OVER 500 students are now displaced after fire of unknown origin ravaged the Christ Church Secondary School at Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown on Thursday afternoon.
The fire, which began just around 17:00hrs, quickly spread through the building, filling the air with thick, black smoke. For hours, firefighters from the Guyana Fire Service fought to contain the blaze.

When the Guyana Chronicle arrived on the scene, the blaze had engulfed the entire western section of the concrete and wooden structure.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand was already on the ground with a team from her ministry, and together they immediately brainstormed where the students can be placed.

Speaking to members of the media, Minister Manickchand stated that the school housed 502 students and 39 teachers, along with nine ancillary staff. With such a large population, she said it would be difficult to find alternative placement options, moreso given that there were two other recent fires at schools in Georgetown.

“It’s very difficult to accommodate a whole big school without a whole big school available, and none is empty right now. And so it’s going to be a task for us to put our minds to,” a visibly shaken Minister Manickchand told members of the media.

And, with the government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant having contributed to a greater turnout of learners at schools, she explained further, many are already at capacity.

Another worrying consideration is that this fire now puts students who are expected to sit the upcoming Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in a tough spot, as students’ School Based Assessments, books and other materials were destroyed in the fire.

Manickchand, however, said that discussions have already begun with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on providing some aid to the students.

A STRANGE OCCURRENCE
Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn, who was also on the ground, stated that he got to the site as soon as he could, and ensured that there were enough firefighting assets to respond to the fire.

The Minister then made a call for citizens to stand in support of the education system, and to watch out for the nation’s assets like the education infrastructure.

He said, “It would appear strange, and it would test probability that within two or three weeks we can have a fire at the same building at a prominent location in Georgetown, where hundreds of children are working on their SBAs and other things.”

Just last week, a smaller fire was contained at the school. That fire was reportedly fuelled by improperly stored chemicals in the school’s laboratory. Following that incident, all chemical substances were removed from the school, but it is still unclear what could have caused Thursday’s fire.

Now, with the loss of much of the school, the Home Affairs Minister stressed that the country cannot afford the loss of these assets and the loss of the opportunities for children to reach the level they should in their education.

“We, on our side, will continue to work as hard as possible to respond to prevent where we can, to mitigate the question of these fires. And, of course, we will be calling on the communities and the community policing groups to be ever more vigilant in respect of this matter,” the Minister said.

When asked about the possibility of this act coming after persons would have issued threats, he noted that the Guyana Police Force is working on information that they have. However, he said that no one can or should equivocate on the issue.