Electrical Incident at C.C. Sweeting Injures Several Students

Advertisement

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Three students hurt, classes cut short and electrical crews called in at C.C. Sweeting Senior High School after an electrical problem disrupted the school day.

The Ministry of Education says a faulty electrical wire feeding into the campus left three students with minor burns.

Confirming the incident today was Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Chester Cooper.

Chester Cooper – Minister, Education, Science and Technology

“ There have been minor injuries to three students. They are receiving medical attention. We are ensuring that the environment is safe, but be assured that the health and safety of our children, our teachers, and administrators is priority number one.”

The school was dismissed early as crews moved in to deal with the problem.

Meanwhile, when Our News arrived at the campus, we saw Bahamas Grid Company crews going in and out of the school as work continued.

However, C.C. Sweeting High wasn’t the only campus affected, as The Centre for The Deaf was also dismissed early.

Eva Hilton and other parts of the surrounding area were affected as well according to Cooper.

The incident at C.C. Sweeting is raising another question: could it have been prevented?

Just two weeks ago, teachers at that very school protested outside the gates over safety concerns, including electrical issues.

Bahamas Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson says those concerns go back even further.

Belinda Wilson – President, Bahamas Teachers Union

“ These electrical issues at C.C. Sweeting Senior High School were first brought to my attention from 2023. From 2023 up to today, the teachers and the Bahamas Union of Teachers have been inquiring about when these issues will be fixed.”

Now that those fears have become a reality, Wilson says the Union does not want another temporary fix.

She is calling for the Ministry of Education, BPL, Bahamas Grid and the Ministry of Works to come together and address the electrical problems.

Belinda Wilson – President, Bahamas Teachers Union

“ B.U.T. members will not put themselves in harm’s way any longer. So we expect that the Ministry of Education will provide for us the scope of works and the timelines for the upgrade and the electrical repairs to be completed.”

Also, the concerns aren’t limited to C.C. Sweeting.

Power outages at public schools have also come under scrutiny, with Opposition Deputy Leader Shanendon Cartwright recently calling the disruptions a growing threat to students’ education.

Cooper acknowledges the outages are a major inconvenience, but says when it is safe, the Ministry tries to keep students in the classroom rather than automatically ending the school day.

Chester Cooper – Minister, Education, Science and Technology

“ Our objective is to ensure that our children understand that every day isn’t going to be an easy one in life, and therefore, we use it as a learning opportunity. Many would talk about not growing up with electricity and being able to persevere and become productive citizens. Resilience is the lesson that we teach our children.”

Now, Our News reached out to officials at Bahamas Power and Light for comment, but our request was acknowledged but got no response up to news time.

However, with the outages continuing to disrupt some schools, we asked Cooper what is being done to bring them to an end.

Chester Cooper – Minister, Education, Science and Technology

“ I won’t speak to the power issue. I’ll leave that to the minister responsible.”