Sir John Kothalawala College
Sir John Kothalawala College (Sir John Kothalawala Maha Vidyalaya) is a public college in the city of Kurunegala, Sri Lanka.[1] It was established on 16 January 1974 and was formerly known as Bandaranayake Vidyalaya.[2]
Sir John Kothalawala College ශ්රීමත් ජෝන් කොතලාවල විද්යාලය | |
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Address | |
Dambulla Road Kurunegala , , , 60000 | |
Coordinates | 7°29′40″N 80°22′08″E |
Information | |
Type | Government School |
Motto | Vidya Sarvashya Bhushanam (විද්යා සර්වශ්ය භූෂණම්)[උගත් කම සෑමකල්හිම ආභාරණයයි] (Knowledge is the jewel of all time) |
Founded | 14 February 1974 |
School district | Kurunegala Education Zone |
Authority | Ministry of Education |
Principal | D. W. D. Dehipagoda |
Grades | Class 1–13 |
Gender | Mixed |
Age range | 6–19 |
Enrollment | 6,000+ |
Language | English and Sinhalese |
Houses | Vijaya, Gemunu, Thissa, Perakum |
Colour(s) | Blue, red, green and yellow |
Nickname | JOHNZ |
Website | http://www.kothalawala.sch.lk |
History
Sir John Kothalawala College opened on 16 January 1974 in the palace of Bishop Lakdasa De Mel. At that time, the bishop's palace was used for classrooms. The college was initially known as Bandaranayake Vidyalaya and was under the sponsorship of Piyadasa Wijesinghe, a former member of parliament. The objective in the establishment of the school was to provide more opportunities for youth from rural communities, away from overcrowded and competitive popular schools. The college opened with six teachers and fourteen students. With 175 teachers and 4600 students, it is the largest school in North Western Province.[3]
School Flag
The school flag is mainly coloured green, the official colour of the school. The school crest is at the bottom of the flag. There are four coloured strips, in the colours of the four school houses, at the hoist of the flag.[4][5]
Principals
Name | Entered Office | Departed Office |
---|---|---|
H. M. Premarathne Hitinayake | 6 January 1974 |
8 October 1977 |
S. W. R. T. B. Gannoruwa | 8 October 1977 |
1 July 1983 |
K. M. A. Kulathunga | 1 July 1983 |
20 April 1993 |
S. B. Senevirathne | 20 April 1993 |
4 April 1995 |
J. Rathnayake | 4 April 1995 |
28 January 2008 |
Samaranayake Mallikarachchi | 28 January 2008 |
6 October 2011 |
W. M. Saman Indrarathne | 6 October 2011 |
24 July 2014 |
H. M. Gunapala | 24 July 2014 |
6 July 2015 |
D. W. D. Dehipagoda | 6 July 2015 |
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Past Names of the school
Year | Name |
---|---|
1974 |
Bandaranayake College |
1977 |
President's College (Primary) |
Present |
Sir John Kothalawala College |
Sports
Annual Big Match
The Battle of Greens is the annual big cricket match between Sir John Kothalawala College and Wayamba Royal College.[6] Sir John Kothalawala College won the last match in 2016.
Annual Sports Meet
There is an annual sporting meet. Students are divided into four houses: Thissa, Vijaya, Gemunu, and Perakum.
Notable Achievements
- Top 10 Men's 400m,Youth Olympic 2018 - Dilan Bogoda [7]
References
- "Sir John Kothalawala College - School in Kurunegala". www.srilanka-places.com. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- "History". Sir John Kothalawala M.V. 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- "About Us". Sir John Kothalawala M.V. 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- "School Flag". Sir John Kothalawala M.V. 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- "Sir John Kotelawala in retirement". Daily News. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- "Wayamba Royal take on Sir John Kotelawala M.V in big match". Daily News. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- "Shelinda Jansen Youth Olympic Games 2018". 16 October 2018.