Piliyandala Central College
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, with about 3,700 students enrolled.[1]
| Central College Piliyandala පිලියන්දල මධ්ය මහා විද්යාලය பிலியன்தல மத்திய வித்தியாலயம் | |
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| Location | |
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| Coordinates | 6°47′59″N 79°55′15″E |
| Information | |
| Other names | PCC |
| Type | National |
| Motto | Bodetha pabodetha dametha "බොධෙථ පබොධෙථ දමෙථ " Awareness Enlightenment Discipline |
| Established | 1887 |
| Founder | Mampe Saranapala Thero |
| Principal | D. P. Udawaththage |
| Staff | 200+ |
| Grades | Class 6 - 13 |
| Gender | Mix |
| Age | 11 to 19 |
| Enrollment | 3630 |
| Language | Sinhala, English |
| Colour(s) | Dark blue, gold and maroon |
| Song | සිරිබර මැදි විදුහල් මාතා ("Beautiful Mother Central College") |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Former pupils | Old Centralions |
| Website | www |
As a national school, it is funded by the government. Students of the college are known as Centralions and past pupils are known as Old Centralions. The school has produced many notable alumni.
College
Location
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). "Udyana Mawatha" connects Piliyandala to the school entrance gate directly. The school is bordered by buildings from the Moratuwa-Piliyandala road to the north, School Lane to the east, and Wanigasooriya Mawatha to the west and south.
Administration
The college is funded by the Ministry of Education, which also appoints its principal. The principal is the head of the administration of the college and is assisted by the deputy principal. The college is divided into two main parts, which are the middle and high schools, each coming under the supervision of the assistant principals. The college educates around 3,700 students. A prefectorial monitoring system is used to maintain discipline among the students.
Since its establishment, the main medium of education had been Sinhalese. In 2009, English was introduced as a medium of education for the main subjects at the college. Students may select one of the two languages in which to conduct their studies in the main subjects.
Admission
Admission to the college is among the most competitive outside the Colombo city area in the Colombo district.[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 are also entered to grade 12 via the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination.
Grounds
The college sits on 48,000 m2 (520,000 sq ft) of land and its facilities include lecture halls, science and ICT laboratories, an auditorium, a swimming pool complex and a cricket ground. Sport plays a significant part in the college.
History
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The school was first established in 1887 as the Mampe Piyarathanasara Buddhist Mix School. As time went by, the school gained so many students that Rev. Mampe Saranapala Thero decided to hand over the school to the Buddhist Theosophical Society for a more organised administration. They bought new land for the school but because of the rapid growth of the number of students, society failed to maintain the school and eventually the school was handed to the government.
In 1920, as a part of a program of the British agent of western province Mr Praiser, 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.
From 1920 to 1944, C. W. W. Kannangara reunited both schools and together formed Piliyandala Central College on 4 January 1944, which later on 4 March that year was converted into a Central College.
College Traditions
The College Motto
The college motto is 'Bodhetha Pabodhetha Dametha' which means 'Awareness Enlighten and Discipline' in the Pali language. These three principles are heavily followed by the Centralions. The Motto is also represented in the college flag.
Buddhism
The college has a strong bond with Buddhism as a result of being one of the first Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka.
Sports
Central College Piliyandala has a massive variety of sports when it comes to being the First National Sports School in Sri Lanka. The annual cricket match also known as the Big Match is an important part of school sports which is known as the Battle of the Salpiti-Raigam as it is a rivalry match with Taxila Central College, Horana.
The Battle of the Salpiti-Raigam
The 'Battle of the Salpiti-Raigam', is an annual cricket rivalry match between Central College Piliyandala and Taxila Central College Horana. This annual match is one of the most popular school big matches played outside the Colombo city area which has been played for 19 years since 2001. The big match was played for 2 days and a limited-overs match (50 overs) was also played usually in De Zoysa International Cricket Stadium, Moratuwa. Throughout the 20 years of match history, 16 matches have been drawn, Piliyandala Central College has won 3 times against Taxila Central College, Horana's none and a match ended without a result.
Houses
Each student is assigned to one of the four houses which are named after ancient Sinhala kings of Sri Lanka: Gemunu, Wijaya, Parakrama and Thissa.
Piliyandala Central and other schools
Piliyandala Central College maintains a 2-decade old rivalry with Taxila Central College, Horana as well as close ties with Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa in the educational sector.
Although there are several schools in the Colombo district which are Central Colleges, Piliyandala Central College is the first Central College and the most popular Central College in the Colombo district.
References
- "About Us". Piliyandala Central College. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- "Cutoff Marks for the Admission to Grade 6 in Popular Schools".