MONTEGO BAY, St James - The prestigious 117-year-old boys school Cornwall College will as of September 2013, accept 10 female students into the school's sixth-form programme.
Decades ago, girls were accepted in Cornwall's sixth-form programme, which went dormant in the 1970s. The sixth form programme was revitalised in 1982 without girls.
CHAMBERS... our boys are not leaving to go to any community college
The Orange Street-based high school, which was established in 1896, has in recent years done exceptionally well in the natural sciences, enjoying an average of over 96 per cent passes in chemistry and physics in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
Chairman of the Cornwall College School Board Gerry Chambers said the high performance in science had been pivotal in encouraging girls to apply for entry to Cornwall's sixth form which has a capacity for 110 student places.
"Our boys are not leaving to go to any community college. (But) Girls have been requesting to come here, especially for the science subjects because our passes are that good. So, we are starting with 10 girls," Chambers told the Observer West.
It is not finalised whether the uniform for the 10 girls will bear the red and gold colours of the school.
When asked if there were any objections from some old boys over the decision to allow entry to girls, Chambers noted that the institution will always maintain its status as a boys' school, but if the girls meet the criteria for sixth form they will be allowed.
Decades ago, girls were accepted in Cornwall's sixth-form programme, which went dormant in the 1970s. The sixth form programme was revitalised in 1982 without girls.
CHAMBERS... our boys are not leaving to go to any community college
     CHAMBERS... our boys are not leaving to go to any community college #slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}  [b class="status" style="margin: 0px 50px; font-weight: bold;"]1/3[/b]  |
The Orange Street-based high school, which was established in 1896, has in recent years done exceptionally well in the natural sciences, enjoying an average of over 96 per cent passes in chemistry and physics in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
Chairman of the Cornwall College School Board Gerry Chambers said the high performance in science had been pivotal in encouraging girls to apply for entry to Cornwall's sixth form which has a capacity for 110 student places.
"Our boys are not leaving to go to any community college. (But) Girls have been requesting to come here, especially for the science subjects because our passes are that good. So, we are starting with 10 girls," Chambers told the Observer West.
It is not finalised whether the uniform for the 10 girls will bear the red and gold colours of the school.
When asked if there were any objections from some old boys over the decision to allow entry to girls, Chambers noted that the institution will always maintain its status as a boys' school, but if the girls meet the criteria for sixth form they will be allowed.