St. John's College

St. John's College is an independent, day high school for boys aged 12–18 in Borrowdale, a suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe. The school, established in 1986, is owned and governed by the St John's Educational Trust, as is St. John's Preparatory School. St John's College was ranked as one of the Top 10 High Schools in Zimbabwe in 2014. St John's College is a member of the Association of Trust Schools (ATS) and the International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC). The Headmaster is a member of the Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ). History Brian Igoe, a parent and Governor of St. John's Preparatory School, first raised the idea of another private secondary school in the mid-1970s. It could not be pursued due to constraints arising from the prevailing struggle for independence. In 1981, Scot Honey and David Ellman-Brown revived the proposal. There was an overwhelming positive response and by February 1982 the first informal discussions took place with the Ministry of Education. Scot Honey was appointed Chairman of a sub committee charged with overseeing the development of the proposed college. Colin Broadbent, Anthony de la Rue, Stuart Perry and David Zamchiya came on board and set about finding a suitable site. A location informally referred to as the 'maize patch' was preferable but it had been zoned out as a government primary school. The permission for the re-zoning of the land was granted and a donation of land was made by a local firm. By January 1983, a formal application to establish the college was made to the Ministry of Education. David Zamchiya played a crucial role in sensitive discussions, affirming Government's policy on racial equality and social justice.