St Francis Xavier’s Kutama College is a Catholic co-educational Institution under the administration of the Marist Brothers. The Responsible Authority is the Bishop of the Diocese of Chinhoyi.

 

The College is one of the oldest secondary schools in Zimbabwe. It has a tremendous reputation and thousands of its former pupils are proud of having spent a few years here. The school has produced great leaders in politics, education, economic fields, religious circles etc. Their dedication, determination, discipline, vision, moral standing, hard work for their country and sense of belonging to the wider circle of the family, has contributed greatly to make Kutama College the envy of everyone.

 

Everyone loves the school because somebody left a tradition.A solid foundation laid down by its founders, a tradition of hard work and commitment. A tradition of working as a team, as one family. A family where there is selflessness by the administrators, teaching staff and ancillary staff, the student and his parents/guardians. To remain “The School”, the aspiring parent/guardian must become a positive participant, he/she must understand what the school stands for and must see the school as the child’s second home. As a second home, you must therefore give your best to make life meaningful for your child while at Kutama.

 

The present students must be conscious of the school’s tradition of hard work, dedication, loyalty and exemplary behavior. They must conduct themselves in a way that the former pupils will be able to say “Look, they have done better than we did!”

 

However, to understand and appreciate what Kutama is, a brief history is necessary.

The College was founded in 1913 as a Christian Centre. It was founded by Father John Loubiere, a Jesuit Roman Catholic Priest. On its inception, the thrust was evangelization. But a realization that apart from spiritual growth, the people needed educational development led Father Loubiere to start primary education. By 1926 the Jesuits had established a two year Teacher Training course for primary teachers. Father Jerome O’Hea came in 1931 and assisted in running Kutama Mission.

 

The Jesuit Priests found it taxing to combine pastoral work and running a school. Bishop A. Chichester invited the Marist Brothers to come to Kutama. In 1939 the first group of the Canadian Brothers led by Brother Patrick Luis arrived and took over the running of the educational segment of Kutama Mission. From then on, the mission started to develop in leaps and bounds.

 

The coming of Jerome O’Hea brought in a new dimension. A hospital was built to cater for the members of the community. This is why today we have Father O’Hea Memorial Hospital. So the missionaries were here to provide a holistic approach to helping the community – (spiritual, academic and health).

 

In 1946 the Junior Certificate course was introduced, in 1949, the first P .T .H (Higher Primary Teacher Training) course in the country was introduced and in 1950 the Matriculation course was established. In 1957 the Brothers introduced the Rhodesia Junior Certificate and “O” Level Cambridge courses. In 1985 Sixth Form studies took root at Kutama with a bias towards science subjects. During the years of giving education to Zimbabweans, the school produced politicians, industrialists, great economists, educationists, medical doctors and religious figures. The Brothers have indeed had an impact on the people.

During the War Of Liberation, the school temporarily moved to Harare – Westwood – 1978-1979. It reopened in 1980.