–Shadick says
THE Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Mahdia dormitory fire which claimed the lives of 20 children in May of this year, has competed its report and is expected to soon hand its findings over to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali.
This was confirmed by the CoI’s Secretary Javed Shadick on Sunday.c

The CoI is chaired by retired Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Major-General Joe Singh, and includes Chairman of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) Mr. Derrick John, and Attorney-at-law Ms. Kim Kyte-Thomas.
The CoI ToRs (Terms of Reference) outlined that the commission would investigate and report on the events leading up to the dormitory fire, as well as its causes.

Additionally, the CoI was also tasked with examining the actions taken to provide care, medical attention, and support to the injured and deceased and their relatives in a timely manner.
The commission is also expected to make recommendations for necessary measures to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

During the public hearings, 29 witnesses testified, including the facility’s Dorm Mother and Father, and senior fire officials, among others.
On May 22, the country was plunged into mourning after a fire that authorities said was maliciously set, ravaged a secondary school girls’ dormitory in Mahdia.

At the time of the fire, 56 of the girls were present, as three had gone home to their families for the weekend.
The children housed at the ‘dorms’ came from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie, and Chenapau.

Initially, 18 girls from the ‘dorm’ and the five-year-old son of the ‘Dorm Mother and Father’, perished in the fire, but another student who was injured in the fire, passed away a few days later.

Several of the survivors were airlifted to Georgetown for emergency care. One critically injured girl was medevacked to a New York health facility for further treatment. She has since returned after a successful round of treatment.