St. Joseph's College, Anuradhapura
| St Joseph's College | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Bulankulama Dissa Mawatha, Anuradhapura | |
| Coordinates | 8°19′21″N 80°24′44″E / 8.3226026°N 80.4123085°ECoordinates: 8°19′21″N 80°24′44″E / 8.3226026°N 80.4123085°E ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ |
| Information | |
| Type | Government |
| Motto | Duty First |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 19 March 1898 |
| Principal | R. K. S. Katugampala[1] |
| Staff | 168 |
| Grades | 1 to 13 Local Syllabus |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age | 5 to 19 |
| Color(s) | Maroon / Gold |
| Website | http://www.sjc.lk/ |
St Joseph's College is a Catholic secondary school located in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is currently the only Government boys’ college in the North Central Province, Sri Lanka.
History[edit]
In 1874 Dr. Bonjune established English language classes in Anuradhapura. In 1898 the Bishop of Jaffna, Henri Joulain, registered the school as a government English school, which was called St. Joseph’s College. The school was named after the local Catholic church in Anuradhapura, St. Joseph’s.[2][3]The school was however not restricted to Christians, and was open to children with other religious backgrounds to attend.[4]
In 1873 the government established the North Central Province by combining the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Districts, making Anuradhapura the capital of the newly created province. At that time there were no English schools in this area, despite English being essential for the administration of the new province, as result individuals such as Dr. Bonjune taught English to the local children, by accompanied by teachers from Jaffna.
St. Joseph’s College was originally situated in the old town of Anuradhapura but was moved to the new town of Anuradhapura due to cultural and religious sensitivities. In 1914, the school became a boys school, but before that, it was mixed. The girls of St. Joseph’s College separated from Holy Family Convent (currently Swarnapali Balika Vidyalaya). St. Joseph’s College is also a leading national school in the city now.
At the beginning, the college had only three teachers and fifty students. In 1920 there were 127 students, in 1940 there were 350 students and in 1968 there were 450 students.[5] Today there are over 3,500 students and over 150 staff members.
From 1898 to 1936 only J.S.C. classes were held in the school. In 1936, the college had the capability to present students for E.S.L.C. In 1940, it was begun S.S.C. classes in all three languages. It was the only school in North Central Province with that capability.
In 1957 the alumni of the college planned to install a statue of Fr. Maurice Legoc, a former rector at the school (1919-1940), at a prominent nearby roundabout. A pedestal was constructed and the night before the statue was to be installed Buddhist activists placed a small statue of Buddha there. Under Sri Lankan law once a such a statue has been installed legally it cannot be removed. The alumni filed a court case but were ultimately unsuccessful and the statue of Buddha remains on that pedestal.[6]
In 1968, the college became a government school,[7] up until then the college was controlled by the Catholic Church. The head of the college, Rev. Joseph G. Jayasuriya became the first principal of the college. At that time Fr. Marsalin Jayakody wrote present College anthem in Sinhala.
At that time the college became a Sinhala school. Therefore, Tamil students were attached to Vivekananda Vidyalaya and Sahira Vidyalaya. In 1972, the college established as Grade 1AB school. Rogesan Stanislaus was the longest-serving principal, and was in charge of the college for 34 years (1968 – 1987).[8] In 2017 the government opened a reverse osmosis plant at the school.[9]
Past Principals of the School[10][edit]
- Rev.Fr.Paul Matthew Francis (1898-1900)
- Rev.Fr.Joseph Alphonsus ( 1900 – 1903 )
- Rev.Fr.Charles.S.Asirawatham ( 1908 )
- Rev.Fr.I.B.Gregory ( 1909 – 1912 )
- Rev.Fr.J.Hillary ( 1914 – 1926 )
- Rev.Fr.Charles Nawarathnam ( 1926 – 1928 )
- Rev.Fr.Rathnaswami Tarcisius ( 1930 – 1932 )
- Rev.Fr.M.Joseph Nicolas ( 1932 – 1938 )
- Fr.G.T.Balasundaram ( 1939 – 1940 )
- Rev.Dr.B.Deogpilli ( 1946 – 1951 )
- Rev.Dr.P.A.J.B.Antoninus ( 1952 )
- Rev.Fr.Francis.J.Staninless ( 1953 – 1957 )
- Rev.Fr.T.A.Mathuranayagam ( 1957 – 1965 )
- Rev. M. J. Mariampillai ( 1959 )
- Rev. Alfred ( 1961 )
- Rev. Joseph G. Jayasuriya (1965 – 1968)
- Rogesan Stanislus (1968 – 1987)[8]
- S. B. Illangasinghe (1988 – 1993)
- T. K. B. Ralapanawa (1993 )
- R. M. Upali Rathnayeka (2000 – 2004)
- G. B. S. Weerawickrama (2004 - 2010)
- R. K. S. Katugampala[1]
Sporting competitions[edit]
St. Joseph's compete in an annual cricket competition, 'The Battle of the legends', against Anuradhapura Central College.
Notable alumni[edit]
- Maithripala Senanayake - Member of parliament - Medawachchiya (1947-1989)[11]
- Sirimevan Ranasinghe - Vice Admiral, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy (2017-present)[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Navy Commander welcomed at his alma mater". Independent Television Network News. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ↑ Clinton, J. B. (1976). "The Catholic Directory of Sri Lanka, [1975-1976]". Anandappa/Catholic Church: 340.
- ↑ Martyn, John H. (1923). Notes on Jaffna. Asian Educational Services. p. 117. ISBN 9788120616707. Search this book on
- ↑ Jeganathan, Karthigasoo (2005). Memories are for Ever: An Autobiography. Ulaga Thamizhar Pathippakam. p. 273. Search this book on
- ↑ Ferguson, Alistair MacKenzie (1968). Ferguson's Ceylon Directory - Vol. 110-112. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 1239. Search this book on
- ↑ Pinto, Leonard (2015). Being a Christian in Sri Lanka: Historical, Political, Social, and Religious Considerations. Balboa Press. ISBN 9781452528625. Search this book on
- ↑ Ferguson, Alistair MacKenzie (1968). Ferguson's Ceylon Directory, Volumes 110-112. p. 1239. Search this book on
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Respected teacher of Anuradhapura". The Sunday Leader. 5 February 2006.
- ↑ "RO plant opened at St. Joseph's College, Anuradhapura". News.lk. 26 January 2017.
- ↑ "St.Joseph's College - Anuradhapura". Sjcapura.sch.lk. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ↑ "Maithripala Senanayake: Exceptional man". Daily News. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ↑ "Commander of the Navy - Vice Admiral SS Ranasinghe". Sri Lanka Navy. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
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