Copyright stabroeknews
As Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, a group of about 14 Guyanese studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus found themselves grappling with not only the storm but also a sense of abandonment by their home country. While some international students were evacuated or offered financial support, many Guyanese students, primarily on non-government scholarships, sheltered in one place, expressed deep disappointment over the lack of government-funded evacuation or substantive early assistance. In an exclusive interview with Stabroek News from Mona Campus, Lateisha McArthur of Vryheid’s Lust said most of the Guyanese students had gathered in one location within “concrete halls,” which she described as one of the most solid structures in the area. Crucially, their position is “high off the ground,” she said, protecting against potential flooding, a major concern given the hurricane’s expected strength. McArthur admitted to being terrified. “I wouldn’t have wanted my first hurricane experience to be a Cat 5,” she stated. She added that news reports describing the force of a Category 5 as “like getting hit by a bus” had compounded her anxiety. Another major worry is the potential for infrastructural devastation. McArthur confirmed that classes have been suspended for a week, pending the storm’s outcome. A central point of contention was the stark contrast in support offered by different governments. “I see some of the other countries pull their kids home,” McArthur said. “That’s the thing about it… a lot of us are really sad to see that their government’s supporting them… and to see that we’re less, there’s no help for us, that is kind of disappointing.” Another Guyanese, Sheridan Dyal, along with McArthur, highlighted that Caribbean countries, regardless of their economic status or the type of scholarship their students held, managed to pull their nationals out, put them in hotels, or provide them with financial aid. Dyal, who managed to leave Jamaica on a hastily booked, expensive flight thanks to her mother, recounted that early attempts to leave were hindered by flight costs and cancellation risks as the storm approached. Dyal confirmed that the Honorary Consul of Guyana in Jamaica was in contact but initially stated that ‘nothing can be done for a situation like this’, citing that the students were not on government scholarships. Dyal argued that students not being on government scholarships should not be an excuse for inaction. “Another thing to note is that Guyana is not a contributing country to the University of the West Indies. But other countries are… In one way or the other, they were assisted… either evacuated [or] they got money. They got put up in hotels. Something was done,” Dyal said. “And not all of these countries are oil nations. Guyana is probably the strongest economy in the Caribbean… I still felt as though something should have been done by the government itself.” According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on October 26, 2025, President Irfaan Ali had mandated Permanent Secretary Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, to “engage Guyana’s Honorary Consul and students… to ensure their safety and prepare care packages, if necessary.” The government also informed the Jamaican government of Guyana’s willingness to assist and mobilized the Guyana Defence Force and Civil Defence Commission. However, the students felt this response was insufficient and came too late. Dyal pointed to the use of the conditional “if necessary” regarding care packages in the press release. “There shouldn’t be an if to this. It should be a when,” she insisted, noting that students were already running low on food. She added, “If not a plane, supplies. If not supplies, you could take what Belize did. They sent money to get the supplies.” Despite the official challenges, McArthur said her ray of hope came from former minister of education Priya Manickchand, who has been calling her “maybe twice a day to check up.” Other students, she said, have also heard from various ministers. Both McArthur and Dyal stressed that this must be a “learning lesson” for the government to establish proactive, comprehensive plans for future emergencies affecting Guyanese students abroad.
