Methodist Central College is a
provincial school
Provincial may refer to:
Government & Administration
* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country
* Provincial city (disambiguation)
* Provincial minister (disambiguation)
* Provincial Secretary, a position in Cana ...
in
Batticaloa
Batticaloa (, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu'', ; , ''Maḍakalapuwa'', ) is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern Univers ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
History
Methodist Central College was established in 1814 by Rev. William Ault, one of the
Wesleyan Methodist missionaries to
Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The missionaries sailed to Ceylon from
Portsmouth, England
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in England not located primarily on the ...
on 30 December 1813, landing in Ceylon on 29 June 1814. Methodist Central College was the first educational institution in
Batticaloa
Batticaloa (, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu'', ; , ''Maḍakalapuwa'', ) is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern Univers ...
.
In the early years, according to Shirley Somanader, "the Boys’ school was held on the verandah facing College House (presently the Puliyantivu Methodist Minister’s Manse)".
Somander also wrote, "In 1859, the new school was completed at a cost of 350 British Pounds."
At the bicentennial of the College in 2014, according to the school's alumni association, "In recognising and commemorating this historic event, the Government of Sri Lanka has approved the release of a new stamp this year. Since the inception of this college in 1814, its profound achievements in the arenas of culture, education and religion have kept on flourishing on the island."
See also
*
List of schools in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The following is a list of schools in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The Eastern Province ( ''Næ̆gĕnahira Paḷāta'' , ''Kiḻakku Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. ...
References
External links
* {{YouTube, id=GrXe7YNUPlo, title=Methodist central college big match 2017 (video, 5:33 minutes)
Former Methodist schools in Sri Lanka
Provincial schools in Sri Lanka
Schools in Batticaloa