[2] Salisbury Polytechnic was established in 1919 by George Challoner, credited as the "father" of technical education in Rhodesia, started mechanical engineering classes for a small group of young white men.
Classes were held in various schools and halls until an official Polytechnic campus was established just before the Second World War on the site between Fourth and Fifth Streets in Harare, Zimbabwe.
[3] The government sponsored a two-year diploma in fields as varied as engineering and town planning, with many students going on to study at institutions in the United Kingdom before returning to service the booming economy.
[5] Harare Polytechnic's goal is to be one of the regions leading hubs of intellectual excellence in scientific, technical, vocational engineering, and technological education in preparing students for the growing knowledge economy.
[6] Another challenge has been Zimbabwe's economic crisis, which has led to decreased funding for education, and made it more difficult to retain faculty and students, many of whom chose to go to university abroad, often emigrating entirely.
Despite, this Harare Polytechnic has fared better than the University of Zimbabwe, which is often plagued by teacher and student strikes, intermittent closing and an overall decline in standards.