S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela is a selective entry boys'

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

, situated in the town of Bandarawela in the

Uva Province The Uva Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 8,500 km2 and a population of 1,266,463, making it the 2nd least populated province. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by the East ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It is an Anglican school administrated by the

Church of Ceylon The Church of Ceylon () is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka. It is an extraprovincial jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who serves as its Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan. It was established in 1845 with the appointment of the fir ...

. The college is run by a Board of Governors which is chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Colombo, who is also known as the Visitor of the College. The administration of the college in itself is headed by a headmaster who is an Anglican priest. Admission to the college is at the sole discretion of the headmaster.

History

S. Thomas' Preparatory School in Bandarawela was founded by W. T. Keble on 20 January 1942. Keble had originally conceived the idea of establishing an upcountry school as early as 1929, following a visit to Nuwara Eliya. However, he ultimately selected Bandarawela as the ideal location, owing to its favourable climate. In 1957, V. D. Paul Raj assumed the role of headmaster and oversaw the completion of the chapel of the Good Shepherd in 1960. Under successive leadership, the college attained junior secondary school status in 1969 and later progressing to senior secondary school status in 1975. In 1981, it was renamed S. Thomas’ Collegiate School, and in 1989 was renamed to S. Thomas’ College. The most recent headmaster is P. H. Navarathna, who was appointed in 2023. AL section

Sports

Uva Thomian Cricket Encounter

This annual cricket encounter between S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela and S. Thomas' College, Gurutalawa, both being part of the Thomian family, was started in 1984. The fixture was abandoned in 1987 due to a number of reasons. The fixture was resumed after the idea was mooted by the OBA of STC Bandarawela supported by the OBA of STC Gurutalawa and the two Headmasters agreed to continue the ‘Uva Thomian Cricket Encounter’ (UTCE) on a grand scale in 2009. The match is played for a trophy to commemorate the two headmasters of Bandarawela and Gurutalawa who were responsible for starting the fixture; S. L. A. Ratnayake and Patrick Gunawardene.

W. T. Keble Memorial Soccer Tournament

This annual inter-school W. T. Keble Memorial Soccer Tournament takes place between S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela and S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Kollupitiya, both being part of the Thomian family.

Past headmasters

Old Boy's Association

The Old Boys' Association (OBA) of S. Thomas' College Bandarawela was founded in 1977 during the tenure of S. L. A. Ratnayake. The Colombo branch was inaugurated in 1990, and the two entities were later amalgamated, with the central body now functioning from Colombo.

References

External links

* {{commonscatinline
Church of Ceylon - The Anglican Church in Sri Lanka

Thomian Walkathon 2015

Stps Bandarawela in the early years

Diocesan Institutes : S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela
Church of Ceylon schools in the Diocese of Colombo Educational institutions established in 1942 Private schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Bandarawela 1942 establishments in Ceylon