Prince of Wales' College (
Sinhala: වේල්ස් කුමර විද්යාලය ''Wels Kumara Vidyalaya'',
Tamil: பிரின்ஸ் ஆஃப் வேல்ஸ் கல்லூரி) is a
selective entry boys' school situated in
Moratuwa, a suburb of
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 m ...
, Sri Lanka. Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa (along with
Princess of Wales' College), was founded and endowed in 1876 by Sir
Charles Henry de Soysa
Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, Justice of the peace#Sri Lanka, JP (3 March 1836 – 29 September 1890) was a Demographics of Sri Lanka, Ceylonese entrepr ...
, a famous 19th century Sri Lankan philanthropist and was named in honour of
His Royal Highness Prince Albert Edward -
the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...
.
The school became a fully government-controlled school in 1962. As of 2016 over 7100 boys are studying in the school in grades 1 to 13 including all main streams of secondary studies which include
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
,
mathematics,
commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
and
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
.
The first Minister of Education, Dr.
C. W. W. Kannangara and Dr.
Tuan Burhanudeen Jayah, a senior minister, have both served on the staff of Prince of Wales College.
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
James Peiris was a former
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
of the college.
For a very long time, the school has created a niche for itself in the field of sports. Prince of Wales College has produced many exceptional cricketers who, at one time or another, played for the national team. It won the Herman Loos Cup for cadeting many times in the past and has won international championships in rowing.
[Cambrian rowers do well in Pakistan]
Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 November 2012
History
Founder
The founding patron of the school was the philanthropist, Sir
Charles Henry de Soysa
Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, Justice of the peace#Sri Lanka, JP (3 March 1836 – 29 September 1890) was a Demographics of Sri Lanka, Ceylonese entrepr ...
. Following the arrival of the then
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
(
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
) in Colombo in 1875, he wanted to name the two schools he intended to build – Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales. As a result of a letter sent on 27 November 1875, he received permission to name the two schools the Prince of Wales’ and Princess of Wales’.
14 September 1876 was a memorable day for the Moratuwa community; the school, which was built on a picturesque 15-acre plot of land facing the Galle Road, and bordered by the Lunawa Lagoon, was ceremonially opened. The then governor of Sri Lanka, Sir
William Gregory, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The school was designed by Mr Muhandiram Mendis Jayawardena, and about Rs. 300,000/= was spent on its construction. The school buildings were one of the most elegant in the country at that time. The ceremonial opening of the St. John's Church and
St. John's College Panadura built by Mudliyar Susew De Soysa were also conducted on the same day.
[Remembering Sir Charles Henry de Soysa]
by Dilwin Mendis The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 05 December 2014
Sir Charles Henry De Soysa completed five school buildings over an area of five acres and, along with all the necessary equipment, opened the school to the public as a
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
institution.
[Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, by Arnold Wright, pp. 117-8 & 552 (Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company) ] He also carefully oversaw the administration, management, and maintenance of the school until his death. In his last will, he requested that his eldest son Mudalier J. W. C. de Soysa take over responsibility for the school, and asked his wife to pay Rs. 3000/= to the school annually, for maintenance work. After
Lady Catherine De Soysa died, Sir Charles Henry De Soysa's seven sons took over stewardship of the school. They also obtained their education at Prince of Wales College, and their aid was vital for the school. They endowed the school with two plantations for its maintenance and recruited principals who were
Oxbridge graduates.
Mr. W.S. Gunawardena (B.A. Calcutta) was the first
principal of the school and served from 1876 until 1891. At first, it was not operated as one school, but as four educational institutes with a total of 1000 students and 40 teachers. They were:
*Prince of Wales’ College
*Princess of Wales’ College
*Prince of Wales’ College (native language)
*Princess of Wales’ College (native language)
[
The first school prize giving was held in 1883 with Sir John Douglas as the chief guest. There were prize records for all four schools. Prince of Wales’ College and Prince of Wales’ College (native) only had classes up to Grade 7. Prince of Wales’ College was the higher school; it had two divisions named Upper and Lower. Apart from this, there were two classes for undergraduates.
3 March was selected as the Founder's Day. Students attend the service at the Holy Emmanuel church and pay respects to the tomb of Sir ]Charles Henry de Soysa
Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, Justice of the peace#Sri Lanka, JP (3 March 1836 – 29 September 1890) was a Demographics of Sri Lanka, Ceylonese entrepr ...
. Since the 1960s, Buddhist students have commemorated the Founder's Day by engaging in Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
rituals.
Evolution
W. S. Gunawardena (first principal 1876–1891)
W. S. Gunawardena (B.A. Calcutta) was the first principal and served from 1876 until 1891. The school hostel was started in 1882 and cricket was also introduced to the school during this period.[Cambrians field a formidable team this year]
- Dilwin Mendis (Daily news)
Philip Lewis (principal 1892–1896)
Philip Lewis became the second principal and served from 1892 until 1896. Although there were many difficulties, a rapid development of the school could be seen during this period.
