Harrison College (Barbados)

Harrison College
Location
Map
Information
MottoIn Deo Fides
(Trust In God)
Established1733 (1733)
PrincipalMrs. Kaylene Kellman-Holder
Vice PrincipalDr. Martin Alleyne
CampusBridgetown, Barbados

Harrison College is a co-educational grammar school (secondary school) in Bridgetown, Barbados. Founded in 1733, the school takes its name from Thomas Harrison, a Bridgetown merchant, who intended it to serve as "A Public and Free School for the poor and indigent boys of the parish".

Even in the nineteenth century it was recognised as perhaps the most prestigious secondary school in the British West Indies, attracting boys from neighbouring islands, including Pelham Warner who later went on to become the "Grand Old Man" of English cricket.[1] Described as "The Eton College of Barbados", since Barbados' independence in 1966, five out of Barbados's eight Prime Ministers have been alumni of Harrison College, among whom are also numbered the national poet Kamau Brathwaite and Alan Emtage the co-inventor of Archie, the world's first Internet search engine.

The school is responsible for the production of at least 65% of all government scholars or exhibition winners since the government introduced these aids to help funding with tertiary education.

It was an all-boys school for most of its history, with girls admitted to the Sixth Form in at least 1970 and to the lower forms in September 1980. Since the 1960s, no fees have been attached to study at Harrison College, but entry is by a competitive national examination. Harrison College or "Kolij" as it is more affectionately known to its students and alumni has been a cornerstone of Barbadian education since its establishment in 1733.

  1. ^ The Overwhelming Influence of Harrison College. University Press of the West Indies. 1998. ISBN 9789766400460. Retrieved 2012-02-02.

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