St. Aloysius Galle is reaching the top without any doubt
The school takes the pride of having one the world’s renowned scientists the late Prof. Cyril Ponnamperuma. St. Aloysius’ College is one of the foremost boys’ schools in Southern Province of Sri Lanka. It is situated in Galle, the capital city of Southern Province in Sri Lanka. St. Aloysius’ College is a National School, which provides primary and secondary education.
St. Aloysius’ College is situated on Mount Calvary, neighbouring St. Mary’s Cathedral on one side and Sacred Heart Convent on the other.
The college was initiated in 1895 by Jesuit fathers and was named after the Jesuit Saint, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga who was regarded as the Saint of Youth by the Jesuits because of the heroic acts that he had performed when he was a young Jesuit helping Plague victims in Rome, I t a ly in 1587. St. Aloysius’ College, Galle, is one of many schools named after Saint Aloysius, and many exist all around the world including schools in Glasgow- Scotland, Sydney- Australia, Bangalore-India, Malta, London-England etc.
Until the Sri Lankan government carried legislation for nationalization of schools in the island in 1960, St. Aloysius’ College was administered by Jesuit Fathers and the medium of instruction was English. The first Buddhist Principal was chosen in the year 1971 and afterwards the medium of teaching was Sinhala.
Prof . Cyril Ponnamperuma – Scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Prof Ediriweera Sarachchandra – famous literalist, R. I. T Alles - Prominent Educationist, Founder of D. S. S e n a n ay a ke College, Deshamanya N. U. Jayawardena - Economist, former Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon, Dr. Marlene Abeyewardena – Gynaecologist, Dr. D. V. J Harishchandra - Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. E. M. R de Saram – Psychiatrist, Dr. D P Athukorala - Heart Specialist, Hon. Feisal Junaid - Former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Pakistan, Iraq, Bangaladesh are very few of their contributions to mother Sri Lanka.
In 1992 the college earned the status of national school which brought the school to a huge turning point. As a results they obtained the All Island 1st and 3rd ranks in the G.C.E. (A/L) examination in mathematics stream.
The college today provides education to nearly 1140 primary students and over 2670 secondary students from grade 1 to grade 13. It is regarded as one of the leading boys’ schools in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The College comprises more than 145 academic staff and 19 non-academic staff. The present principal Mr. D. P. L. S. Gunasekara who was appointed in 2004 is the pioneer to the present success of the college. He has a high quality management ability which motivates both the students and the staff to bring fame to the college. On account of his untiring effort, the college obtained the college bus. Moreover the OBA of the college contributed in construction of the college Auditorium and the OBA Colombo branch contributed in constructing the college playground.
The school has earned its reputation in the areas of academic excellence as well as in sports. The G. C. E.( O/ L) results presently brings over 78% of success. The G. C. E. ( A/ L) examination is always the asset of success. In 2007 Irosh Chandimal brought fame to the college by producing island rank in the G.C.E.(A/L) Science stream and in 2008 Sajith Opatha produced the island 4th and district 1st rank in the same. The primary section is very concerned in their grade 5 scholarship examination. In 2011 they obtained 34 passes and this year they were able to increase the number up to 44 which shows the dedication of the primary staff.
The special education unit of the college encourages the special need students to compete with the world to brighten their future. As the result Isuru Mahesh Panditha participated in a workshop of disabled in Korea and was placed 1st among 270 participants in the written examination.
The annual cricket encounter is played between St Aloysius’ College, Galle and Rahula College, Matara which is often referred to as the “Battle of the Two Cities”. The college basketball team, cricket team, football team and rugby team have done well not only at provincial level but also at national and international levels. Rishad Mohemmed’s ability in football has enabled him to tour Japan and Malaysian. The swimmer Vihanga is presently participating in the Australian swimming competition.
Extra-curricular activities are given a prominent place with students and the college Debating team, Quiz team and music groups annually bring provincial and island successes to the college.
With the deliberate endeavour of the administration and the huge strength of the college OBA and parents association, St. Aloysius College is reaching the top without any doubt.
- Sujitha Miranda