Zeeburg Secondary School is situated approximately twelve miles (nineteen kilometers) from Georgetown, Guyana?s capital city. It is a junior secondary school and caters for students between the ages of eleven and seventeen (Grades 7 through 11/Forms 1 to 5). Subjects come from several Departments including Arts, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Home Economics, Agricultural Science and Information Technology. Originally students were prepared for the GCE, but this was later changed to the CXC (CSEC) exams.

Located on the outskirts of Zeeburg, the school takes its name from that village and has a catchment area ranging from Vreed-en-Hoop in the East to Parika in the West. In its heyday, Zeeburg was known to attract students from as far as Georgetown (East) and the Essequibo Island (West). The school itself is pleasantly situated. To the East beyond its playground is the De Groete-en-Klyne and Ocean View, Uitvlugt housing schemes, to the South by Zeeburg Village, to the West by open privately owned lands and to the North by the Demerara River mouth/Atlantic Ocean and the famous sea-wall.

Established in 1963, Zeeburg opened its door to students in September of that year. Conditions were primitive. The school had twelve classrooms in two storeys, six above and six below. The Headmaster?s office was situated on the upper flat above the small staff-room with adjacent washrooms. Water was provided by an overhead tank connected by pipeline to the village supply and filled by means of a hand-operated pump. There was a limited amount of desks and benches, and lessons were taken by students sitting flat on the floor. Uncomfortable and demeaning as this might seem to be, it soon became a matter of pride for the students and something that they made much of to later, more comfortable seated, generations of Zeeburgians.

Starting virtually from scratch, therefore, Zeeburg took quite a few years and a number of Headmasters/Mistresses to bring itself into shape as a reasonably acceptable institution of learning much less the excellent junior secondary school it eventually turned out to be. The first in this line of Heads was Mr. Benjamin Agard; but after only two terms, when the school was now starting to get on its feet, he had to leave along with the other black teachers because of racial conflict that developed in our beloved country at that time. In his absence, Mr. Joseph Gopaul, the Deputy, had to assume control. Unfortunately, before he in turn could make his mark, he was forced to leave. He was later to become Deputy Headmaster at Queen?s College in Georgetown. Subsequent to his departure, Mrs. Leelawattie Singh, a Trinidadian native, married to a Guyanese was appointed Head.

It was during Mrs. Singh?s tenure in office that some members of staff of Meten-meer-zorg Primary School were attached to Zeeburg on a temporary basis. It was Mrs. Singh also who insisted on cultural activities being introduced and forming an integral part of the school?s curriculum and, as a result, students started appearing on stage to sing, recite poems and generally enjoy a break from academic work. Unfortunately, Mrs. Singh in her turn had to leave to return to her home island. The running of the school then devolved on Mr. Sasenarine Bholan, a devout Christian and well known for his excellent singing voice.

Shortly thereafter, Zeeburg was blessed by the appointment of Mr. Abdool Nasir, who proved to be an able and likeable administrator. It was during his term of office that the school motto was decided upon. ?Truth Our Watchword; Success Our Aim? was adopted at a special assembly by all students and teachers of the school. After spending a bare three months, Mr. Nasir had to go his way, much regretted by students and teachers alike.

His place was eventually taken by Mr. William Rambihar. It is to Mr. Rambihar?s credit that he did much to improve conditions at Zeeburg and to lay the foundations for Zeeburg to come in line with other leading secondary schools in the country. Under his administration, student record cards were introduced for the first time, the House System was begun, professional development sessions were started among staff, Speech Day was formalized, a P.T.A. was established and will play an important role in Zeeburg?s future when later revived.

After Mr. Rambihar?s departure, Mr. Shem Shadeen Ally came to Zeeburg. It was he who first proposed that an expansion programme and building project be undertaken. This will lead eventually to the construction of the new building (as it was known) by self-help. This project was spearheaded by the P.T.A. in cooperation with the Ministry of Cooperatives. It was proposed that this new building would house on its upper flat an auditorium with a stage, the auditorium doubling to house eight large classrooms; a library room and a Headmaster?s office. The lower flat was to be devoted to an industrial arts complex, a science laboratory and a Home Economics Department.

There was a flurry of fundraising activities to repay a debt to Toolsie Persaud Ltd which supplied all the building material on a pay later plan. The project lasted between three to five years and had its heroes and heroines: Industrial Arts teacher, Mr. Ganga Persaud, drafted the original design of the building; Mr. Loaknauth Sharma, P.T.A. president during this time was an indefatigable character, who would not take ?No? for an answer; Mr. Baljit Singh, who saw the project through its most critical stages, was an unflappable and likeable teacher who managed to weld a combination of students, parents, teachers and a technical team from the Coop Ministry into a vital work ? force that laboured harmoniously on the construction.

In my mind, the person who stands out as perhaps most reflective of spirit that prevailed on the project was one Mrs. Junor, grandmother of Dereck Junor (last heard of as an NIS Officer). This lady, a poor pensioner and widow deserves a medal in my humble opinion. The P.T.A had imposed a compulsory-voluntary annual donation of $25.00 (Guyana) on all parents with children attending Zeeburg. Mrs. Junor assured that she would pay hers, and she did ? one dollar at a time over a period of one year. When she did not have the fare from to travel from Stewartville to Zeeburg ? she walked.

Her sacrifice and the sacrifice of so many others was not in vain for Zeeburg had now almost doubled its original size and could now accommodate as many as seven hundred and fifty students and offer them a more varied curriculum.

Written by the late Rupert WK Gobin