J. G. C. Mendis (principal 1896–1917)
J. G. C. Mendis (B.A. Cambridge), the son-in-law of the founding patron, rendered a valuable service to the school for two decades, from 1896 to 1917.[The De Soyas of Alfred House by Rupa de Soysa, p.56 (Karunaratne & Sons)] During his tenure a school cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
society was formed and the school ground was further developed.[ The school magazine: ''The Cambrian'' (first issued in 1897), the debating team, cadet corps (1903), ]library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
, laboratory
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physic ...
, commerce section, tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
and soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
teams, and a children's park were some of the elements added to the school during this era. Another important milestone was the formation of the Old Boys’ Association in 1904. After 21 years of service, Mendis had to retire from his post as principal due to deteriorating health.
P. T. Jayasuriya (principal 1917–1925)
P. T. Jayasuriya .A. Hon.(Lond)became Mendis' successor as principal. During his time at the school, the academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
aspect of the school improved significantly, with students obtaining great results. Under Jayasuriya, the science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
section and the school cricket ground were developed further and a separate children's park for the school was built. In 1922, ''The Cambrian'' was published again and the infrastructure of the school was also enhanced by the addition of three more classrooms. A house system was initiated and four houses were named, after the founder and the first three of the principals: namely, Founder's, Gunawardena, Lewis, and Mendis.
L. E. Blaze (principal 1926)
In 1926, Louis Edmund Blaze
Louis Edmund Blaze, JP, OBE, BA (Calcutta), (29 September 1861 – 4 August 1951) was a Sri Lankan educationist and the founder and the first principal of Kingswood College, Kandy (1891–1923).
Biography
Louis Edmund Blaze was born on 29 S ...
(B.A. Cantab) was appointed principal. He was the founder of Kingswood college, Kandy
Kingswood College ( Sinhala: කිංස්වුඩ් විද්යාලය Tamil: கிங்ஸ்வுட் கல்லூரி) is a public school which offers primary and secondary education for boys in Sri Lanka. The school ...
, a former student of Trinity College, Kandy
"Look to the End"
, mottoes =
, founder = John Ireland Jones
, established =
, type = Independent Private
, affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican
, grade ...
and the father of school rugby football
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league.
Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...
in Sri Lanka. He was a very dynamic person and the "Golden Jubilee Prize Giving" was held during his period. The English College anthem was also written during this period.
L. G. Crease (principal 1927–1931)
L. G. Crease (M.A. Oxen) headed the school from 1927 to 1931. He was from Europe and was very strict when it came to student discipline. He was a competent administrator and there was a marked development in cadetting and sports.
Rev. F. R. E. Mendis (principal 1931–1932)
Rev. F. R. E. Mendis (M.A. Cantab) served as the principal from 1931 to 1932. He started the library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
fund and developed cricket, soccer, boxing, and athletics.
H. Samaranayake (principal 1932–1933)
H. Samaranayake (B.A.) who was appointed as the principal in 1932 was the first Buddhist principal.
J. B. C. Rodrigo (principal 1933–1959)
J. B. C. Rodrigo (M.A. xen
Xen (pronounced ) is a type-1 hypervisor, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently. It was
originally developed by the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory an ...
J.P.U.M.), was a very capable administrator and blessed with a great personality. The Teachers’ Guild, Cinema
Cinema may refer to:
Film
* Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography
* Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image
** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
* ...
Association, Science Association, Drama Association, Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
branch, Sinhala and English Literary Associations, Debating Team, Co-operative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
Association, and hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
was initiated for the benefit of the students and new classrooms were built.[A lasting legacy from the 19th century]
(Sunday Times) Accessed January 15, 2015
In 1933, the inaugural Battle of the Golds (Prince of Wales’ College vs. St. Sebastian's College) was held at the school grounds.
S. C. H. De Silva (principal 1959–1973)
S. C. H. De Silva (B.A., Dip. in School Admst) served the school for 14 years and there was a notable progression in the development of the school. Scouting was introduced and the Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
shrine was constructed in 1967, ceremonially opened by Governor William Gopallawa
William Gopallawa (, ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and became the first and only non-executive and ceremonial President of Sri Lanka when Ceylon declared itself a republic i ...
. The Sinhala college anthem was written by B. Godahewa in 1967. Tissa Gunawardena joined the staff during this time. His works include the statues of the Buddha, the founding patron, and the largest Sandakadapahana in Sri Lanka. The Art Society and the Drama Club showed remarkable progress under his guidance. Gunawardena presented many stage plays, bringing out students' hidden talents.[Award-winning actor Jagath Chamila with Tissa Gunawardena, .....]
The Island, Retrieved 09 June 2015
L. H. Gunapala (principal 1973–1977)
L. H. Gunapala, who had served previously as a school inspector and as a district education inspector, was the principal during the school's centennial anniversary. The school was improved to a high standard and Hevisi and Western bands were formed during this time.
