President's College fire
School's out until next week
Stabroek News
April 28, 2004
Classes at President's College have been suspended following Monday's fire which destroyed the male dormitory and left some 103 students without lodging.
And the Board of Directors of the college has called for an independent inquiry into the blaze.
The students will return next Tuesday for classes and at the same time a meeting will be held to assess the situation.
Some pupils have told this newspaper that the electrical system at the college was faulty and added that the fire was not unexpected.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, Derrick Jodhan, a member of the school board of directors, said the students were sent home because conditions were not conducive to learning. He revealed that the fire had left the entire complex without electricity and water and the sewerage systems were inoperable. He said some students, accompanied by their parents, departed on Monday while others left yesterday. He said the hinterland students are being housed at the Amerindian Hostel in Georgetown.
Jodhan said it was regrettable that the school's generator was destroyed in the fire, noting that it was only recently acquired. He added that all the fire hydrants were in working order but depended on electricity that was cut at the time of the fire. Drainage canals in the area are said to be clogged.
With regard to accommodation, 50 beds were made available at the Guyana Women's Leadership Institute (GWLI) at Cove and John. He said spaces were also made available at the Cyril Potter College of Education, but the administration was looking at places that are closer to the college. Jodhan said GWLI would be a more feasible option, as well as the school's pavilion which was recently constructed. Once they can get beds and mattresses some of the students would be accommodated in the other dormitories that were not affected by the blaze, while some may seek lodging at the homes of teachers who live in the complex.
The board also held a meeting yesterday and one member suggested a place in Enmore. This idea would be explored today, Jodhan said, adding that it would be an ideal location.
Asked to comment on reports that the school's electrical system has not been upgraded since the college was established in 1985, Jodhan said the school had a maintenance crew which would check the system daily. He pointed out that while the other buildings were not re-wired and upgraded, the burnt-down dormitory had benefited three years ago from a major overhaul including its wiring.
A Guyana Power and Light engineer who was on the scene on Monday had told this newspaper that the entire electrical system at the college was faulty and overloaded. The engineer observed that ever since the college was built there have been additions which means that there is a greater demand on the system. He said this was not being addressed by the school's administration and if nothing was done another fire would occur.
Jodhan did not agree stating that the additions to the college are not many. He argued that there had to have been a lapse somewhere in the dormitory.
Jodhan said everyone was speculating that the fire was electrical but he said the school was waiting on a report from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and GPL. The board member also confirmed that they had received reports that students were in the habit of breaking the electrical wires in the building to recharge their cellular phones and play music. When Stabroek News visited the school yesterday, officers from GPL and GFS were conducting investigations, while the college's teachers were around the canteen and in the staff room.
Meanwhile, a press release from the Government Information Agency said Principal of the college, Stanley Lewis, said arrangements are being made to facilitate those students who lost their School-Based Assessments (SBAs) in the fire. Lewis told GINA that the Ministry of Education had been in contact with the Caribbean Examinations Council to find a solution. The SBAs are for the May-June sitting of CSEC and are to be handed in early next month.
An old student of the college recalls that a fire broke out at the Third Dormitory three years ago owing to faulty wiring but was contained by a prompt bucket brigade.
The blaze started in a store-room on the second floor of the dorm where the younger boys are housed some time after 7 pm. Several mattresses and sports equipment were destroyed in the fire.