Anuradhapura Central College (Sinhala: මධ්ය විද්යාලය, අනුරාධපුර, Tamil: மத்திய கல்லூரி, அனுராதபுரம்) is a mixed educational establishment in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.
Anuradhapura Central College is a national school, which provides secondary education.
History
Anuradhapura Central College, which is considered as the heart of Anuradhapura,[according to whom?] is situated in Anuradhapura, the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was established on 21 July 1947 under the initiative of R. L. N. de Zoyza in Rathmale area where the Rathmale Tissa Vidyalaya is situated today.[citation needed]
It was established to provide free education by the Minister of Education, Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara. It was the second Central College established in the North Central Province and one of the first 54 Central Colleges in the country. De Zoysa was the first principal and there were only seven teachers and twenty students in the school.[citation needed]
The school was later moved to its present location.[when?] In 1993 the school was promoted to a National School under the leadership of the then principal E. R. Erathna. In 2014, H. M. Abeykoon was appointed as the principal of the college, with a staff of 190 teachers and 4,800 students.Present principal of Anuradhapura Central College is Mr. J.M.P.M. Jayasundara.[citation needed]
Namadimu baethi gee kusum puda is the school song, which is sung at the start of the school day and on important occasions.
Sports
Anuradhapura Central College has a notable history in sports, particularly cricket, volleyball and athletics. The school has won six all-island cricket championships, including Division II and Division III titles.[1] In 2005, the school's Under-19 girls' volleyball team became all-island champions in the DSI Supersport Schools Volleyball Championship.
Sports School
The school features a dedicated athletic academy aligned with the "sports school" concept implemented in certain remote central colleges to nurture rural talent. It offers boarding and meals to young athletes from the Anuradhapura District, with students admitted at age 13 based on their sports achievements.
The school consistently excels in district-level and provicial-level tournaments and proceed talents to all-island games. In 2023, it secured the championship title at the North-Central Provincial School Games, further solidifying its reputation as a dominant force in the region.[2] In 2019, the athletics team secured the Boys’ Championship trophy at the North-Central Provincial Sports Meet.[3] The school also organizes an annual inter-house track-and-field tournament.
Houses
The students are divided in to four houses, which are named after four great arahanttheros. An annual track-and-field tournament among these houses is held during the first term of the academic year.
Ananda
Mahinda
Seewali
Rahula
Facilities
Anuradhapura Central College includes facilities such as science laboratories, computer centers, a library, and a multi-purpose auditorium. In July 2024, a swimming pool was inaugurated by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.[4]
Anuradhapura Central College has produced graduates in many fields such as engineering, medicine, law, politics, education, administration, mass-media and entertainment, including:
