Guagua National Colleges 5.24

Guagua National Colleges often called GNC is a private, non-sectarian Catholic school in Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines. It offers primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Guagua National Colleges founded by Fr. Nicanor M. Banzali, former parish priest of Guagua, Pampanga.HistoryThe Early YearsIn 1918 Fr. Banzali conceived the idea of founding a Catholic educational institution. Then, only one elementary school existed in each town. Accordingly, with the encouragement and approval of Michael O'Doherty, Archbishop of Manila and the generous cooperation and support of handful of civic-spirited residents of the town, the Guagua National Institute started to operate on June 18, 1918, with the opening of classes in the primary grades. Classes were held at the old Guagua Catholic Convent.Before the school year 1918–1919 came to a close, the Secretary of Public Instruction, Charles E. Yeater, authorized the school to offer the complete elementary course with an average size of 35 pupils in each grade. Mrs. Feliza D. Goseco was installed as its first Elementary School Principal.During the school year 1919–1920, the high school department was opened with 32 students enrolled in the first year. The following year, there were 16 students enrolled in the second year. In 1922, the third year class had four students and, as expected, the opening of the fourth year class was deferred for the following year because only three students actually enrolled. In 1924, the fourth year class was opened with nine students.The Guagua National Institute was granted government recognition by the E. A. Gilmore, the Secretary of Public Education, on March 17, 1925 to offer complete secondary course.In 1932, following the transfer of Father Banzali to a new parish in Arayat, the school moved from the premises of the Guagua Catholic church to a temporary site, a residential house in barrio San Roque. However, due to the inadequacies of the place to meet the rigid requirements for schools, the Guagua National Institute had to be transferred to a bigger site in front of the national road in San Nicolas. On February 16, 1942, the three buildings were razed to the ground by a fire that enveloped important sections of the town of Guagua. A steady increase in its enrolment, both in the elementary and in the high school department, made it imperative to build two additional buildings. Between 1942 and 1946, classes were interrupted by World War II.