Government High School, Nassau
25°02′54″N 77°21′43″W / 25.0483°N 77.3619°W
Government High School is a state secondary school in Nassau, Bahamas. At one time, it was a selective grammar school[1] and one of the country's leading institutions.[2][3]
Early years as a selective school
[edit]Government High School became the Bahamas' first state school when it opened on 27 April 1925,[1] providing for the education of blacks and girls who had been excluded from the colony's private schools.[4] The school was established as a result of concerted public lobbying.[5]
It was a selective state school[1] that became known for educating a generation of middle-class brown and black Bahamians before and immediately after the country achieved universal suffrage in 1961.[2]
Entry was open to students aged 11 to 18 who passed an entrance exam and fees were payable slightly less than the country's parochial schools.[6] Initially intended for teacher training, the school prepared students for Cambridge exams and later the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate.[5]
Modern comprehensive school
[edit]The school now exists as one of many public comprehensive secondary schools on the island of New Providence.[2][3]
Headmasters and headmistresses
[edit]- Albert Woods, from 1925[5][7]
- Dr. A. Deans Peggs, 1942-1958[7]
- Cecil Valentine Bethel, first Bahamian headmaster of GHS, from 1964[8]
- Hugh Gordon Sands, first alumni to become headmaster
- Anatol Rodgers, third Bahamian head and first headmistress, 1971-1975[9]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Paul Adderley, former Attorney-General of the Bahamas
- Sir Gerald Cash, former Governor-General of the Bahamas[5]
- Dame Ivy Dumont, former Governor-General of the Bahamas
- Sir Randol Fawkes, trade unionist and Cabinet minister[5]
- Sir Cyril Fountain, lawyer and judge
- Hubert Ingraham, former Prime Minister of the Bahamas
- Sir Kendal Isaacs, former Solicitor-General, Attorney General, and Leader of the Opposition[7][10]
- Sir Lynden Pindling, first Prime Minister of an independent Bahamas[5][11]
- Dame Joan Sawyer, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Bahamas[12]
- Stafford Sands, businessman and Cabinet Minister[5]
- Sir Orville Turnquest, former Governor-General of the Bahamas
- Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield, Cabinet Minister and Leader of the Opposition
- Frank Watson, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bethel, Keva M. (1996). "Educational Reform in the Bahamas: Part 1". International Journal of Bahamian Studies. 8: 30. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Bethel, Keva M. (1997). "Educational Reform in The Bahamas: Part II: Pre-Independence Perspectives (1958-1973)". International Journal of Bahamian Studies. 9: 40.
- ^ a b Lothian, Mike (23 August 1974). "Common Entrance [Exam] Ends in '75". Tribune newspaper. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ K Kemp, J Dawson, & T Thompson. "Government High School". Retrieved 12 October 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g Saunders, Gail (16 October 2017). Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas 1880-1960 (Electronic ed.). Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. pp. 132–133. ASIN B076PKNMM3.
- ^ Colonial Office (1950). "Annual Report on the Bahamas for the Year 1949". HathiTrust. HM Stationery Office, London. p. 21. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ a b c Fawkes, Sir Randol (2003). The Faith that Moved the Mountain (Memorial ed.). Nassau, Bahamas.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Appointed to the Order of the British Empire: Cecil Valentine Bethel for services to the Government High School, Bahamas". No. 44210. The London Gazette. 30 December 1966. p. 21. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Caribbean academic giant to deliver annual Anatol Rodgers Memorial Lecture". Dupuch Publications. Tribune newspaper. 6 November 2007.
- ^ "Obituary of Sir Kendal Isaacs". London (UK). The Daily Telegraph. 5 June 1996. p. 29. ProQuest 317570338. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Obituaries: Lynden O. Pindling; Led the Bahamas to Independence". Los Angeles Times. 27 August 2000. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Dorsett, Sidney (12 September 1973). "3 More Attorneys Called to the Bahamas Bar". The Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 10 January 2025.