QC celebrates 50 years of girls’ inclusion, breaking barriers

Girls were first admitted into Queen’s College in 1975 and have since transformed it into a beacon of opportunities. On Thursday, the school commenced its 50 years of girls’ excellence, celebrating those who came and those yet to come.

The weekend-long celebrations, orchestrated by the school’s Old Students’ Association, kicked off with an exhibition recognising the women who attended the school and their achievements.

During the launch, the students’ talents were also displayed, with current students holding a march past, dancing, singing, and performing spoken word. In the auditorium at the College’s Camp Street Campus, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development and alumna Priya Manickchand, in her featured remarks, emphasised the importance of girls having equal opportunities to those of boys – something that was accomplished when co-education was introduced.

“To make educational facilities co-educational was the beginning of a revolution that saw gain for our girls here at Queen’s, for our girls all over Guyana, and that has seen the perpetuation of that gain,” Manickchand said.

Notably, the minister pointed out that the girls brought a competitive nature, forcing boys to “be better” and compete academically. Prior to this, the opportunities offered to girls were limited, and societal expectations of what each gender should be taught differed.

Importantly, the girls were admitted into the all-boys school at a time when intermixing of boys and girls at educational institutions was not normalised and was even concerning. Manickchand charged the students with understanding their role in Guyana’s progression.

“I’d like to see a college that trains girls and boys who grow into women and men who understand that with great privilege, and the great privilege of attending this college, comes a great duty to be responsible socially, politically, and in every other sense,” the minister said.

Girls who make up the school’s alumni have assumed roles in leadership across every field, including politics and science. The school has held the mantle for top achievers, with many elevating to occupy leadership roles.