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Pit latrine death…Family members shocked at Minister’s comments

Sep 19, 2008 News

Family members of Tenesha De Souza, the schoolgirl who died in a pit latrine, have expressed surprise at the comments by Education Minister Shaik Baksh. The Minister reportedly said that “pit latrines are adequate for this day and age.”
The schoolgirl died in the latrine during the first day of the new school term.
Grandfather of Tenesha, Marco De Souza, wondered whether (Baksh) ever gave it a second thought.
According to De Souza, Santa Rosa is the oldest and largest Amerindian mission in Guyana. “Yet for one reason or the other this mission is being left behind in many ways. Yanawarin, Waramuri and Assakata Primary Schools have flush toilets and their school enrollment is much smaller than that of Santa Rosa Primary.”
He noted, too, that that the Santa Rosa Primary School compound cannot accommodate anymore pit latrines given that it was a practice for more than eighty years pits have been dug to house the human waste.
He challenged Baksh or his Permanent Secretary, Phulandar Khandi, to visit Santa Rosa and have a first hand look, “and then argue the point”.
He noted that ever since the tragedy, the primary school students are afraid to go near any pit latrines at the school.
A number of stakeholders have called for the outlawing of pit latrines at schools but Baksh is quoted in the media as saying that his Ministry does not intend to phase-out the use of pit latrines in schools since they were internationally accepted as proper for sanitary disposal.
He had added though that maybe in another few years the issue would be addressed, but it would be a very expensive exercise.
Reports reaching this newspaper stated that Tenesha De Souza died while receiving treatment at the Moruka Hospital.
Police say that at about 09:00 hours on September 1, last, De Souza went to answer a call of nature.
She was accompanied by another student who waited outside.
Screams were subsequently heard coming from De Souza and an alarm was raised.
But by the time elders rushed to the scene it was already too late.
The nine-year-old was taken out from the pit and rushed to the Moruka Hospital where she eventually succumbed.

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