President's College

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See also: President's College (Sri Lanka)
President's College
Location
Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, Guyana
Information
Principal Cheryl Trim
Type Public, Boarding school
Motto School of Excellence
Color(s) Purple
Established 1985
Information 011-592-229-2230

President's College is a senior secondary school located in Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, Guyana. When it opened in 1985, it was the first boarding school in Guyana and the only secondary school to use a more comprehensive and selective application process. President's College was founded by the late President of Guyana Forbes Burnham, who launched the project in 1983 but died before the school opened.

Potential students were selected from the top two percent of candidates in the Secondary School School Entrance Examination (SSEE), and subjected to an evaluation process including interviews with school personnel. School admission policy has since changed, students are allowed to transfer into President's College and preference is given to students from more remote areas. The school also allows students to attend with being residential, instead functioning as a day school. These and other policy changes have been controversial, but have led to more students attending from schools that are outside of Georgetown. The population of the school is one of the most - if not the most - diverse of all the schools in the country, because its students come from all over the country.

On April 26 2004, a large fire destroyed the boy's dormitory resulting in $45-$100 million in property damage, but no injuries or fatalities. As a result of the fire, more than 100 hundred students had to find alternative housing, usually off-campus. Reconstruction was started a year later but was delayed due to the floods of 2005. In June 2006, the Ministry of Education announced a new plan for rebuilding the dormitory and blamed their current contractor for the delays.


While the reputation of the school has been affected by allegations of mismanagement and some degree of intolerance, President's College continues to produce students who excel in their respective fields both in Guyana and internationally.

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Ruel Johnson, youngest winner of the Guyana Prize for Literature.

[edit] External links

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