In the years between the 1920s and early 1930s the missionary establishments in the southern
Indian subcontinent laid foundations for a school in Hyderabad run by the church to impart education to the masses. It was, however, during the years of the
partition and the formation of the nation of
Pakistan (1945–1948), Archilles Meersman, a parish priest, born to a
Dutch mother and a
Belgian father, at the Franciscan seminary at
Karachi, built the new school. With deeply rooted
Franciscan ideologies, Archilles named the school after the saint
Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. Although some suggest that the school was named after the
Rt. Rev. Bonaventure Patrick Pau], former bishop of Hyderabad. It was later given the status of a
high school after the partition and was formally called '''St Bonaventure's High School'''. The
Catholic Board of Education took charge of the development and running of the school and erected a church in the memory of Saint
Francis Xavier for his services in
Central Asia and
India. The church and the school buildings are regarded as cultural heritage monuments in Hyderabad. Formerly a
coeducational institution, the school was divided into two schools, one for boys and one for girls named
St Mary's Convent High School. Running under a Christian administration, the schools imparted education to upper and middle-class students until the 1970s when these were
nationalised and taken over by the
socialist government of
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. When in 1972, all privately owned institutions were nationalised under the
Government of Pakistan, most lost their quality and charm. The government administration failed to deliver quality education through these schools. It was not until 1992 that with the change of government the schools were denationalised and the rightful ownership was returned to the Roman Catholic diocese. Most Christian institutions in other parts of the nation were denationalised later on in June 2001.{{cite web |url=http://www.mail-archive.com/goanet@goacom.com/msg02415.html ==Qasimabad branch==