All Mahdia secondary school students are being given the option to write the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) in January, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said on Wednesday.
Providing an update on the affected students and their writing of CSEC exams, Manickchand said that while some students have opted to write the exams in January, others have chosen to complete them now.
Manickchand added that those students who are not satisfied with their grades will have the option to re-write the exams in January. “We let it be completely their choice, where [those] children [that] chose to write now, we facilitated that with the caveat that if after the results are out and they want a second chance, they will get that although we don’t usually do that in public schools…” she explained. Manickchand went on to explain that her ministry had begun discussions with parents and students on the available options and what will work best for them.
Manickchand stated that the objective at this point is to ensure all students who were impacted directly or indirectly finish school with a secondary education. “For example, I know Micobie has offered two options for their students; one a bus service, or two, a school in the community. Some students have indicated their reluctance and inability to return to that [Mahdia] secondary school, in which case, we are looking where else can comfortably and safely house those children,” she said. Since the fire, which claimed the lives of 20 students, including 19 girls, classes have been suspended and students sent home.
The traumatic events have led to students receiving psychological support from experts to process their grief amidst the devastation and tragedy that incurred on the night of the fire. At the time of the fire, which started at approximately 10.50 pm, 56 female students were in the dormitory. Those who perished in the fire have been identified as twin sisters Mary and Martha Dandrade, Sherana Daniels, Bibi Rita Jeffrey, Sabrina John, Loreen Evans, Belnisa Evans, Omefia Edwin, Natalie Bellarmine, Andrea Roberts, Lorita Williams, Nickleen Robinson, Sherena Daniels, Eulanda Carter, Lisa Roberts, Cleoma Simon Tracil Thomas and sisters Delecia Edwards and Arianna Edwards along with five-year-old Adonijah Jerome, the son of the dorm’s mother.
The fire reportedly started in a bedroom and later spread to other parts of the building. This prompted a frantic call for help from the more than 56 female students in the heavily grilled building. As their screams got louder, public-spirited citizens rushed to the scene while others summoned the fire service which arrived 4 minutes after. Meanwhile, the on-site rescuers managed to help some students to escape but the fire continue to sweep through the remaining parts of the building. The Mahdia Fire Service, upon arrival, immediately pressed got into action, punching holes in the walls of a section of the building and rescuing students even as they tried to contain the blaze.
Fourteen students were discovered dead after the fire was put out, and five more were declared dead when they arrived at the nearby Mahdia hospital. Acting Fire Chief Dwayne Scotland had said that at around 11.15 pm on the said Sunday, firefighters from the Mahdia Fire Station were summoned to the scene but the four-minute drive found the building completely engulfed in flames. Scot-land told the Department of Public Information (DPI), that the fire was lit in the southwestern end of the building. “Immediately, firefighting and rescue operations were initiated. These operations would have rescued not less than 20 students. The operation continued for approximately three and a half hours after which, the fire was brought under control and subsequently extinguished,” DPI quoted him as saying.
