Retired Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Major General Joseph Singh will lead the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the deadly Mahdia fire that claimed the lives of 20 children, President Irfaan Ali has disclosed.

The President made the disclosure on the sidelines of a high-level Regional Agricultural Meeting currently ongoing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

He told reporters that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Commission of Inquiry are currently being finalized.

“We are finalizing the TOR right now. I have a meeting before the end of this week with the team. I can tell you that I have identified Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh to lead that team. So, I will have a meeting with him before the end of this week,” the President told reporters.

President Ali also announced that he intends to meet with the survivors and their families, as well as the relatives of 20 victims who lost their lives tragically during and after the fire.

“I am also having a meeting with the family members of the Mahdia fire to discuss some outstanding issues,” the President added.

The 20 children were killed when the fire, which was maliciously set, ripped through the school dormitory on May 21.

The heavy grill work on the building made it difficult for the children to escape and for the rescuers to gain full access.

More than 25 children were rescued.

A teenage girl, who is suspected to have started the fire, is currently facing murder charges in relation to the deaths.

Just last year, the UNICEF Office in Guyana, warned that school dormitories in the country lacked basic safety equipment and were plagued with a number of structural defects.

Poor ventilation as a result of inadequate windows at dorms was among the long list of issues highlighted by UNICEF in a report.

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