Devi Balika Vidyalaya is a public national girls' school in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, Sri Lanka. Girls are admitted at grade six, based on the results of an island-wide scholarship examination. Like other national schools it is controlled by the

central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...

, as opposed to a provincial council.

History

By 1950, some of the recommendations of the Kannangara report had been implemented, but the opportunities for educational equality remained inadequate. The state accepted the recommendation of the White Paper on education (1950), to split education at grade 8, when compulsory education ended. One of the three streams was academic. In keeping with this policy, Government Girls' College, Castle Street (Devi Balika Vidyalaya) began to offer classes from grade 9 to 12, catering to academically gifted girls. The Department of Education further intended this new school to be a centre of excellence in science education, for which there was great demand after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The school was founded on 15 January 1953, constructed with prefabricated material, enrolling 53 students and hosting 5 teachers. The importance of extra curricular activities was recognized though the emphasis was on academic pursuits.

Girl Guiding A Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian co ...

, dancing (

Kandyan Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

, Indian and country dancing), music, sports and drama were introduced. Deshabandu Dr. (Mrs.) Wimala de Silva was its founder principal. A hostel was established in 1997 with the help of alumnae. On 5 March 1998 a School Multipurpose Auditorium was opened. Fundraising projects were held to swell the fund to match the grant given by the Ministry of Education. In addition, financial contributions received from other ministries, ''Pelpola Vipassi Foundation'', various institutions, parents, and alumnae were a major support in doing this task. Engineering and Architectural consultancy and various free services received from supporters, made the 1st and 2nd stages of the School Multipurpose Auditorium Project a success.

Notable alumni

* Saroja Sirisena - Diplomat, former

Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom is the Sri Lankan envoy to United Kingdom. Countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations typically exchange High Commissioners, rather than Ambassadors. Though there are a few technical ...

, former

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Austria Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanes ...

* Ayoma Rajapaksa - First Lady of Sri Lanka * Seetha Arambepola - Doctor (MBBS), Member of Parliament, former

Governor of the Western Province A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

Sources

* Devi Archive and PPA news letters by Iresha Wijayabandara {{Education in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1953 Girls' schools in Sri Lanka National schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Colombo Buddhist organizations 1953 establishments in Ceylon Religious organizations established in 1953