Piliyandala Central College

Central College Piliyandala පිලියන්දල මධ්‍ය මහා විද්‍යාලය பிலியன்தல மத்திய வித்தியாலயம்
Location

Piliyandala Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°47′59″N 79°55′15″E / 6.79972°N 79.92083°E / 6.79972; 79.92083
Information
Other names	PCC
Type	National
Motto	Bodetha pabodetha dametha "බොධෙථ පබොධෙථ දමෙථ " Awareness Enlightenment Discipline
Established	1887 (135 years ago)
Founder	Mampe Saranapala Thero
Principal	D. P. Udawaththage
Staff	200+
Grades	Class 6 - 13
Gender	Mix
Age	11 to 19
Enrollment	4000
Language	Sinhala, English
Colour(s)	Dark blue, gold and maroon
Song	සිරිබර මැදි විදුහල් මාතා ("Beautiful Mother Central College") Anthem Of Piliyandala Central College
Affiliation	Buddhism
Former pupils	Old Centralions
Website	www.piliyandalacentral.edu.lk

Piliyandala Central College (Sinhala: පිලියන්දල මධ්‍ය මහා විද්‍යාලය; Tamil: பிலியன்தல மத்திய வித்தியாலயம்) is a selective entry mixed-gender school located in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka. It was the first government-run mixed-gender secondary school in the country.^[1]

The school has an enrollment of more than students. College students are known as Centralions and past pupils are known as Old Centralions.

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History

The school was first established in 1887 as the Mampe Piyarathanasara Buddhist Mix School, one of the first Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka. As the school grew, Rev. Mampe Saranapala Thero handed over the school to the Buddhist Theosophical Society for better administration. The society bought new land for the school but, due to the rapid increase in the number of students, was unable to maintain it and eventually handed it over to the government.

In 1920, as a part of a program of one British agent of the western province, Piliyandala got a Public English Medium Mix School. The headmaster of this school was S. W. Sahabandu, and the two schools (the public English medium mix school and the Sinhalese medium mix school) were divided by a building that was shaped like a bird.^{[clarification needed]}

From 1920 to 1944, C. W. W. Kannangara reunited both schools and together formed Piliyandala Central College on the 4th of January 1944, which, later that year, on March 4th, was converted into a Central College.

Administration

The Ministry of Education funds the college and appoints its principal. The principal is the head of the college administration and is assisted by a deputy principal. The college is divided into two portions of students, the middle and high schools, each coming under the supervision of an assistant principal. The college educates around 3,700 students.

Since its establishment, the main language of education has been Sinhalese. In 2009, English was introduced as an optional language of education for the main subjects at the college. Students may select one of the two languages to conduct their studies in.

Admission

Admission to the college is among the most competitive outside the Colombo city metro area.^[2] It gets its highest number of applications for admission to grade 6 via the grade 5 scholarship examination. A number of students from all over the area also entered to grade 12 via the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination.

Campus

The school is mostly located in Piliyandala but also spreads towards Suwariyapola, occupying a total land area of about 48,000 m² (520,000 sq ft). The facilities include lecture halls, science and ICT laboratories, an auditorium, a swimming pool complex and a cricket ground.

Sports

An annual cricket match between Central College Piliyandala and its rival, the Taxila Central College in Horana, known as the Battle of the Salpiti-Raigam, has been held since 2001.

Houses

Each student is assigned to one of four houses named after ancient Sinhala kings of Sri Lanka: Gemunu, Wijaya, Parakrama and Thissa.

Clubs

Prefect Club

Members of the Perfect Club build on their teamwork and communication skills while working with different age groups, taking the initiative to propose new ideas to help to improve the school.

Aesthetic Club

It pertains to the study of the mind and pure emotions about the sense of beauty and intellectualism. It presents programs of a literary, artistic, musical, and timely trend to assist in educational uplift, and to bring its members together for social enjoyment.