D. S. Senanayake College
| D. S. Senanayake College | |
|---|---|
ඩී.ඇස්.සේනානායක විද්යාලයය டி.எஸ் சேனாநாயக்க கல்லூரி | |
 Front entrance to the school | |
| Location | |
No 62, R. G. Senanayake Mawatha, Cinnamon Gardens , Western Province , 00700 6°54′30″N 79°52′29″E / 6.90833°N 79.87472°E | |
| Information | |
| Other names |
|
| 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 | 07:30 - 13:30 |
| Houses |
|
| Colours |
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| Song | "Sip Satha Sis Wetha" |
| Newspaper | Siyapatha |
| Website | dssenanayakecollege |
D. S. Senanayake College (Sinhala: ඩී.ඇස්.සේනානායක විද්යාලය; Tamil: டி.எஸ் சேனாநாயக்க கல்லூரி; 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.
It provides education from Grades 1 to 13 in Sinhalese, Tamil and English languages. It was established on what was then 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, 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 where 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 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. Samarahnayake | 1982 - 1984 |
| S. M. A. Jiif. 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 - 2020 |
| Prasanna Udumuhandiram | 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.
War memorial
Senanayakians were the first to establish a War Heroes’ Monument within the premises of a school. About 33 old Senanayakians sacrificed their lives during the civil war. [6]
Sports
Cricket
The Battle of the Golds is the annual cricket encounter between D. S. Senanayake College and Mahanama College. It began in 2007 and is played in three formats: three-day, one-day, and T20.[7]
The ‘Bridges of Brotherhood’ is an annual 50-over encounter played with St. Anthony's College, Kandy, inaugurated in 2026. [8]
Rugby
Rugby was introduced to college in 1974. The college currently competes in Division 1 of the Dialog Schools Rugby League.[9] The school annually competes for the R. I. T. Alles Memorial Challenge Trophy rugby encounter with Zahira College and Alles Cup played with St. Anthony’s College[10]
Notable alumni
| Name | Notability | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Asoka Abeygunawardana | electrical engineer, environmentalist and social activist | |
| Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne | Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councillor (1988–1993), acting Diyawadana Nilame, Temple of the Tooth (1975–2005) | |
| Aravinda de Silva | international cricket player (1984–2003) | |
| Aloka Pathirana | Surgeon and academic | |
| Azath Salley | Governor of the Western Province (2019), Acting Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Colombo (2002-06), Leader of the National Unity Alliance (2017-Present) | |
| Asanka Shehan Semasinghe | Member of parliament – Anuradhapura Electoral District (2010–2024) | [11] |
| Bhoomi Harendran | transgender actress, human rights activist | |
| Binura Fernando | international cricket player (2015–present) | |
| Damitha Thotawatta | Judge of the Court of Appeal (since 2024) | [12] |
| Hashan Tillakaratne | international cricket player (1986–2004) | |
| Isuru Udana | international cricket player (2009–present) | |
| Jagath Gunawardena | Major General, Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army (2020–present) | |
| Kosala Kuruppuarachchi | international cricket player (1986–1987) | |
| Lahiru Perera | singer, musician, music producer | |
| Lahiru Mudalige | Presenter | |
| Naveed Nawaz | international cricket player (1998–2002) | |
| Prasanna Vithanage | filmmaker | |
| Priyanka Fernando | Major General, General Officer Commanding of the 58 Division (2020–present) | |
| Pubudu Dassanayake | international cricket player (1993–1994) | |
| Pulasthi Gunaratne | cricketer 2002 - 2003 | |
| Premnath C. Dolawatte | Attorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament - Colombo (2020 - 2024), and LGBT+ rights advocate | [13] |
| Tuan Nizam Muthaliff † | Colonel, former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps (2004–2005) | |
| Udaya Gammanpila | Member of parliament – Colombo Electoral District (2015–2024) | |
| Udara Rathnayake | Western Provincial Councillor (2014–present) |
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. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ↑ https://archives1.dailynews.lk/2013/07/12/local/ranaviru-day-ds-senanayake-college
- ↑ https://island.lk/inaugural-dss-mahanama-t20-big-match-today/
- ↑ https://island.lk/ds-to-face-st-anthonys-in-bridges-of-brotherhood-cricket-encounter/
- ↑ "Schools Rugby League: Live Rugby Scores, Streaming, News, Photos & Videos". ThePapare. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ↑ https://www.ft.lk/sports/5th-R-I-T-Alles-Trophy-rugby-on-Saturday/23-779135
- ↑ "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Shehan Semasinghe". www.parliament.lk. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ↑ President appoints new judges to Court of Appeal
- ↑ "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Premnath C. Dolawatte, Attorney at Law". www.parliament.lk. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
External links
