School History
Government Secondary School, Minna, was established on the 23rd January, 1965 as Fatima Co-educational Secondary School. She was first school to provide Secondary Education for girls in the Niger Province.
It started life in the premises of the St. Louis Boarding Primary School Bosso Road, Minna.
Her first set of students were twenty-one (21) boys and eleven (11) girls. And the first staff members were:
Sr. Jane Vereker (Cert. Ed., Dip Ed.) – Principal;
Rev. Michael Mc Namara (BSc Maths);
Rev. Noel Cleary (B.A Phil/Eng)
A second set of students consisting sixteen (16) girls and seventeen (17) boys were admitted in 1966 and in 1967 a double stream of students were admitted totalling seventy-four (74) students of thirty-seven (37) boys and thirty-seven (37) girls.
From the onset of the school, girls were accommodated in the former hostel of the St. Louis Boarding Primary School, while boys came from their homes or stayed in a rented accommodation around the school.
In 1967 a major building programme commenced, and the Chemistry Laboratory, and the two blocks housing all arms of Senior Secondary Classes II and III were the first buildings on the site.
Rev. Fr. J. D. O’Connell assumed duties as principal of Fatima on May 24, 1967.
In July 1968 (10th -13th), an inspection team led by Alh. Shick Ahmed Lemu visited the school for three (3) days and following their satisfactory assessment the school was formally recognised to present students for the WAEC examinations.
The school was complimented by the visiting team for the quality of staff which included:
Rev. Fr. J. D. O’Connell (B.A Phil/Classic)
Sr. Emilian Corvin (B.A French/Mathematics)
Rev. Paul Hardy (BSC. Biology)
Rev. Devis A. Rourke (BSc. Chemistry)
Rev. John Carroll (Bsc. Physics)
Mr. Emmanuel Penda (GR I)
Mr. Joseph Adeoye (HSC)
Miss Authonia Berde (GR II)
Mr. Jacob Kolo (HSC)
Mr. C. Bello (HSC)
