D. S. Senanayake College
D. S. Senanayake College (Sinhala: ඩී.ඇස්.සේනානායක විද්යාලය டி.எஸ் சேனாநாயக்க கல்லூரி 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 with R. I. T. Alles as the founding principal,[1][2] and was named after the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, D. S. Senanayake.
| D. S. Senanayake College ඩී.ඇස්.සේනානායක විද්යාලයය | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Front entrance to the school | |
| Address | |
No 62, R. G. Senanayake Mawatha, Cinnamon Gardens , Western Province , 00700 | |
| Coordinates | 6°54′30″N 79°52′29″E |
| Information | |
| Other names |
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| School type | National school 1AB Government School |
| Motto | Sinhala: තමාට පෙර රට (Country Before Self) |
| Established | 10 February 1967 |
| School district | Colombo |
| Principal | Sampath Weragoda |
| Teaching staff | 284 |
| Grades | 1-13 |
| Gender | Male |
| Age range | 6 -19 |
| Enrolment | 6000 - 8000 |
| Language | |
| Hours in school day | 8:00 - 13:30 |
| Houses |
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| Colour(s) |
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| Song | "Sip Satha Sis Wetha" |
| Newspaper | Siyapatha |
| Website | dssenanayakecollege |
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 second-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]
As a resolution the Ministry of Education had taken a decision to increase the number of primary schools, to meet with the increasing demand of parents enrolling their children to Colombo schools. The secretary of the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, M. J. Perera, was assigned to find a suitable plot of land to start the new school. Accordingly, the empty plot of land situated down the Gregory's road normally "Kubi Kelle" adjoining Kinsy road was selected for the purpose with another land bounded the said premises which belonged to the Ministry of Defense and also was acquired building plans were prepared and implemented by the state engineering co - operation.
Alles who had been an assistant teacher at Royal College had been appointed as the principal of D. S. Senanayake College. He was helped by the principal of Royal College, B. Premarathne. The cadet platoon of the Royal College also cleaned the land holding a shramadana. Five assistant teachers and office equipment were donated by the Royal College.
Principals
| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| R. I. T. Alles | 1967 - 1982 |
| P. Samaranayake | 1982 - 1984 |
| S. M. A. J. A. Mayadunne | 1984 - 1989 |
| R. I. T. Alles | 1989 - 1992 |
| Somabandhu Kodikara | 1992 - 1995 |
| G. C. Adikari | 1995 - 1999 |
| Asoka Senani Hewage | 1999 - 2010 |
| D. M. D. Dissanayake | 2010 - 2016 |
| R. M. M. Rathnayake | 2016 - 2018 |
| Vacant | 2019 - 2020 |
| Prasanna Upashantha | 2020 - 2023 |
| Sampath Weragoda | 2023–present |
Hostel
The school has a hostel which provides accommodation to over 200 students. The hostel was opened in January 2003 by the Minister of Education, Karunasena Kodituwakku. The students were admitted to the hostel for the first time in February 2003.
Notable alumni
| Name | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|
| Asoka Abeygunawardana | electrical engineer, environmentalist and social activist | |
| Pubudu Dassanayake | international cricket player (1993–1994) | |
| Aravinda de Silva | international cricket player (1984–2003) | |
| Aloka Pathirana | Surgeon and academic | |
| Binura Fernando | international cricket player (2015–present) | |
| Priyanka Fernando | Major General, General Officer Commanding of the 58 Division (2020–present) | |
| Udaya Gammanpila | member of parliament – Colombo (2015–present) | |
| Jagath Gunawardena | Major General, Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army (2020–present) | |
| Kosala Kuruppuarachchi | international cricket player (1986–1987) | |
| Tuan Nizam Muthaliff † | Colonel, former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps (2004–2005) | |
| Naveed Nawaz | international cricket player (1998–2002) | |
| Lahiru Perera | singer, musician, music producer | |
| Udara Rathnayake | Western Provincial Councillor (2014–present) | |
| Asanka Shehan Semasinghe | member of parliament – Anuradhapura (2010–present) | [6] |
| Hashan Tillakaratne | international cricket player (1986–2004) | |
| Isuru Udana | international cricket player (2009–present) | |
| Prasanna Vithanage | filmmaker | |
| Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne | Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councillor (1988–1993), acting Diyawadana Nilame, Temple of the Tooth (1975–2005) | |
| Chathuranga Kodithuwakku | actor, model | [7] |
| Lahiru Mudalige | Presenter | |
| Pulasthi Gunaratne | Sri Lankan cricketer 2002 - 2003 |
References
- Shanika Perera (1 August 2010). "D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo - A leader in every way". Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- "D.S.Senanayake College OBA - dsscoba.com". D S Senanayake CollegeOld Boys' Association.
- "President renames Gregory's Road as R. G. Senanayake Mawatha". Daily News. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- 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.
- Sunalie Ratnayake (1 April 2006). "D.S. Senanayake College -unity in diversity". History. Tamil Week. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Shehan Semasinghe". www.parliament.lk. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- "Making a bitter experience to a success - Chathuranga Lakshan Kodithuwakku". Ceylon Daily. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
