Piliyandala Central College

Coordinates: 6°47′59″N 79°55′15″E / 6.79972°N 79.92083°E / 6.79972; 79.92083
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Central College Piliyandala
පිලියන්දල මධ්‍ය මහා විද්‍යාලය
பிலியன்தல மத்திய வித்தியாலயம்
Location
Map

Coordinates6°47′59″N 79°55′15″E / 6.79972°N 79.92083°E / 6.79972; 79.92083
Information
Other namesPCC
TypeNational
MottoBodetha pabodetha dametha
"බොධෙථ පබොධෙථ දමෙථ "
Awareness Enlightenment Discipline
Established1887 (135 years ago)
FounderMampe Saranapala Thero
PrincipalD. P. Udawaththage
Staff200+
GradesClass 6 - 13
GenderMix
Age11 to 19
Enrollment4000
LanguageSinhala, English
Colour(s)Dark blue, gold and maroon    
Songසිරිබර මැදි විදුහල් මාතා ("Beautiful Mother Central College")
Anthem Of Piliyandala Central College
AffiliationBuddhism
Former pupilsOld Centralions
Websitewww.piliyandalacentral.edu.lk

Piliyandala Central College (Sinhala: පිලියන්දල මධ්‍ය මහා විද්‍යාලය; Tamil: பிலியன்தல மத்திய வித்தியாலயம்) is a selective entry mixed-gender school located in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka. It was the first government-run mixed-gender secondary school in the country.[1]

The College Flag

The school has an enrollment of around 4000+ students. College students are known as Centralions and past pupils are known as Old Centralions.

History[edit]

The school was first established in 1887 as the Mampe Piyarathanasara Buddhist Mix School, one of the first Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka. As the school grew, Rev. Mampe Saranapala Thero handed over the school to the Buddhist Theosophical Society for better administration. The society bought new land for the school but, due to the rapid increase in the number of students, was unable to maintain it and eventually handed it over to the government.

In 1920, as a part of a program of one British agent of the western province, Piliyandala got a Public English Medium Mix School. The headmaster of this school was S. W. Sahabandu, and the two schools (the public English medium mix school and the Sinhalese medium mix school) were divided by a building that was shaped like a bird.[clarification needed]

From 1920 to 1944, C. W. W. Kannangara reunited both schools and together formed Piliyandala Central College on the 4th of January 1944, which, later that year, on March 4th, was converted into a Central College.

Administration[edit]

The Ministry of Education funds the college and appoints its principal. The principal is the head of the college administration and is assisted by a deputy principal. The college is divided into two portions of students, the middle and high schools, each coming under the supervision of an assistant principal. The college educates around 3,700 students.

Since its establishment, the main language of education has been Sinhalese. In 2009, English was introduced as an optional language of education for the main subjects at the college. Students may select one of the two languages to conduct their studies in.

Admission[edit]

Admission to the college is among the most competitive outside the Colombo city metro area.[2] It gets its highest number of applications for admission to grade 6 via the grade 5 scholarship examination. A number of students from all over the area also entered to grade 12 via the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination.

Campus[edit]

The school is mostly located in Piliyandala but also spreads towards Suwariyapola, occupying a total land area of about 48,000 m2 (520,000 sq ft). The facilities include lecture halls, science and ICT laboratories, an auditorium, a swimming pool complex and a cricket ground.

Sports[edit]

An annual cricket match between Central College Piliyandala and its rival, the Taxila Central College in Horana, known as the Battle of the Salpiti-Raigam, has been held since 2001.

Houses[edit]

Each student is assigned to one of four houses named after ancient Sinhala kings of Sri Lanka: Gemunu, Wijaya, Parakrama and Thissa.

Wijaya House winning moment of the inter-house school sports meet 2020

Clubs[edit]

Prefect Club

Members of the Perfect Club build on their teamwork and communication skills while working with different age groups, taking the initiative to propose new ideas to help to improve the school.

Aesthetic Club

It pertains to the study of the mind and pure emotions about the sense of beauty and intellectualism. It presents programs of a literary, artistic, musical, and timely trend to assist in educational uplift, and to bring its members together for social enjoyment.

The College Playground
Hon. Mr. C.W.W. Kannangara

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ edu.lk "About Us". Piliyandala Central College. Retrieved 15 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  2. ^ "Cutoff Marks for the Admission to Grade 6 in Popular Schools".

External links[edit]