By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CONCERNED parents rushed to CC Sweeting Senior High yesterday after three students suffered minor burns following an electrical fault at the school just weeks after staff protested power problems there that have disrupted classrooms and raised safety concerns.

The children, believed to be 10th and 11 graders, were hurt after 11am when an explosion happened in the classroom following a blown fuse.

Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) attributed the problem to the school’s internal electrical system and its service connection.

The utility provider said the electrical fault occurred after the building’s protection system didn’t operate as intended while crews installed additional air-conditioning units. This resulted in a blown fuse at the distribution transformer and a localised power outage.

Three students were injured as a result and seen by the school’s nurse, but were advised that their injuries were not severe.

The ministry responded by closing the school early, causing frantic parents to rush to the campus. The Centre for Deaf, a campus in the surrounding area, was also dismissed early. Bahamas Grid Company crews went to the campus to assess the area.

A parent who spoke to The Tribune said her child felt the electrical shock through his hand, but it wasn’t injured.

She said she only became aware of the disruption after he came home and told her what happened.

“I mean thank God they didn't end up like the RM Bailey student but things do happen beyond your control when you’re trying to work with stuff but I just hope they get it under control at this point now. I mean you ain't want them not to go to school, but you don't want them to die either,” the mother added.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology acknowledged the incident in a statement yesterday, calling it regrettable that students were affected.

The ministry said it dispatched a team to the school immediately to assist in managing the situation, saying it placed students and staff safety as a priority.

Officials added, out of an abundance of caution, that the school and the Centre for Deaf would remain closed today while work continued in the affected areas. Further updates would be announced later, it added.

The school disruption came after weeks of power failures and recent warnings from teachers there that electrical faults have stopped classes and created safety concerns for staff and students.

Some teachers also used social media to express their frustration, calling the delayed action unfortunate and saying “it did not have to come to this.”

Officials said electrical problems stem from a longstanding issue with the external power supply infrastructure serving the campus.

Bahamas Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson said it was unfortunate that the issues have not been resolved since the union was first made aware of them in 2023.

She said members will no longer put themselves in danger and called on the Ministry of Education to demand that the utility companies get the issues fixed.

“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,” she added. “We will continue to monitor this matter very closely.”

Yesterday, Education Minister Chester Cooper admitted that the power interruptions were an “inconvenience”, but said the ministry has tried not let them affect their operations.

“We want to teach resilience, and therefore, where there is a power outage, we don't immediately put school out,” he said. “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.”

Still, he said the ministry looked forward to reducing disruptions and maximising instructional time.

BPL, meanwhile, said it would remain onsite to assist the school’s electrical contractor and upgrade the service conductor to accommodate the additional electrical load.