Following a meeting of Buddhists at Pettah, under the patronage of Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thero, an English-Buddhist school was inaugurated at No. 61 Maliban Street, Colombo, on 1 November 1886 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society. C. W. Leadbeater was appointed the first principal of Ananda today. The first session was attended by 37 students. By the time the school was officially registered in March 1889, there were 120 students. In August 1889, it was moved to more spacious premises at No. 19 Prince Street. That same year, J. P. R. Weerasuriya became the first Anandian to pass the Cambridge junior examination. In March 1890, the schools proximity to a Catholic school led to controversy—and a move to 54 Maliban Street where further growth ensued, and student enrolments rose to 200 in September 1892 and 270 in 1894. That year, Mr Tudor Rajapaksha donated 3.2 acres (13,000 m2) of land[2] and the school was relocated in the suburb of Maradana. On 17 August 1895, the former English Buddhist School was renamed as Ananda College Colombo. By 1961, the college had officially become a government school.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 01:59:42 +0000
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