Queen Elizabeth College, Mauritius
Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) is a girls secondary school in Mauritius. It accommodates girls and boys of 11 to 18 years based on their performance at the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) examinations. The school prepares its students for the National Assessment at Form III, awarding the Form III Certificate; O Level examinations, awarding the School Certificate; and the A Level examinations, awarding the Higher School Certificate. The school is well known for having produced many female leaders at the national level as well as at the international level. The graduates have become female scholars, professionals , scientists, leaders and politicians amongst others. History. Founded in 1950, the QEC was under the rectorship of Maya Balgobin. She renamed classes to be named after precious stones and gems instead of the traditional 'A, B, C, D', namely, Beryl, Garnet, Jade, and Onyx (later Pearl and Amber were added). She also changed the school badge to a metal material with a crown representation on it with the permission of Buckingham Palace. The school was named after Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in 1952 and hosted a visit from Her Majesty in the 1970s. In 2002, QEC celebrated its 50th  anniversary. The four sports houses of the QEC have been named after female personalities in history, namely Pankhurst, Nightingale, Curie and Fry. QEC has been Mauritius's leading girls school since its launch despite fierce competition from other secondary schools. It also boasts the greatest number of students with aggregate 6 in the whole island each year.