Queen Elizabeth College, Mauritius
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
| Queen Elizabeth College | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Vandermeersch Street Queen Elizabeth II (1952) | |
| Website | http://qec.edu.govmu.org |
Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) is an academic institution for girls in
The school is well known for having produced many female leaders at the national level as well as at the international level.[citation needed] The graduates have become female scholars, professionals, scientists, leaders and politicians amongst others.
History
By late 40’s, there were two secondary schools for boys but there was an urgent need for a secondary school for girls. In 1950, the Government purchased a private house with nine acres of ground and turned it into a school at Vandermersch Street in Rose Hill. The school opened in 1951 and was located at a short distance from the main road. A small garden with endemic plants and palm trees offered a welcome green space during recreation.
The new compound inaugurated in 1953 and named after
Admission to the college was based on top performance nationwide in 6th standard at primary level. There were twelve classrooms for students from Forms 1 to 5. At that time, sixth formers were few. They used the physics laboratory and the geography room as their classes. It was among the first schools to offer opportunity for girls to study a range of subjects including biology and physics. A system of Houses based on women models - Nightingale, Pankhurst, Fry and Curie – inculcated a sense of belonging as each house would add points for performance in both academic studies and in sports.
The headmistress was respected for her discipline and fairness. Dress codes were strictly imposed: only walking shoes were allowed, dangling earrings were banned, and uniforms had to reach the level of the knee. The headmistress would personally inspect case by case the performance and the choice of subjects of each student before promotion was granted to higher levels. A community of young girls from the Royal Navy used to group together during lunch.
Mrs Flashman left for UK in the early 60s, and was replaced temporarily by a number of headmistresses, namely Mrs Albert, Mrs Teckam and Ms. Bazire. Ms Kistoe took over for a longer time period before moving to the newly established Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE). She was replaced by Mrs Balgobin. She renamed classes to be named after precious stones and gems instead of the traditional 'A, B, C, D', namely, Beryl, Garnet, Jade, and Onyx (later Pearl and Amber were added). She also changed the school badge to a metal material with a crown representation on it with the permission of Buckingham Palace. Mrs Cabon initiated the first Majorettes who gracefully gave performances during the national celebrations.
Over the years, the school was visited by several dignitaries namely Princess Alexandra (1955), Mrs Indira Gandhi (1970), Prince Edward (1993) and Mrs Margaret Thatcher (1997). The school prides itself in producing well-educated citizens and laureates who pursue their studies in Mauritius and abroad and who serve Mauritius in various other capacities including professionals, diplomats and others in Mauritius and elsewhere.