Against a global cultural backdrop where involuntary celibate (incel) communities are growing rapidly, where gendered norms still pressure women and girls to dim their own accomplishments to lift up men, and where far too many men derive their sense of power from putting women down, single-sex girls’ schools like Girls’ High School (GHS) are far more than a nice-to-have — they are a critical necessity for nurturing the next generation of female leaders.
This defense comes in response to a recent opinion piece that criticized GHS as an institution that produces “high-maintenance girls” and relies excessively on constant fundraising. Let’s break down why that critique misses the full picture of what GHS actually delivers for its students and the broader community.
Critics point to GHS’s frequent, often aggressive fundraising campaigns as evidence of unnecessary extravagance. But what these critics fail to acknowledge is that every dollar raised goes toward tangible, impactful opportunities for students that go far beyond the basic education funded by the government. Unlike the outdated narrative that frames girls’ school participation as little more than attending sports day parades and wearing themed spirit wear once a term, GHS offers a vast portfolio of enrichment programs that shape well-rounded, capable young women: from science research clubs and cultural preservation initiatives to community gardening projects, student-led leadership organizations, international exchange programs, and local community development projects. Most recently, a cohort of GHS students completed a transformative cultural exchange program in St. Kitts and Nevis — an experience that broadened their global perspective but would have been impossible without additional funding.
None of these opportunities materialize on their own. The annual baseline funding provided by the Ministry of Education only covers core operational costs, leaving no room for the extra programs and student support that make GHS stand out. That is why fundraising is not a choice for the school — it is a requirement to deliver on its mission.
In an interview with current GHS Headmistress Latoya Deroche-John, I learned of even more unseen, impactful work that fundraising makes possible, work that the public rarely hears about. Through the school’s Student Life initiative, funds raised go directly to supporting low-income, underprivileged students by covering basic essentials that many families struggle to afford: daily school breakfasts, prescription eyeglasses, school uniforms, and blouses. This quiet, consistent support is part of GHS’s everyday operation, a commitment to leaving no girl behind that many other schools across the region do not prioritize.
Deroche-John also clarified a key policy shift that many outside of school administration do not understand. In the past, schools could access targeted project funding through a system called “the vote”, which allowed institutions to lobby for additional allocations for specific programs. That system is no longer in place, leaving schools to rely on their own resource generation to expand beyond core services. The Ministry of Education’s current annual school budget is modest at best: it covers only basic necessities and minimal operational support, falling far short of what is needed to sustain enrichment programs, maintain campus facilities, and meet the diverse everyday needs of the student body.
This context makes clear: when GHS students, parents, and alumni are constantly organizing fundraisers, it is not because the school is frivolous or unnecessarily high-maintenance. It is because delivering excellence requires investment. Holistic student development costs money. Life-changing cultural exchanges cost money. Extracurricular clubs that build new skills cost money. Feeding food-insecure students costs money. Providing a low-income student with the eyeglasses they need to clearly see the whiteboard and keep up with their studies costs money.
Critics did raise one fair, legitimate concern: what happens to girls from low-income families who cannot afford to contribute to these fundraising efforts? The good news is that GHS has long centered equity as a core value, operating under the principle that excellence should never be a privilege reserved only for wealthy students.
From my own time as a GHS student, I can attest to this commitment. Students were encouraged to contribute what they could, even if it was just one dollar a day. Older students, alumnae, and community donors regularly step in to cover gaps for students who cannot contribute. If a student shows a willingness to participate and grow, the school finds a way to make that happen — no one is excluded because their family cannot pay.
That is because GHS’s core expectation has never been just that students show up to class. The expectation is that every girl will achieve excellence. Under Deroche-John’s leadership, students are taught that they are not just learners — they are future stewards of society, called to lead, to outperform, and to claim space in fields that have long been dominated by men.
And GHS’s track record speaks for itself. Alumnae of the school have gone on to hold roles as politicians, journalists, diplomats, doctors, nurses, small business owners, public servants, and leaders across every sector of society. GHS does not just teach students to pass exams — it emboldens young women to reject the cultural pressure to shrink themselves, to stand tall in a world that still too often tries to diminish women.
So to the critics who call us high-maintenance: we own that label, and we are proud of it. At GHS, we teach girls to expect respect, expect dignity, expect excellence, and to believe they deserve the very best that life has to offer. And every single dollar raised to make that mission possible is more than worth it.