PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar; Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds; and Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand; along with several Members of Parliament yesterday joined with Queen’s College (QC) students, past and present, and teachers in celebrating the school’s 170th anniversary.

Over the years, this prestigious institution has produced many outstanding Guyanese who have distinguished themselves in the fields of politics, government, law, foreign affairs, education, medicine, the social and natural sciences, and in several other professions.
President Ramotar, while addressing the large gathering, congratulated the staff and present and past students of the institution for the outstanding work they have been doing.
“There is hardly any sector, the economy, culture, politics in which you do not find Queen’s College students…without doubt the students of Queen’s College have made tremendous contributions to the development of Guyana, and it can contend with any secondary institution in the world that can produce people with high calibre as Queen’s College has done,” President Ramotar noted.
Queen’s College, he said, should be replicated all over Guyana, and Government is working to ensure that every secondary school is associated with the institution.
Three of the four students who copped the CXC Regional awards were students of Queen’s College, while the fourth student came from New Amsterdam Secondary School. President Ramotar highlighted that fact that the fourth student’s background was very modest, noting that this proves Government’s effort to ensure every other institution is as distinguished as Queen’s College.
Science and technology, he said, also play a major role in today’s society, and all across the world one can find a Queen’s College student. These past students are very much involved in science and technology, he observed.
President Ramotar emphasised that education has been transformed in Guyana, so much so that every child in the most remote areas can access education.
“For the students of today, I think that you are fortunate to have many role models that have come out of this institution, that you can follow, but you must not only seek to follow, you must surpass the achievements that they have made…may Queen’s College grow from strength to strength,” the President said.
The school was established in 1844 as the Queen’s College Grammar School for boys by Bishop William Piercy Austin, and the first class was held in August of that year, with an enrollment of just 15 students and two tutors.