Devi Balika Vidyalaya is a public national girls' school in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, Sri Lanka. Girls are admitted at grade six, based on the results of an island-wide

scholarship examination The Scholarship Examination (also known as the Grade 5 exam) is a highly competitive Sri Lankan examination first introduced in 1947, conducted by the Department of Examinations of the Ministry of Education. It is optional for students to undertak ...

. Like other national schools it is controlled by the

central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...

, as opposed to a provincial council.

History

By 1950, some of the recommendations of the Kannangara report had been implemented, but the opportunities for educational equality remained inadequate. The state accepted the recommendation of the White Paper on education (1950), to split education at grade 8, when compulsory education ended. One of the three streams was academic. In keeping with this policy, Government Girls' College, Castle Street (Devi Balika Vidyalaya) began to offer classes from grade 9 to 12, catering to academically gifted girls. The Department of Education further intended this new school to be a centre of excellence in science education, for which there was great demand after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The school was founded on 15 January 1953, constructed with prefabricated material, enrolling 53 students and hosting 5 teachers. The importance of extra curricular activities was recognized though the emphasis was on academic pursuits. Girl Guiding, dancing (

Kandyan Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, ...

, Indian and country dancing), music, sports and drama were introduced.

Wimala de Silva Deshabandu Wimala de Silva (2 June 1920 – 15 April 2007) was a prominent Sri Lankan educationist and social activist. She was a former chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and founding principal of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, ...

was its founder principal. A hostel was established in 1997 with the help of alumnae. On 5 March 1998 a School Multipurpose Auditorium was opened. Fundraising projects were held to swell the fund to match the grant given by the Ministry of Education. In addition, financial contributions received from other ministries, ''Pelpola Vipassi Foundation'', various institutions, parents, and alumnae were a major support in doing this task. Engineering and Architectural consultancy and various free services received from supporters, made the 1st and 2nd stages of the School Multipurpose Auditorium Project a success.

Past Principals

* Dr. (Mrs.) Wimala De Silva – Jan 1953 – Dec 1966 * Kalyani De Zoysa – Jan 1966 – May 1985 * Mercy Edussuriya – Jan 1986 – Sep 1986 * Soma Subasinghe – May 1987 – Dec 1987 * Jayanthi Pinnagoda – Jan 1988 – April 1995 * Kalyani Lakshman – June 1995 – March 2000 * Ranuka Malalasekara – Nov 2004 — 2008 * W.D.P.K. Samarasinghe – 2009 — 2023 * Subhashini Dematagoda — 2023 to 2024 * Nilakshika Hapugoda - 2025 to Current

Notable alumni

* Saroja Sirisena - Diplomat, former

Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom The Sri Lankan high commissioner to the United Kingdom is the Sri Lankan envoy to United Kingdom. Countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations typically exchange high commissioners, rather than ambassadors. Though there are a few technica ...

, former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Austria * Seetha Arambepola - Member of Parliament (National List) (2020-present), Governor of the Western Province (2019-2020)

Sources

* Devi Archive and PPA news letters by Iresha Wijayabandara {{Education in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1953 Girls' schools in Sri Lanka National schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Colombo Buddhist organizations 1953 establishments in Ceylon Religious organizations established in 1953