mounts.
The names of the children who died on Sunday, May 21, 2023 are:
- Adonijah Jerome
- Tracil Thomas
- Lisa Roberts
- Delecia Edwards
- Lorita Williams
- Natalie Bellarmine
- Arriana Edwards
- Cleoma Simon
- Subrina John
- Martha D’Andrade
- (and twin) Mary D’Andrade
- Belnisa Evans
- Loreen Evans
- Omerfia Edwin
- Nickleen Robinson
- Sherena Daniels
- Eulanda Carter
- Andrea Roberts
- Rita Jeffrey
- Sherana Daniels
14-year old Daniels died subsequently from injuries sustained during the fire.
The parliamentary Opposition, A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) ridiculed government pay-out of $25,000 to parents of each child that died in the fire, or as a result of, as part of a settlement to avoid any further claims in the case
Phillips was accompanied by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton; and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues.