'Prestige' Schools of Trinidad

In the Trinidad and Tobago education system students write the Secondary Entrance Assessment to enter Secondary School. Students aim to pass for one of Trinidad's 'Prestige Schools'. Prestige schools are independent, government assisted or non-denominational Secondary Schools that regularly attain state scholarships, have a distinguished alumni and are over 100 years old often stating out as private schools .The schools usually have sprawling campuses, high government support and regularly represent Trinidad Regionally and Internationally. It must also be noted that denominational schools are allowed to select 20% of their entering classes outside and regardless of the SEA results.These schools therefore, are able to retain their high status because they receive the best group of students each year. As long as they achieve good results in the secondary school exit exams, particularly at the pre-university level (the seventh year), they will retain their position.

Prestige school have enriched education that nurtures critical thinking, character building and leadership development.

After attending a prestige school:

• It is easier to get interviews and job offers at big prestigious companies.

• Established companies offer more favorable starting positions and higher salaries.

• Individuals at big companies and government Ministries have a better initial impression of you even if they have not seen your work.

• It is easier to get involved in a more promising start up company.

• It is easier to be admitted to other schools.

Not all prestige schools are made equally however the schools of Port of Spain are considered to be the most prestigious Queens Royal College(QRC),St. Mary's College(CIC) ,Fatima College and St. Anthony's College for Boys and St. Joseph's Convent POS, Holy Name Convent and Bishops Amnesty for Girls.

Criticisms

Students who do not attend or pass for a 'prestige school' often feel a sense failure in Trinidadian society. Former St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar said that when his daughter wrote the SEA examination she asked why all schools be prestige schools.

Prestige schools disproportionately receive more incentives and opportunities when compare to locally called 'non prestige schools'.

It has also been brought into question the fairness of the SEA system as students who attend prestige schools usually had extra lessons and paid exam preparation which could indicate that the exam favors wealthy students in gaining acceptance to prestige schools. Additionally many of the countries prestige schools are located in wealthier neighborhoods in Port of Spain such as St. Clair and in upscale towns like Trincity .There are also more Prestige boy schools than girl schools. Many of the old prestige schools such as Queens Royal College and St. Joseph's Convent POS have ties and were originally attended by Trinidad's colonial elites and estate/plantation owners of the plantocracy.

According to a paper in The University of South Carolina Scholar Common, The importance of graduating from a prestige high school should not be over looked. By and large, prestige schools are those older secondary schools, typically founded before 1960. They tend to be single gender and usually affiliated to a religious organization, the most notable exception is Queen’s Royal College (QRC) which was established by colonial authorities as an expressly secular school. This project hypothesized that these types of high schools give their alumni certain social and cultural capital not available to students at other secondary schools. 73 These schools initially served the children of the planter, colonial and merchant classes and were private. Working class and poor children had no access until the 1870s when a national examination, taken at the end of primary school, allowed the brightest, mostly male, students to obtain scholarships to attend these schools.

List of Prestige Schools

• Queen's Royal College, St. Clair

• Hillview College, Tunapuna
• Naparima College, San Fernando
• Naparima Girls' High School, San Fernando
• Saint Augustine Girls' High School, Saint Augustine
  • Providence Girls' Catholic (Belmont Circular)
  • Holy Cross College, Calvary Hill, Arima
  • Holy Faith Convent, Couva
  • Holy Faith Convent, Penal
  • Fatima College, Port of Spain
  • Holy Name Convent, Port of Spain
  • Holy Name Convent, Point Fortin
  • Presentation College, Chaguanas
  • Presentation College, San Fernando
  • St. Andrew's Academy, Chaguanas
  • St. Anthony's College, Westmoorings
  • St. Benedict's College, La Romaine, San Fernando
  • St. Francis College, Port of Spain
  • St. Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain
  • St. Joseph's Convent, St. Joseph
  • St. Joseph's Convent, San Fernando
  • St. Mary's College, Port of Spain
  • St. Joseph's College, St. Joseph
    • Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College
    • Vishnu Boys' Hindu College
    • Saraswati Girls' Hindu College
    • Shiva Boys' Hindu College
    • Parvati Girls' Hindu College

• Bishop Anstey High School, Port of Spain
• Trinity College, Moka, Maraval
• Trinity College East, Trincity
• Bishop Anstey High School East, Trincity

• ASJA Boys' College, San Fernando
• ASJA Girls' College, San Fernando
• ASJA Boys' College, Charlieville
• ASJA Girls' College, Charlieville
• ASJA Girls' College, Tunapuna
• ASJA Girls' College, Barrackpore

References

Prestige schools or prestige parents in TT (newsday.co.tt)

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