D. S. Senanayake College

D. S. Senanayake College (Sinhala: ඩී.එස්.සේනානායක විද්‍යාලය D. S. Senanayaka Vidyalaya, also referred to as DS and DSSC) is a boys' primary and secondary national school in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It was established on 10 February 1967 under the stewardship of R. I. T. Alles,[1][2] and was named after the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, D. S. Senanayake.

Not to be confused with D. S. Senanayake Central College.

D. S. Senanayake College
ඩී.එස්.සේනානායක විදුහල
Front entrance to the school
Address
No 62, R. G. Senanayake Mawatha, Cinnamon Gardens

Colombo
,
Western Province

Sri Lanka
Coordinates6°54′30.1284″N 79°52′29.4024″E
Information
Other names
  • DS
  • DSSC
TypeNational school
MottoSinhala: තමාට පෙර රට
(Country Before Self)
Established10 February 1967 (1967-02-10)
FounderR. I. T. Alles
PrincipalPrasanna Upasantha
Grades1-13
GenderBoys
Language
Houses
  •   Shura
  •   Meththa
  •   Weera
  •   Shantha
Colour(s)Black and gold   
SongSip Satha Sis Wetha
PublicationSiyapatha
Websitedssenanayakecollege.lk

It provides education from Grades 1 to 13 in Sinhalese, Tamil and English language. It is the only muti-ethnic, trilingual school established in Sri Lanka in the post-independence era and the largest multi-ethnic school in the country. Its street name was formerly known as Gregory Road but was renamed to R. G. Senanayake Mawatha in 2013.[3]

History

In 1965, the number of requests to admit children into the Royal College Primary had become excessive. Thus the Minister of Education I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla took the initiative to build a new school in Cinnamon Gardens on the lines of Royal College, Colombo.[4] In 1967, Minister Iriyagolla began the ground work for establishing the school. It was named after D. S. Senanayake, who was the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) after gaining independence. R. I. T. Alles, an assistant principal at Royal College became the head teacher of the new school. The location in which the college stands today was at that time called the Kumbikale jungle.[5]

Coat of arms

The school's coat of arms is a shield which is partitioned into two parts. The upper section has the lion of the Sri Lankan flag and the lower section has an oil lamp. A wreath of paddy is partially encircling the shield and the motto "Country Before Self" is in a scroll. Some decades back, the crown of the Kandyan monarch which is depicted in the crest of Royal College, Colombo, was depicted in the school's crest as well.

Prefects

The prefects body is composed of Student Volunteers, Student Guides and Senior Prefects. The Student Volunteers are selected from Grade 12 and they go on to become Students Guides in Grade 13. After completing the GCE (Advanced Level) examination they are promoted to the Senior Prefects' Guild.

School anthem

The Sinhala version of the school anthem was composed by Navarathna Attanayake and the lyrics are by Premakeerthi de Alwis. The Tamil version of the school anthem was written by Sillayoor Selvarajah. The anthem is recited every morning on school days.

Houses

The school has a house system comprising four houses. Students are allocated to a house according to their admission number. They compete each year to win the Inter-house Competitions.

  •   – Shura (ශූර)
  •   – Meththa (මෙත්ත)
  •   – Weera (වීර)
  •   – Shantha (ශාන්ත)

Sports

Battle of the Golds

In 2007, the school started playing their annual cricket contest known as "Battle of the Golds" with Mahanama College, and is commonly referred to as the "Big Match". It has been a great pitch of introducing new cricketers to the Sri Lanka national cricket team over the era.

Facilities

Hostel

The school has a hostel which provides accommodation to over 200 students. The Government of Sri Lanka offered a building previously occupied by the Crime Investigation Bureau in 2003. After renovating the building the school hostel was opened in January 2003.

Notable alumni
NameNotabilityReferences
Asoka Abeygunawardanaelectrical engineer, environmentalist and social activist
Pubudu Dassanayakeinternational cricket player (1993–1994)
Aravinda de Silvainternational cricket player (1984–2003)
Binura Fernandointernational cricket player (2015–present)
Priyanka FernandoMajor General, General Officer Commanding of the 58 Division (2020–present)
Udaya Gammanpilamember of parliament – Colombo (2015–present)
Jagath GunawardenaMajor General, Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army (2020–present)
Kosala Kuruppuarachchiinternational cricket player (1986–1987)
Tuan Nizam Muthaliff  †Colonel, former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps (2004–2005)
Naveed Nawazinternational cricket player (1998–2002)
Lahiru Pererasinger, musician, music producer
Udara RathnayakeWestern Provincial Councillor (2014–present)
Asanka Shehan Semasinghemember of parliament – Anuradhapura (2010–present)[6]
Hashan Tillakaratneinternational cricket player (1986–2004)
Isuru Udanainternational cricket player (2009–present)
Prasanna Vithanagefilmmaker
Anuradha Dullewe WijeyeratneSabaragamuwa Provincial Councillor (1988–1993), acting Diyawadana Nilame, Temple of the Tooth (1975–2005)
Chathuranga Kodithuwakkuactor, model[7]

References
  1. Shanika Perera (1 August 2010). "D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo - A leader in every way". Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  2. D.S.Senanayake College OBA - D.S.Senanayake College OBA
  3. "President renames Gregory's Road as R. G. Senanayake Mawatha". Daily News. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  4. Bogoda Premaratne (4 October 2007). "Success story of an educator". Sri Lanka News | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  5. Sunalie Ratnayake (1 April 2006). "D.S. Senanayake College -unity in diversity". History. Tamil Week. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  6. "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Shehan Semasinghe". www.parliament.lk. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  7. "Making a bitter experience to a success - Chathuranga Lakshan Kodithuwakku". Ceylon Daily. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
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