Chief Education Officer, Labour Ministry PS to be summoned before Mahdia CoI

Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain and Permanent Secretary of the Labour Ministry Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas are expected to be summoned before the Mahdia Commission of Inquiry – a decision taken after they failed to show up to Friday’s hearing.
Counsel Keoma Griffith informed the Commission, chaired by Retired Major General Joseph Singh, that both Government officials were expected to appear earlier this week.
They were not present then, as well as Friday morning when day six of the hearings were expected to commence.
As such, the Commission will be exercising its powers to issue summons, requesting them to appear on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas was asked to testify since she is the former Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry.
“For reasons unbeknownst to me, they are not here. I had expected these persons to appear much earlier in the week and for some reason, they have not attended to the Commission to answer questions. I am therefore asking this Commission to exercise its powers under the acts for the summons to be issued,” Griffith asserted and was granted permission.

The testimonies of key officials and personnel who responded to the tragedy have been deemed important, as it bring clarity into the devastating event that claimed the lives of 20 children.
On August 10, President Irfaan Ali appointed Retired Major General Joseph Singh as Chairman and Attorney-at-Law Kim Kyte-Thomas and Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Derrick John as Commissioners to probe the circumstances surrounding the fire that was set at the Mahdia Secondary girls’ dormitory.
There are three phases of the inquiry: evidence gathering, oral hearings, and report writing. It will last for two months unless extended by the President.
The Commission is tasked with investigating and reporting what actions were taken to provide care, medical attention, and support to the injured and deceased and their relatives, in a timely manner. Recommendations are also expected from the commission, which will include necessary measures to prevent a reoccurrence of such tragedies.
In the early hours of May 22, the fire had already ripped through the Mahdia School dormitory after being maliciously set by a 15-year-old student. The facility housed students from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie and Chenapau.
Information from the Guyana Fire Service indicated that 14 youths died at the scene of the fire, while six died at Mahdia District Hospital.
Initial reports indicated that the teenage accused threatened to set the place on fire after her cell phone was confiscated and more so after she was previously suspended for engaging in activities contrary to the rules of the institution.
The girls who perished in the fire are Subrina John, Belnisa Evans, Loreen Evans, Bibi Rita Fiona Jeffrey, Lisa Roberts, Tracil Thomas, Delecia Edwards, Lorita Williams, Natalie Bellarmine, Arianna Edwards, Cleoma Simon, Martha Dandrade, Mary Dandrade, Omerfia Edwin, Nickleen Robinson, Sherlyn Bellarmine, Eulander Carter, Andrea Roberts and Sherana Daniels. Adanye Jerome, the five-year-old son of the dorm’s mother, was also among those who passed.
The fire was allegedly set in the bathroom area of the dormitory. According to the surviving female students, they were asleep and were awakened by screams.
Upon checking, they saw fire and smoke in the bathroom area, which quickly spread in the building, causing several students to receive burns to their bodies and suffer from smoke inhalation, whilst several managed to escape.
Several of the injured students were air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for treatment. On May 27, a 13-year-old girl was flown to the Northwell Health Burn Care Centre in New York to seek advanced medical care. She has since returned to Guyana for further treatment.
Information from the Guyana Fire Service indicated that 14 youths died at the scene of the fire, while six died at Mahdia District Hospital.