Government High School is a state secondary school in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

. At one time, it was a selective

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

and one of the country's leading institutions.

Early years as a selective school

Government High School became the Bahamas' first state school when it opened on 27 April 1925, providing for the education of blacks and girls who had been excluded from the colony's private schools. The school was established as a result of concerted public lobbying. It was a selective state school that became known for educating a generation of middle-class brown and black Bahamians before and immediately after the country achieved

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

in 1961. 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. Initially intended for teacher training, the school prepared students for Cambridge exams and later the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate.

Modern comprehensive school

The school now exists as one of many public comprehensive secondary schools on the island of New Providence.

Headmasters and headmistresses

*Albert Woods, from 1925 *Dr. A. Deans Peggs, 1942-1958 *Cecil Valentine Bethel, first Bahamian headmaster of GHS, from 1964 *Hugh Gordon Sands, first alumni to become headmaster *Anatol Rodgers, third Bahamian head and first headmistress, 1971-1975

Notable alumni

* Paul Adderley, former

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

of the Bahamas * Sir Gerald Cash, former

Governor-General of the Bahamas Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

* Dame Ivy Dumont, former Governor-General of the Bahamas * Sir Randol Fawkes, trade unionist and Cabinet minister * Sir Cyril Fountain, lawyer and judge *

Hubert Ingraham Hubert Alexander Ingraham, PC (born 4 August 1947) is a Bahamian politician who was Prime Minister of the Bahamas from August 1992 to May 2002, and again from May 2007 to May 2012. He is a member of the Free National Movement Party (FNM). Pr ...

, former Prime Minister of the Bahamas * Sir Kendal Isaacs, former

Solicitor-General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

, Attorney General, and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

* Sir Lynden Pindling, first

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of an independent Bahamas * Dame Joan Sawyer, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Bahamas *

Stafford Sands Sir Stafford Lofthouse Sands (23 September 1913 – January 23, 1972) was a former Minister of Finance of the Bahamas (1964–1967), who held other high positions in the islands until his self-chosen exile in 1967. Hailed as Father of Tourism, he ...

, businessman and Cabinet Minister * Sir Orville Turnquest, former Governor-General of the Bahamas * Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield, Cabinet Minister and

* Frank Watson, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas

References

{{Reflist Schools in the Bahamas Educational institutions established in 1925 Nassau, Bahamas