Our History

History of Bishop Shanahan College Orlu

Bishop Shanahan College (BSC) Orlu named after Bishop Shanahan (1871-1943), is a missionary boys’ secondary school established in 1949 by the Holy Ghost Fathers. It started at a temporary campus within the Bishop Shanahan Teachers College in Orlu before relocating to its permanent and present site. The first Principal was Rev Fr M. Frowley. In 1950, the school was transferred to the Marist Brothers to manage in accordance with the interest of the founders in promoting education, supporting the less privileged, and propagating the good news of the gospel, especially the Catholic faith. The motto of the school is ‘DUC IN ALTUM’ which is a Latin phrase meaning ‘Aim at the Highest’. 

The school curriculum was oriented toward liberal arts and sciences; and in 1953, architectural and engineering technical drawing and woodwork were introduced. The school started with: i) a one-storey building that housed classrooms, offices, and a Chemistry laboratory; ii) Physics and Biology laboratories; iii) another one-storey building that housed technical workshops, the school chapel, and classrooms; iv) six staff quarters; v) three dormitory blocks for students, and vi) one refectory. Other structures were later erected to accommodate the growing students and staff population.

Bishop Joseph Shanahan

Impact

The pioneer students took the University of Cambridge General Certificate of Education in 1953, and the 1954 to 1955 sets took the University of Oxford General Certificate of Education with 100% success. Subsequently, the students took the West African Examination Council examinations.

BSC was one of the four prestigious schools in the then Eastern Nigeria based on its quality of education and moral values. The other schools were Christ the King College Onitsha, Stella Maris College Port Harcourt, and Holy Ghost College Owerri. BSC has since remained academically competitive.

Leadership

Recently, the school was returned to the Church and under the management of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu. With this change came an impressive outreach to the Old Boys and friends of BSC to help strengthen and rebuild the school. The current Principal, Rev Fr. Dr. Justin Odurukwe, has been at the forefront of this outreach which has touched several Old Boys at home and in the Diaspora as well as friends of BSC. His efforts have already galvanized and yielded significant support from individual Old Boys, Old Boys Associations, class sets, and non-Old Boys philanthropists.

The names of the principals who served in the school in succession are as follows: