Hillcrest College

Hillcrest College was founded with the intention of providing for the community a high standard, low fee, broad based secondary school education in an atmosphere conducive to harmony and understanding between the different ethnic groups. The college is a non-racial, Christian and co-educational institution. The venture had one object in mind; that is, to supply an educational establishment for children of Manicaland that offers an education for them that is as good as can be obtained anywhere. The College was conceived as a community project involving a great many people and businesses in Mutare. After having established a company called Hillcrest Schools (Pvt) Ltd, which had successfully established the Preparatory school in 1983, the company turned its focus towards construction of the college. Plans for the first 6 classroom block of timber were submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval in October 1984 and the costly work of laying electrical and other services to the undeveloped land of twelve hectares commenced. After overcoming initial bureaucracy, shortages and discomforts, in January 1985, the College opened its doors as an 'Upper Top', a Rural Day Secondary School. The college started with two classes of twenty-five Form 1 pupils.