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| Type | Public school |
|---|---|
| Established | 1934 |
| Principal | Anusha Damayanthi |
| Students | over 5,000 |
| Location | Horana , 6°42′27″N80°04′07″E / 6.70750°N 80.06861°E |
| Colors | Maroon and gold |
| Website | www.sripaleecollege.lk [ dead link ] |
Sri Palee College in Horana is one of the main mixed schools in Sri Lanka. The number of students are over 5,000. There are classes from grade 1 to 13.
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Inspired by Guru Dev Rabindranath Tagore an Indian writer, artist and educationist, and his university at Shanthi Niketan later called Visva Bharathi University, Wilmot Abraham Perera, a revolutionary educationist and a politician of Sri Lanka, decided to establish a similar institution in Ceylon, and invited Gurudev Tagore to lay the foundation stone for the institution, which Tagore named Sri Palee (place where the goddess of fine arts lives). This was laid on 20 May 1934, in Horana.
At present, the principal, 140 academic staff and 20 non-academic staff operate at the college. The education medium is Sinhala and English medium is being introduced. English is taught as secondary language in all classes. Sri Palee is like any other government school in the island and subjects are taught according to the government curriculum. Science, mathematics and commerce streams are available at secondary educational level.
The founder of Sri Palee College, Wilmot Abraham Perera, was a proprietor planter. His father, Abraham Perera, was known as the King of Rubber in Raigam and Pasdun Counties and was the richest person in the area due to the income he received from his rubber plantations. Perera was born on 12 June 1905, educated at Cyril Jansze College at Panadura and later at Royal College Colombo. He thought of studying archaeology, but after his father's demise he was compelled to look after his properties and became a planter. He became a successful planter and married Esme Perera Abeywardena, a lady from a wealthy family in Galle, and a grand daughter of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa.
As a planter he had to mingle with labourers in estates and the people of the area. He could see the grievances of poor people and their struggle to live. He truly felt sorry for these people and made surveys to discover the reasons for their hardships. As a result of this effort he wrote the book Problems of Rural Ceylon. To find solutions for those problems he established for the first time a rural development society in Raigam Korale. He also believed in free education for the sons and daughters of the poor. To make all his ideas a reality he established Sri Palee College at Horana in Sri Lanka, based on the model of Shanthi Niketan in West Bengal, India. He was the first to start giving a midday meal to the pupils.
As a leftist, Perera was involved in the "Suriyamal" movement during the World War II period and later became a Member of Parliament for the Matugama electorate at the 1st general election in 1947. He won the same electorate in 1952 as well. In 1957 he became the first Sri Lankan ambassador to China. He was the chairman of the Wilmot A. Perera Salaries commission. He died in 1973.
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This is a tradition of the college. Students come for the assembly which is held in an open area with a small stage surrounded by large trees called Upasana Maluwa [assembly ground]. After the assembly pupils walk as Upasana Perahara [assembly procession] through the path around the Upasana Maluwa. In this Perahera four pupils walk in a row, singing the school anthem. At the end of the Upasana Perahera, students stop above the Upasana Maluwa, in front of the Nimaline Hall (school office) and sing the national anthem. After the national anthem they go to their classes.
Sri Palee College Horana plays its annual Big Match with C. W. W. Kannangara College, Mathugama.
The "Sri Lanka Matha" is the national anthem of Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka Matha" was composed by Ananda Samarakoon and was originally titled "Namo Namo Matha".
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was a Sri Lankan politician who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2010, and also served as the Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2002. He was a Member of Parliament representing the Horana electorate and later the Kalutara District.
The Suriya-Mal Movement was formed in the British colony of Ceylon to sell Suriya flowers on Poppy Day for the benefit of Sri Lankan ex-servicemen. The movement became anti-imperialist in character, and was also involved in relief work during the Malaria epidemic of 1934–1935.
Patrick de Silva Kularatne was a Sri Lankan educationist and politician. He was a Member of the State Council of Ceylon (1942-1947) and Member of Parliament (1960-1965). He served as Principal of Ananda College and Dharmaraja College and established Nalanda College Colombo, Ananda Balika Vidyalaya, Moratuwa Vidyalaya and Dharmapala Vidyalaya. As a member of the executive committee on Education, he played an instrumental role in the realisation of free education from kindergarten to university.
Ranasinghe Hettiarachchige Tudor Edward Ranasinghe Gunasekara, commonly known as Tudor Gunasekara, was a Sri Lankan politician and diplomat.
Horana is a town in Kalutara District, in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It is on the A8 highway between Panadura and Ratnapura, 50 km (31 mi) away from Ratnapura and 18 km (11 mi) away from Panadura. Horana is connected with Colombo via B84 Colombo - Horana road, 42 km (26 mi) away from Colombo
Alexander Perera Jayasuriya was a Ceylonese politician. He was a Minister of Health, Senator and Member of Parliament. He was one of the founders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
The urban campus of University of Colombo is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka, primarily situated around Cinnamon Gardens.
The University of Colombo currently has seven faculties with 41 academic departments and two interdependent schools with five academic departments. All faculties and schools carries out courses of study and research in both graduate and undergraduate studies. In addition, the university has several institutions that specialize in different areas of research.
The Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo is located in Wewala, Horana, Sri Lanka. Established in 1996 it conducts undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of performing arts and mass media.
Wilmot Abraham Perera (1905–1973) was a Sri Lankan statesman and philanthropist. He was declared a National Hero in 1993. A member of parliament, he was Ceylon's first Ambassador to China.
Deshabandu Indradasa Hettiarachchi was a Sri Lankan politician and the former Minister of Industries.
Wilmot Arthur de Silva was a Ceylonese veterinary surgeon, politician and philanthropist. He was the Minister of Health (1936–1942) in the second State Council of Ceylon and a former President of the Ceylon National Congress.
Henry Woodward Amarasuriya was a Ceylonese plantation owner, politician, educationist and philanthropist. He was the Cabinet Minister for Trade and Commerce in the cabinet of D. S. Senanayake. A former member of the Ceylon state council, H. W. Amarasuriya was a founding member and the first general secretary of the United National Party. He also held the position of Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees in the first parliament of Ceylon. A member of the first Education Executive Committee of the state council and a former general manager of the Buddhist schools, he did a great service to improve the education in Ceylon.
H Cannappen Velusingham Velupillai was a Ceylonese trade unionist, politician and poet.
Bernard Soysa was a Sri Lankan politician.
William Bandara Makuloluwa, , popularly as W. B. Makuloluwa, was a folk music composer, promoter and director of theater and film in Sri Lanka. Considered as a legend in Sri Lankan folk music history, Makuloluwa is the pioneer to introduce "Jane Gee" folk music in popular culture. He was also a talented speaker, scholar, Kathakali and Manipuri dancer as well as a songwriter.
Kongahakankanamage Don David Perera was a Ceylonese planter, businessman and politician.
Karunaratne Premathilake, popularly known as Meemana Premathilake was a prominent Sri Lankan poet, journalist and a writer. One of the most respected poets in Colombo era, Premathilake is notable as the founding editor of Sri Lanka's premier artistic newspaper 'Sarasaviya'.
Palihawadana Arachchige Cyril Perera, popularly known by his stage name Aruna Shanthi, was an actor and playback singer in Sri Lankan cinema.