THE Tutorial High School has officially been renamed the Austin Castello Tutorial High School.
Chief Education Officer, Saddam Hussain, on Sunday evening, presented a copy of the gazetted order to the Tutorial High School Alumni Association Guyana Chapter President, Dr. Desmond Sears, cementing the new name of the school.

According to a press release, the institution will now be known as the Austin Castello Tutorial High School.
President of the Guyana Chapter of the Alumni Association, Dr. Desmond Sears, received the plaque from Hussain.

The presentation was made during a welcome reception for former students who are participating in the Association’s 14th Triennial Reunion.
Austin Castello was the lone founder of the Tutorial High School which first opened its doors on September 1, 1939, with just seven students. The monthly fee was two British Guiana dollars (BG$2.00).

He was joined in this noble venture by his brother Joseph Castello. His motivation was to provide a full, affordable secondary level education for the children of working-class parents who had no access to the existing “elite” schools.

Secondary education was available only to the children of plantation owners and others in the upper echelons of the colonial society.
“Austin Castello left this earth in 1991, but his name, his ethos, and his determination to educate as many children as possible, has always been legend in the halls of Tutorial,” the release stated.

“The new name is another way to memorialise this extraordinary man who, with his cadre of teachers, taught and groomed countless national treasures including several jurists like the late Peter Britton and Rex McKay. “

He is being represented at the week-long reunion (like previous reunions) by his daughter, June-Ann Castello.
This is Guyana’s turn to host the week-long reunion which commenced on Saturday July 26 under the theme: “Paying Tribute to the Founders”.

Highlights of the programme include a night of culture at the National Cultural Centre on Tuesday July 29, and a Gala Dinner and Ball at the Marriott Hotel on Thursday July 31.
All locally based former students of the Tutorial High School were invited to sign up and join their overseas-based schoolmates at these events.
Members of the various overseas chapters have already arrived in Guyana to participate in the week-long event.

The event got underway with a barbecue and lime at the school on Saturday July 25, 2025. The local and overseas-based alumni attended a church service at the St. George’s Cathedral on Sunday, and participated in a roundtable discussion on the value of artificial intelligence in education.

The highlight of the reunion will be a gala dinner and ball to be held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel on Thursday July 31.
The reunions hosted by the Guyana Chapter in years past have attracted a wide assortment of former students, some of whom had the good fortune to attend when the school was privately owned by its founder, Austin Castello.

His younger brother, Joseph Castello, played a pivotal role in its development from 1946 until his retirement in the 1980’s.
The Tutorial High School came into being on September 1, 1939. It was officially absorbed into the national education system in 1976.

June-Ann Castello, the daughter of the founder, Austin Castello, is also slated to play a crucial role in the reunion and the forward trajectory of the school.

The Tutorial High School Alumni Association is made up of chapters and support groups in New York, USA; Toronto, Canada; Georgetown, Guyana; and London, England.
The week of activities is intended to encourage networking, to help the ‘old students’ reconnect, reminisce and enjoy renewing old friendships.