On January 19, the Report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Mahdia Hostel Fire was presented to the President. Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh was appointed Chairman of the Commission, whose main terms of reference were to investigate and report on the events leading up to the dormitory fire and its causes. General Singh pointed out that though an act of arson caused the fire, it could be attributed to “an unfortunate outcome of several other factors”. General Singh is one of the most able and versatile Guyanese who has willingly and successfully undertaken challenges and tasks of national importance over the years, and his work has invariably been of the highest quality.

The fire occurred on May 21, 2023, at the one-flat hostel, which housed 57 children from distant Amerindian villages who had gone to Mahdia to be able to attend school. In the fire, 19 schoolchildren and the 5-year-old child of the house parents perished. This is one of the greatest tragedies in Guyanese history. Both the population and main politicians were deeply saddened and demanded a Commission of Inquiry, which was duly appointed and was able to complete taking its evidence in September. The Commission inquired into the building, safety concerns, teachers, children, house parents and community and made their recommendations.

Among the more important of these were:-

The hostel buildings countrywide should be equipped with modern amenities with sports and socialisation areas. The windows of the Mahdia hostel were all heavily grilled to prevent children from leaving the hostel without the knowledge or authorisation of the house parents. The CoI recommended that there should be secured fencing and security cameras monitoring the entry and exit of all persons instead of grills on the windows and doors of hostel buildings.

A national inspectorate should be appointed, which should regularly visit the various hostels to ensure that the buildings conform to standards of hygiene, comfort, safety, socialisation spaces, gender sensitivity, food and general discipline and to address complaints and suggestions from the children and house parents.

Fire-fighting and emergency evacuation drills should be regularly scheduled in the schools and dormitories and should be unfailingly enforced. The fire services would be able to assist in this.

House parents and supervisors generally have no training for the tasks and responsibilities with which they are entrusted and this could sometimes cause the children to take advantage of them. They should, therefore, be exposed to continuous training. Such training would have many elements of a formal Diploma in Education, such as Child Psychology.

Children in dormitories, especially from the interior regions, need mentoring and monitoring since leaving their communities and families is often traumatic. Efforts should be made to incorporate their social and cultural values in the schools and dormitories and to imbue in them a sense of self-management, teamwork and social cohesiveness.

Adolescent children going through life-changing experiences and emotions need close attention, according to the Report’s recommendations, since they could be drawn into indulging in experimentation with drugs such as marijuana and vaping and because of their vulnerability to the lure of money and grooming by unscrupulous adults.

The memory of the tragedy should not be allowed to die but should be kept alive as a reminder that such a tragedy should never again be permitted to happen and the Commission recommended that a permanent memorial be established.

Although Minister Robeson Benn’s recent recommendation during the Budget debate was not part of the Commission’s Report, it is apposite that we mention it: He proposed that ‘Fire Victims Awareness Day’ be commemorated every year in remembrance of the victims of the Mahdia fire and to raise awareness of fire prevention and safety.

The recommendations made by the Commission should be effectuated without much delay since they will have quick positive results.