Berbice High School
Encyclopedia
Berbice High School is a school
in New Amsterdam
, Guyana
.
The Boys' school was established on 5 September 1916, on the ground floor of the residence occupied by Rev. J. A. Scrimgeour, BA. Mr. C. A. Pugsley was the school's first Headmaster. Nine pupils were enrolled on the founding day. The Daily Argosy of 8 September 1916, reported that "The courageous venture upon which the British Guiana
Mission of the Presbyterian Church of Canada has embarked in New Amsterdam will be watched with greatest interest and sympathy by all whom have paid any attention to the educational problems of this colony
. The High School which has been opened, although interested primarily for East Indians, makes no stipulation as to race or creed. Its purpose is to provide in the county of Berbice
a public Secondary School."
Over the next two years the number of students grew until there was need for a separate building. With the generosity of the public and the Government, the first section of this building was opened in February 1918. Work continued on this project and, in 1920, the building known as the Boys Building was completed.
Encouraged by their success the Canadian Mission Council of the Presbyterian Church of Canada established a School for Girls. It was housed in the lower flat of the Missionary's Residence under the charge of Mrs. McLeod, wife of the Minister. When the Church acquired the "Brick Building" Miss McKay was appointed as the first Principal and the school, as well as the Girls' Dormitory, were moved into this building.
The two schools continued their separate existence until 1924 when a move for closer co-operation was made with pupils of the Fourth and Fifth Forms working together to prepare for the Cambridge Junior and Senior Certificate Examinations. By 1931, the Berbice High School for Girls was moved from the Brick Building on the corner of Ferry Street and Princess Elizabeth Road to the building formerly occupied by the Missionary. The Brick Building was then sold.
In 1933 upper forms of the Boys' and Girls' Schools were amalgamated. Complete amalgamation was completed in 1941, when the enrollment reached 190 pupils, and the school became known as the Berbice High School. As enrollment continued to grow, the need for greater space became imperative. The Science Building was remodeled to provide a few non-Science classrooms. When this measure was unable to stem the tide of an ever increasing demand for student places, the Presbyterian Church of Canada dispatched a representative to look into the situation and to investigate how far the Government was prepared to help in solving the problem.
Dr. E. H. Johnson, Secretary for the Board of Overseas Missions, succeeded in getting the Government's consent to contributing 50 per cent of the cost of putting up the buildings in a "Master Plan" for the Berbice High School. A concrete structure of eight classrooms and washroom was the first phase in this Master Plan.
Enrollment in 1966, the year control of the school was handed over to the Government, was 741.
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
in New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam, Guyana
New Amsterdam , located in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region, 62 miles from the capital, Georgetown, is one of the largest towns in Guyana. It is located four miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean mouth of the Berbice River, on its eastern bank, immediately south of the Canje River...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
.
The Boys' school was established on 5 September 1916, on the ground floor of the residence occupied by Rev. J. A. Scrimgeour, BA. Mr. C. A. Pugsley was the school's first Headmaster. Nine pupils were enrolled on the founding day. The Daily Argosy of 8 September 1916, reported that "The courageous venture upon which the British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
Mission of the Presbyterian Church of Canada has embarked in New Amsterdam will be watched with greatest interest and sympathy by all whom have paid any attention to the educational problems of this colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
. The High School which has been opened, although interested primarily for East Indians, makes no stipulation as to race or creed. Its purpose is to provide in the county of Berbice
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831...
a public Secondary School."
Over the next two years the number of students grew until there was need for a separate building. With the generosity of the public and the Government, the first section of this building was opened in February 1918. Work continued on this project and, in 1920, the building known as the Boys Building was completed.
Encouraged by their success the Canadian Mission Council of the Presbyterian Church of Canada established a School for Girls. It was housed in the lower flat of the Missionary's Residence under the charge of Mrs. McLeod, wife of the Minister. When the Church acquired the "Brick Building" Miss McKay was appointed as the first Principal and the school, as well as the Girls' Dormitory, were moved into this building.
The two schools continued their separate existence until 1924 when a move for closer co-operation was made with pupils of the Fourth and Fifth Forms working together to prepare for the Cambridge Junior and Senior Certificate Examinations. By 1931, the Berbice High School for Girls was moved from the Brick Building on the corner of Ferry Street and Princess Elizabeth Road to the building formerly occupied by the Missionary. The Brick Building was then sold.
In 1933 upper forms of the Boys' and Girls' Schools were amalgamated. Complete amalgamation was completed in 1941, when the enrollment reached 190 pupils, and the school became known as the Berbice High School. As enrollment continued to grow, the need for greater space became imperative. The Science Building was remodeled to provide a few non-Science classrooms. When this measure was unable to stem the tide of an ever increasing demand for student places, the Presbyterian Church of Canada dispatched a representative to look into the situation and to investigate how far the Government was prepared to help in solving the problem.
Dr. E. H. Johnson, Secretary for the Board of Overseas Missions, succeeded in getting the Government's consent to contributing 50 per cent of the cost of putting up the buildings in a "Master Plan" for the Berbice High School. A concrete structure of eight classrooms and washroom was the first phase in this Master Plan.
Enrollment in 1966, the year control of the school was handed over to the Government, was 741.