Lumbini College Explained

Lumbini College (Sinhala ලුම්බිණි විද්‍යාලය) or Lumbini Vidyalaya is a Sinhalese mixed school located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The school was founded in 1929 and has a current enrollment of 4,500 students from primary class to secondary. The school was named as a national school in 2009.

History

Lumbini College was established on 29 February 1929, as the Havelock Town Junior Mixed School, with 114 students. Although the school was a mixed school, only girls had attended. The staff consisted of the principal, D. R. Balasooriya, and three teachers.^[1] There was just a single building built from wooden planks. The school was originally situated in Skelton Road, Colombo. In 2010 the primary school section was moved to a location in Wellawatte as a result of growth in enrolments, merging with Wallawatta Maha Vidyalaya, which was renamed Lumbini College. The school's secondary classes have remained at the original location.

On 2 June 2014 the President Mahinda Rajapaksa formally opened the school’s sports complex, which contains with a gym, tennis courts and sporting facilities.

Past headmasters and principals

1. D. R. Balasooriya (1929–1932)
2. H. R. M. Kaluarachi (1934)
3. D. S. Dissanayaka (1934–1941)
4. D. J. Gunasingha (1938–1941)
5. Wijesuriya (1941–1944)
6. W. H. Pranandu (1944–1947)
7. D. K. Jayawardana (1947–1949)
8. D. J. Dias (1949–1951)
9. A. W. Alvis (1951–1959)
10. J. M. Kurupu (1959–1962)
11. A. D. Sirisana (1962)
12. J. S. H. Jasan (1962–1969)
13. G. S. Weerasena (1969–1976)
14. L. H. Edirisingha (1976–1979)
15. W. P. A. Perera (1979–1991)
16. G. Gunawardana (1991–1992)
17. G. Leyanaga (1992–1999)
18. J. G. Amarajeewa (1999–2010)
19. Chandranath Amarathunga (2010–2012)
20. Oshara Panditarathna (2012–2016)
21. K. G. Wimalasena (2016 – 2019)
22. A.W. Nanayakkara (2019-2021)
23. Priyantha Karunarathna (2021-2022)
24. Sarath Gunathilaka (2022–present)

Alumni

The school's alumni are known as Old Lumbiniyanas

Notable alumni

Name	Notability	Reference
	Painter	^[2]
	Member of Parliament – Colombo (1989–1994, 2000–present)
	Lieutenant Colonel Sri Lanka Army Special Forces	^[3]
	Musician, dramatist	^[4]
	Twenty20 International Cricketer (2017–present)
	Actor, television presenter (1993–present)	^[5]

Notes and References

1. News: Extra-curricular activities are improving at Lumbini. The Sunday Times. Naushad. Amit. 20 March 2011. 18 August 2022.
2. News: Brilliant brushstrokes of a wildlife painter . Sunday Observer. 13 January 2013. Anura. Srinath. 18 August 2022.
3. Web site: Lankapuvath pays tribute to Colonel Lalith Jayasinghe who sacrificed his life for the nation . 6 December 2008 . Lankapuvath .
4. Web site: ලයනල් රන්වලයන්. Ranwala Balakaya / Ranwala Foundation. si. 17 May 2020.
5. Web site: "Friends do not get married" - Madhawa Wijesinghe. 18 August 2022. Lankadeepa. si.