HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – With public hearings into the deadly MV Barima tragedy set to begin next week, only one of the 76 survivors has so far contacted the Commission of Inquiry indicating an intention to give evidence.

Secretary to the Commission Javed Shadick disclosed the low response during a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday, just over a week before public hearings are scheduled to begin on October 14.

“Not many persons have come forward. In fact, only one person has made contact with the secretariat informing us of their intent to step forward,” Shadick said.

Despite the limited response from survivors so far, the Commission estimates that more than 100 witnesses could eventually appear during the inquiry. Those witnesses are expected to include survivors, relatives of persons who died, first responders and officials connected to the vessel and the response to the tragedy.

Before evidence is formally taken, the five-member Commission, chaired by Belizean Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith, will begin a series of engagements and site visits.

The Commissioners are expected to meet survivors and relatives of victims from Regions Three, Four and Five before visiting the Kingston Wharf, the Maritime Administration Department and the Transport and Harbours Department.

They are also scheduled to travel to Mabaruma and Port Kaituma next Monday and Tuesday to inspect wharves and meet families and survivors. Shadick stressed that those engagements will not be used to take evidence.

Formal testimony will only be received when public hearings begin on October 14. The Commission will determine, based on the number of witnesses willing to participate, whether hearings will also be held in Port Kaituma and Mabaruma, where many of the victims and survivors were from.

Attorneys Arudranauth Gossai and Teni Housty, who are serving as counsel to the Commission, have meanwhile been interviewing potential witnesses and gathering documentary evidence.

The inquiry is mandated to reconstruct the sequence of events surrounding the July 18 sinking and determine its immediate, contributing and systemic causes.

It is also expected to examine whether negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty, institutional failures or other acts and omissions contributed to the disaster or affected the

More than 100 people died when the MV Barima sank on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Seventy-six people survived.

Source: HGP Nightly News / HGPTV

​As the government expands access to specialised education in Region One (Barima-Waini), the region welcomes its first Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school in Mabaruma.

​The 57th of its kind nationally, this new school can accommodate up to 30 learners. It currently has an enrollment of 15 learners and four staff members who are trained in Special Education Needs and Disabilities.

​The establishment of the Mabaruma SEND School represents another important milestone in the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to strengthen inclusive education and ensure that learners with special educational needs and disabilities have access to the personalised support, resources, and learning opportunities they need to reach their full potential.

​Through the provision of specialised educational support within the region, learners and their families will have greater access to educational services without having to travel outside of their communities to receive the assistance they require.

​Moreover, the Mabaruma facility will not be the only SEND school in Region One, as similar initiatives are planned for the other two sub-districts – Moruca and Matarkai. The aim is to ensure that across the length and breadth of Guyana, our learners with disabilities or special education needs have specialised educational support closer and more convenient to their homes.

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Source: INews Guyana

Thirty-three- year -old Mark Gentle, a gold miner of Durban Street, Lodge, Georgetown, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition without a license.

Gentle appeared before Magistrate Caressa Henry at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where the charges were read to him.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges and was remanded to prison until November 17, 2026.

Source: INews Guyana

Karasabai CSOs equipped to drive agriculture and sustainable livelihoods

Thirty Community Support Officers (CSOs) in Karasabai, Region Nine, are now better equipped to support agricultural development and sustainable livelihoods in their community, following the successful completion of training in shade house management.

The training, conducted through the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs’ CSO capacity-building programme, provided participants with practical skills to manage shade house operations and support local food production.

Technical guidance for the training was provided by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), complementing the ministry’s investment in strengthening the skills of CSOs across Indigenous communities.

During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Tuesday, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Sarah Browne Shadeek said the programme is designed to ensure CSOs assigned to agriculture have the technical capacity to contribute meaningfully to productive activities within their communities.

“For those who are attached to agriculture, we would normally train them to be able to manage a shade house,” the minister said.

Shade house management is among several areas offered under the programme, which also includes training in small engine repairs, cosmetology and sewing.

The initiative forms part of wider support channelled through the Amerindian Development Fund, under which villages can receive assistance for shade house projects, including installation and initial support for crop production.

For Karasabai, the training comes at a time when the village is advancing a number of initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods and strengthening its productive capacity.

Meanwhile, Toshao of Karasabai David Albert said the community has benefited from investments in infrastructure, agriculture, education and essential services through various Government-supported programmes, including the Presidential Grant and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

“Our village is no longer left behind. We are actually seeing it happen right in front of our eyes,”Toshao Albert said.

Among the developments are a hot meal kitchen, a floodlit playfield, a school library, self-contained cabins and improved transportation.

The village also received an upgraded airstrip, commissioned in April 2026.

Karasabai is further strengthening its agricultural base through a village cash crop farm being implemented under its 2024 LCDS allocation.

The farm is expected to produce crops such as watermelon and hot peppers, with a ready market through the hot meal programmes at the Karasabai Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools.

The combination of practical training, agricultural infrastructure and market opportunities is creating a stronger foundation for community-led development.

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