M. E. C. Fernando (principal 1977–1988)
M. E. C. Fernando, a former student and teacher succeeded Mr. Gunapala as principal. The H. R. Fernando Pavilion was gifted by former student Mr. H. R. Fernando. The cricket score board, library buildings, science and commerce buildings were some of these new additions. The sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa (sculpted by Mr. Tissa Gunawardena) was unveiled during this time. The venue of the annual Big Match was changed and was arranged to be held at De Soysa Stadium
De Soysa Park Stadium (formerly known as Tyronne Fernando Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. It is currently used mostly for cricket matches. The stadium holds 15,000 people and hosted its first Test match in 1992. The groun ...
.
H. L. B. Gomes (principal 1989–1998)
H. L. B. Gomes (M.A.), who was an old boy, a teacher and vice-principal (during Mr M. E. C. Fernando's reign as principal), was appointed as principal in 1989. In his time, the school became one of the 15 National Schools in Sri Lanka. A new auditorium with the latest facilities and a computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
department were introduced. Amongst other developments seen at the school during his tenure were
making a qualitative improvement in education, expanding the school further by adding more facilities, namely: three, three-story buildings for Grade 11, the commerce section, and the primary grades; a new auditorium with the latest facilities; the canteens for students and teachers; initiating the construction of a new hostel; construction of the school office, principal's office, meeting hall and, toilets; the introduction of the Media Unit; and the construction of two playgrounds and cricket ground for the primary grades.
In 1998, the Western Band of the school had the rare privilege of welcoming the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
, who visited Sri Lanka in order to be part of its 50th Independence Day celebration. The school's cricket programme showed tremendous growth during this period, and this was reflected with Captain Suranga Wijenayake representing the National team.
Recent years
The 14th principal, D. A. Ramanayake, improved the computing department. S. J. P. Wijesinghe was the next principal and he was followed by K. Ratnaweera Perera and Rohana Karunaratne correspondingly. After tenures by W. Jayasena, Sampath Weragoda(Acting Principal) & J. W. S. Siriwardhana respectively. Kusala Fernando was the principal from 2017 to 2021. In 2014 the Hon. Jeewan Kumaranatunga
Jeewan Kumaranatunga (born 7 November 1958: si, ජීවන් කුමාරතුංග), is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television, who later became a politician, a former member of the parliament and a former cabinet ministe ...
allocated funding for the swimming pool project. The swimming pool was opened by the prime minister Hon.Ranil Wickremesinghe
Ranil Wickremesinghe ( si, රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ, ta, ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who is the current president of Sri Lanka since 21 July 2 ...
on 1 August 2017.
Past principals
Many distinguished men have served as the principal of Prince of Wales' College since the inception. Listed below are the names of these principals.
Houses
Old Boys' Association
In 1904 when J. G. C. Mendis was the principal, he commenced the Old Boys' Association. By now the membership has risen to around 4,500.
Sports
Cambrians are famous for cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
. When the college was founded the game was introduced in 1876. During this period only the staff members took part. In 1896 organised school cricket was introduced and the first-ever inter-school cricket match was played against Royal College, Colombo
Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...
. Cambrian cricket players have made significant contributions in all sectors of the sport in Sri Lanka including schools, mercantile clubs, government services, defence services, corporations, and in the field of cricket administration. Some have gained fame and figured prominently as representatives on national and international cricket teams.[
Cadeting was introduced to college in 1904. Later athletics and football and, some time later, volleyball was introduced. In 2012, Prince of Wales College made history by winning two gold, four silver, and nine bronze medals at the fourth Asian Schools Rowing Regatta held in Karachi, Pakistan.][
]
Annual sports events
Battle of the Golds
Prince of Wales' College plays its annual Big Match
Big Matches are annual cricket matches played between different schools in Sri Lanka. The same schools have played one another for many years, some for over a century, and Big Matches form an important part of modern Sri Lankan culture with bot ...
with St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa. It is also known as '' Battle of the Golds''. Cricketers to have captained the school team include Wirantha Fernando
Wirantha Fernando (6 February 1959 – 17 April 2000) was a Sri Lankan first-class cricketer and politician.
Cricket career
Fernando, who went to Prince of Wales' College in Moratuwa, captained the Combined Schools team in his youth. He repre ...
and Kusal Mendis.['' Daily News']
"Kusal – first Cambrian to lead Sri Lanka under 19 team"
26 August 2013
Notable alumni
See Alumni of Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa for full list
See also
*Education in Sri Lanka
Education in Sri Lanka has a long history that dates back two millennia. While the Constitution of Sri Lanka does not provide free education as a fundamental right, the constitution mentions that 'the complete eradication of illiteracy and the a ...
References
External links
Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa official website
Prince of Wales' College, Secondary Website
Prince of Wales' College History
(Video)
Distinguished Old Cambrians
(Video)
{{Education in Sri Lanka
1876 establishments in Ceylon
Boys' schools in Sri Lanka
Educational institutions established in 1876
National schools in Sri Lanka
Schools in Moratuwa