Kamuzu Academy
Private boarding school in Malawi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kamuzu Academy is a private boarding school in Kasungu, Malawi, founded by and named after Hastings Kamuzu Banda, the former President of Malawi.[1] Latin and Greek are compulsory subjects, and the school follows the Cambridge IGCSE and A-level curriculum.[2] The school has been described as "The Eton of Africa".[3]
(Honour to God and Country)
| Kamuzu Academy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 13.030455°S 33.686464°E |
| Information | |
| School type | Private boarding school |
| Motto | Honor Deo et Patriae (Honour to God and Country) |
| Established | 21 November 1981 |
| Founder | Hastings Banda |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Language | English |
| Nickname | The Eton of Africa |
| Website | www |
History
Founding
The school was officially founded on 21 November 1981, although students had already been attending classes for a month before the opening ceremony.[4] Banda's stated aim was to provide a classical education modelled on British boarding schools.[5] At its opening, the school's estimated construction cost was US$40 million; facilities included an Olympic-size swimming pool, a golf course, piano instruction, and a library modelled on the Library of Congress.[2]
The original intake selected two boys and one girl from each district in Malawi on the basis of academic merit, with no fees charged.[5][2] Banda said of the school: "This place is for classical education, Greek, Latin, particularly Latin. I want that to be clearly understood by everybody. If you don't like Latin, don't come here."[6]
In 1987, it was the subject of a BBC documentary entitled "The Eton of Africa", presented by John Rae.[7]
Post-1994 crisis and recovery
When Banda was removed from power in 1994, state funding ceased. Electricity was cut, staff went unpaid for four months, and teachers and pupils left in large numbers.[5][2] Frank Cooke, a history teacher who had joined the staff in 1982, was appointed headmaster in 1997 and spent a decade rebuilding the school.[5] The school became fee-paying, charging US$5,500 per pupil per year by 2005.[2]
By 2005, enrolment stood at 390 pupils aged 11 to 19, with girls in a slight majority. The school employed 38 teachers (20 British, 17 Malawian, and one from New Zealand) and some 450 support staff.[2] In 2005, Cooke was awarded an MBE for services to education.[5] The 2006 A-level cohort achieved a 100% pass rate.[5]
From January 2007, the school reinstated bursaries, offering two pupils from each of Malawi's 66 poorest regions a place, restoring Banda's original meritocratic selection model.[5]
Recent history
In November 2021, the school celebrated its 40th anniversary at Mtunthama, Kasungu. President Lazarus Chakwera addressed students at the event.[8]
