St. Thomas' College (සාන්ත තෝමස් විද්‍යාලය) is a government-aided boys’ primary and secondary school in

Matara, Sri Lanka Matara (; ) is a major city in Sri Lanka, on the southern coast of Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Southern Province. It is the second largest city in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Southern Province. It is from Colombo. It is a major commercial ...

founded in 1844. The college was initially a private

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

school in Wellamadama, Dondra, established by Rev. Fr. N. J. Ondatjee, a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

within the Christian

Missionary Society of England The English Wesleyan Mission (also known as a Wesleyan Missionary Society) was a British Methodist missionary society that was involved in sending workers to countries such as New Zealand and China in the 19th century. Mission to New Zealand The En ...

. As of May 2025, the college has approximately 3,600 enrolled students for primary and secondary education.

History

St. Thomas' College was founded in 1844 by the Christian Missionary Society of England. A main focus of the missionary bodies in Sri Lanka during the early period of British rule in Ceylon was providing English education. As a result of this, St. Thomas' School later became a secondary school in 1914, as St. Thomas' College was established in a bungalow in the village of Wellamadama, the current location of the

University of Ruhuna The University of Ruhuna ( (Ruhuṇa Viśvavidyālaya, Rohana sarasaviya),; ) is a public university in Matara, Sri Lanka. It is the only university in the southern region of Sri Lanka (also referred to as the ''Kingdom of Ruhuna''). It was e ...

. The school was founded by one of the early

missionaries, Rev. Fr. N. J. Ondatjee, in 1844 with several students and three teachers. Odantjee was later succeeded by others, including Kumaratunga Munidasa, who promoted Sinhala language and literature. In 1960, St. Thomas' College came under the control of the Government after a long period of missionary control. K. B. Jayasuriya became the first principal under

government administration The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to the jurisdiction under which it operates. In general terms, the administration can be described as a decision-making body. United States In American usage, the ...

. J. E. M. Fernando, K. B. Jayasuriya and E. A. de L. W. Samarasinghe reactivated the college's old boys association, which was defunct after its inauguration by S. J. Gunasekeram in 1934. B. D. Jayasekera designed the college flag and the crest in the early 20th century. The Buddhist shrine room constructed at the college premises by the Old Boys Association in 1999 was inaugurated by Madihe Pannaseeha Thero, a Buddhist priest and also a former student of the college. The school has a long tradition of playing cricket and regularly competes in the St. Thomas'–St. Servatius Cricket Encounter, also known as the Southern Battle of the Blues. This is the second-oldest cricket encounter on the island, also known as the Southern Battle of the Blues or Battle of the Ruhunu.

Past principals

* N. J. Ondatjee ''(1844–1848)'' * Abraham Dias Abeysinghe ''(1848–1852)'' * John Stevensen Lyle ''(1852 –1854)'' * F. H. De Winton ''(1854–1856)'' * Fedrick Dias Edirisinghe ''(1856–1858)'' * Quancy Adams ''(1858–1860)'' * Clement La–brooy ''(1860–1865)'' * A. W. Wijesinghe ''(1865–1866)'' * W.E.Ferdinando ''(1866–1872)'' * R.O. Macalam ''(1872–1878)'' * F.K. Dency ''(1878–1884)'' * J. W. Bultjens ''(1884–1890)'' * R. C. Reginold ''(1890–1896)'' * L. A. Arndt ''(1896–1902)'' * S. J. Gunasekeram ''(1902–1903)'' * C.P. Fernando ''(1903–1910)'' * J. C. Handy ''(1910–1915)'' * M. S. Solomon ''(1915–1925)'' * P.S.Adams ''(1925–1934)'' * C. C. P. Arulpragasam ''(1934–1944)'' * R. V. L. Pereira ''(1944–1952)'' * J. E. M. Fernando ''(1952–1959)'' Government Principals * K. B. Jayasuriya ''(1960–1975)'' * E. A. De L. W. Samarasinghe ''(1975–1985)'' * B. G. Sisira ''(1985–1999)'' * Ratnasiri Suraweera ''(1999–2011)'' * W. B. Piyathissa ''(2011–2021)'' * T. L. Dayashantha ''(2021–2022 )'' * P. A. Weerakkodi ''(2022–2024)'' * Nayanapriya Perera ''(2024–present)''

College anthem

The school song was composed by Leonard Archibald Arndt (1889–1955), the school's principal between 1931 and 1933.

College houses

There are four student houses in the college, named after four past principals. They are: * Bultjens: Red * Dias: Blue * Ondatjee: Yellow * Edirisinhe: Green

Sports

Cricket

The St. Thomas-St. Servatius cricket encounter, also known as Battle of the Blues or Battle of the Ruhunu (රුහුණු මහා නිල් සටන), is the annual school cricket match played between St. Thomas' College, Matara, and

St. Servatius' College St. Servatius' College is a boys' school located in Matara, Sri Lanka. The school was established in 1897 by recently arrived Belgium, Belgian Society of Jesus, Jesuit missionaries, led by Joseph Van Reeth, first bishop of Roman Catholic Dioces ...

since 1900. This is the second oldest cricket encounter in Sri Lanka. Since the centenary match in 200, the meet-up has been played as a 3-day game.

Football

The annual Thomas-Rahula Football Encounter' or "Battle of Golden Ensigns" football match is played between St. Thomas' College, Matara, and

Rahula College Rahula College () is a boys' school in Sri Lanka, located in Matara district. Though it was originally a private Buddhist school, now it is run by the Government of Sri Lanka as a National School. Rahula College has two sections - the Primary s ...

. It is one of the first annual inter-school football matches in Sri Lanka.

Notable alumni

List of alumni of St. Thomas' College, Matara;

References

External links

*
Church of Ceylon – The Anglican Church in Sri Lanka
{{Authority control National schools in Sri Lanka Boys' schools in Sri Lanka Former Church of Ceylon schools in the Diocese of Colombo Schools in Matara, Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1844 1844 establishments in Ceylon