ST.ANTHONY’S COLLEGE, BADDEGAMA, TURNS A CENTURY
St. Anthony’s College, Baddegama, successfully accomplishes hundred years of service to the nation this year. Such a long period of service deserves to be appreciated as a nation because the school is the place where the children mould their character to become useful citizens of the country in particular and to the outer world in general. My siblings had their early education in this great seat of learning and I myself had the good fortune to serve on the academic staff there to my credit. Therefore writing about our school in my hometown bears much sentimental value to me.
The genesis of the school could be traced back to the golden age of missionary education in Sri Lanka. It was started in the left room of the missionary house of the St. Anthony’s Church in Ganegama, Baddegama. No one would have thought that the humble beginning of this school could go a long way illuminating the vicinity and unlocking the potentials of the rural prodigy not in uncertain terms. The available recorded evidence says that it was founded on January 11, 1911.
Magnificent celebrations
The much-respected pioneer of this great feat is known as Fr P Vanosteen. The two names he has entered in the first attendance register were Francis Wickramasinghe and Pethangoda John. The first teachers had been missionary priests and the nuns. It was acquired by the government on June 1, 1992. Thus the history of the school invites the head of the country, the president, to grace the series of magnificent celebrations organised by the principal, teachers, past pupils and the well-wishers.
The development of the school steadily gathered momentum and in the first year of its existence itself the strength reached 78 and by 1956 it reached 178 having classes from grade six to senior level. The recorded history tells us in 1970 it had been 500.
Another milestone in the proud history of the school is that J P Obesekara, who was highly instrumental in injecting new blood to the school, was an illustrious past pupil. The rapid progress of the school paved the way for the division of the primary and senior sections in 1973 and it greatly resulted oriented.
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| Principal Indrajith Priyantha Gamage |
This great institute of education was able to bag the coveted national productivity award under the able stewardship of then principal Nihal Gurusinghe. Sports and aesthetic sections of the school reached dizzy heights to be envied by other schools in the vicinity. Another feather in her cap is the high percentage of the GCE O-L examination results, at the all-island level; it was 83% in 2016. Moreover, the dedicated teacher in charge of Engineering Technology was able to produce the district first in 2016.The state of the art IT laboratory and the well-equipped language and aesthetic units of the school cater to the student’ needs to the fullest.
Special awards
On June 1, the president is scheduled to declare open and bestow the two-storied spacious building constructed with the funds of the World Bank to the children of the school. A special awards presentation to the students who have brought credit to the school at both island and international level has also been arranged. Centenary celebration trade fair and students’ performances are on the agenda too.
In addition, a blood donation campaign, a medical clinic, distribution of spectacles to the needy on the gratis basis will take place. Career guidance workshops and other occupational guidance programmes are to be conducted by the Oceanic University and the German Technical College. The centenary celebrations programme is to be ended with dramas, documentary films, street dramas and well-arranged aesthetic programmes.
The St. Anthony’s walk was held last week and most of the illustrious past pupils joined their junior in high spirits.
The incumbent principal Indrajith Priyantha Gamage leaves no stone unturned to keep the good name of the school on the educational map of the country indelibly forever. The dedicated staff of teachers is a tower of strength behind him.
The school motto crested on the logo Go Forward has veritably brought many a prodigy to the vanguard to serve the nation since its inception.
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