Royal College is the biggest school in Sri Laka. Currently there are about more than 9500 students are educating. The school was started in the year of 1835 by Rev. Joseph Marsh. At the beginning there were twenty students. Later a one year in 1836 the British Governor Sir Robert Willmot established a Colombo Academy.
Mr. Marsh was the head master of the school and he was under the British government. At that time English was the main language in the school. In 1859 the Queens College, Colombo was established as the first institution of higher education in Ceylon, affiliated to the University of Calcutta it prepared students from the Colombo Academy for entrance examinations of English universities. In 1881 it was renamed Royal College Colombo with the royal consent of Queen Victoria. The Gazette Notification giving Her Majesty's approval to change the name of the school appeared on July 31, 1881. The same year the first cadet battalion in Ceylon was formed at the College, attached to the Ceylon Light Infantry. The Royal College Union was formed in 1891 as the first alumni society in the country.
In 1911, work commenced on a new building for the school in Reid Avenue, in November 1911 during construction of this building it was hit by an aircraft that was trying the establish the record for the first flight over Ceylon in November 1911 On August 27, 1913 the school was moved to thin new building at Reid Avenue (which is now the main building of the University of Colombo). Ten years later on October 10, 1923 the school moved once again, this time to the newly built Victorian styled building further down Reid Avenue, which it still occupies.
Mr. Marsh was the head master of the school and he was under the British government. At that time English was the main language in the school. In 1859 the Queens College, Colombo was established as the first institution of higher education in Ceylon, affiliated to the University of Calcutta it prepared students from the Colombo Academy for entrance examinations of English universities. In 1881 it was renamed Royal College Colombo with the royal consent of Queen Victoria. The Gazette Notification giving Her Majesty's approval to change the name of the school appeared on July 31, 1881. The same year the first cadet battalion in Ceylon was formed at the College, attached to the Ceylon Light Infantry. The Royal College Union was formed in 1891 as the first alumni society in the country.
In 1911, work commenced on a new building for the school in Reid Avenue, in November 1911 during construction of this building it was hit by an aircraft that was trying the establish the record for the first flight over Ceylon in November 1911 On August 27, 1913 the school was moved to thin new building at Reid Avenue (which is now the main building of the University of Colombo). Ten years later on October 10, 1923 the school moved once again, this time to the newly built Victorian styled building further down Reid Avenue, which it still occupies.
This move was due to the suggestion made by a higher education committee in 1914, which suggested that Royal College should be converted into a University College. Due to the objections made by past pupils of the Royal College Union, especially by the speeches made by Frederick Dornhorst, KC, the then Governor of Ceylon, Lord Chalmers instead created a separate University College named University College Colombo, at the schools former premises which became the University of Colombo in the later years.
With the introduction of free education in Ceylon in 1931, Royal stopped charging fees from its students thus proving education free of charge to this day.
With the introduction of free education in Ceylon in 1931, Royal stopped charging fees from its students thus proving education free of charge to this day.
source - wikipedia.org
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