Jaffna College facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jaffna Collegeயாழ்ப்பாணக் கல்லூரி
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| Coordinates | 9°43′45.20″N 79°56′54.30″E / 9.7292222°N 79.9484167°E |
| Information | |
| School type | Private 1AB |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christianity |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Founded | 1871 |
| School district | Valikaamam Education Zone |
| Authority | Board of Directors of Jaffna College |
| School number | 1011032 |
| Principal | Rushira Kulasingham |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| School roll | 1,998 |
| Language | Tamil, English |
Jaffna College is a private school located in Vaddukoddai, Sri Lanka. It was started in 1871. The school took over from an older school called Batticotta Seminary. American missionaries had built the seminary before.
The Story of Jaffna College
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How American Missionaries Started Schools
In 1816, a group of American missionaries came to Jaffna. They formed the American Ceylon Mission. This group set up many missions and schools across the Jaffna peninsula. One of their missions was in Vaddukoddai.
Their very first school was the Common Free School. This school is now known as Union College in Tellippalai.
The Batticotta Seminary and Its Purpose
In 1823, the missionaries opened the Batticotta Seminary in Vaddukoddai. This school was for the smartest boys in the area. The main goal of the seminary was to teach the boys about Christianity. However, most of the boys chose to keep their Hindu faith. Because of this, the seminary closed down around 1855.
Jaffna College Begins
After the seminary closed, its former students and other local Christians wanted to reopen it. They worked hard to make this happen. In 1871, Jaffna College officially opened. It was built on the same land where the old seminary used to be.
Evelyn Rutnam Institute: A Place for Learning
The Evelyn Rutnam Institute for Inter-Cultural Studies is a special place in Jaffna. It was created to honor Evelyn Wijeyaratne Rutnam. She was the wife of Dr. James T. Rutnam.
Dr. Rutnam loved books and research. He had a huge collection of books and articles. Many smart people, like university professors and lawyers, would visit him to use his library. Later, Dr. Rutnam gave his amazing collection of books to Jaffna College. He also helped build a special building in Jaffna to keep these books for research. This building is the Evelyn Rutnam Institute. It is still managed by the American Missionaries. It shows Dr. Rutnam's love for learning and his wish to help young students.
The Big Match: A Cricket Rivalry
Jaffna College has an exciting yearly cricket match. They play against St. Patrick's College, Jaffna. This big game is called the Battle of the Golds. The very first match happened way back in 1917. It's a long-standing tradition!
Famous People Who Attended Jaffna College
Many students from Jaffna College have gone on to do great things. Here are some of the notable alumni:
- Allen Abraham – An expert in academics and astronomy.
- D. J. Ambalavanar – A Church of South India Bishop of Jaffna.
- S. Arasaratnam – A Professor of History.
- K. Arulanandan – A Professor of Engineering.
- A. Arulpiragasam – A Commissioner of Elections.
- Y. Balaretnarajah – The Chief of the Defence Staff for Sri Lanka.
- K. Balasingam – A Member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon.
- V. Balasubramaniam – A successful businessman.
- J. V. Chelliah – The Vice Principal of Jaffna College.
- R. C. S. Cooke – A Senior Assistant Commissioner for Co-operative Development.
- Valentine Daniel – An academic and anthropologist.
- Waithilingam Duraiswamy – The Speaker of the State Council of Ceylon.
- A. Gnanathasan – A Deputy Solicitor General of Sri Lanka and President's Counsel.
- A. Gunanayagam – A Senior Deputy Auditor General.
- R. J. Gunaratnam – The Chairman of Ceyma Silk Industries.
- K. Indrapala – The Dean of Humanities at the Jaffna Campus of the University of Sri Lanka.
- D. B. S. Jeyaraj – A journalist.
- B. H. S. Jayewardene – The Editor of the Ceylon Daily News.
- S. Jebanesan – A Church of South India Bishop of Jaffna.
- Silan Kadirgamar – An academic and historian.
- S. R. Kanaganayagam – A Member of the Senate.
- K. Kandiah – A Lecturer at Cavendish Laboratory and instruments specialist.
- M. Kulasekaram – The Vice Principal of Royal College, Colombo.
- A. V. Kulasingham – The Editor of the Ceylon Daily News and Hindu Organ.
- S. Kulendran – A Church of South India Bishop of Jaffna.
- V. C. Manicam – An Auditor General.
- A. T. Moorthy – The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
- P. Nagalingam – A Member of the Senate.
- S. I. Navaratnam – The President of the British Medical Association (Ceylon).
- S. Pathmanathan – The Chancellor of the University of Jaffna.
- Handy Perinpanayagam – An independence activist.
- S. A. Raheem – A Member of Parliament for Mannar and High Commissioner.
- V. Ramaswamy – A Crown proctor and Chairman of Anuradhapura Urban Council.
- E. V. Ratnam – A surgeon and Member of Colombo Municipal Council.
- J. M. Sabaratnam – An Additional Government Agent.
- Joseph Sarvananthan – A Church of Ceylon Archdeacon of Jaffna.
- K. Sittambalam – The Director of Finance of General Treasury.
- S. Sivanayagam – The Editor of Saturday Review, Tamil Nation, and Hot Spring.
- P. Sriskandarajah – A Judge of the Supreme Court of Ceylon.
- Rajini Thiranagama – An academic and human rights activist.
- K. Thurairatnam – A Member of Parliament for Point Pedro.
- A. Vaidialingam – A founding member of the United Socialist Party.
- R. T. Vignaraja – A High Court Judge.
More Information
- List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka
