Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda, known as the largest Buddhist girls’ school in South Asia, has brought glory to our motherland for nearly a century.
In its history of 82 years, the school has produced professionals, sportswomen, artists and other multi-talented women across various sectors.
Anula Vidyalaya was set up on January 4, 1941 by Dr. E. W. Adikaram with only 38 students and five teachers. The school based on Buddhist values aimed to inculcate in its students the virtues of non-violence and self-discipline and stay true to its motto ‘Rise Without Delay’.
Its sole aim is not only to shape the students into perfect women in every aspect but also to maintain the educational progress of the school to the highest levels year after year. P.B. Fernando, one of its pioneer principals who served the school from 1941-1956 donated her entire monthly salary to obtain a plot of land for the school and set up a scholarship system for students.
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| G.C.E. O/L teachers |
Today, the school and the responsibility of 5,500 students is shouldered by Vayoni Vishaka Rajapaksha, the 17th principal of the school. It has 210 teaching staff and 43 non-academic staff. The school which commenced with 38 students has passed many key milestones since.
Academic achievements
Under the guidance of the current principal and past principals Anoma Dassanayake and Ashini Kodituwakku and the dedication of the students, the school has performed brilliantly in the Advanced Level, Ordinary Level and Scholarship examinations in recent times.
The most recent achievement in this journey of academic success was marked in the recent Ordinary Level examinations of 2022 with Anula Vidyalaya becoming one of the schools with the best results in the island. It also became the school with the best performance in the Sri Jayewardenapura education zone. The school obtained the most number of A passes in the zone while of 361 students who sat the examination, 350 qualified to sit for the Advanced Level recording a achievement level of 97 percent.
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| Principal Vayoni Vishaka Rajapaksha |
Among the school’s achievements, 104 students obtained 9As and 34 obtained 8As. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the school obtained these remarkable results due to the dedication of its teachers who implemented a plan to prepare the students for the examination.
Of the 361 students who sat the examination, 257 students obtained A passes for Buddhism, while 231, 226, 193, 212, 148 and 116 obtained A passes for Sinhala, English, Mathematics, History, Science and Commerce.
One-hundred percent of the students who sat the Hindi Language paper passed it while 10 of the 11 who sat the Japanese Language paper obtained A passes. Six of the 23 who appeared for the Tamil language paper and 27 of 48 for English literature obtained A passes.
The school’s program initiated following the reopening of the country after Covid-19, must be commended for the brilliant results achieved by the students. Classes were conducted online during the pandemic according to a set timetable while term tests and assignments were conducted in a timely manner under the supervision of the teachers.
A program titled Niwaduwata Aruthak was also conducted to cover certain important topics while a program titled Arunodaya was held every morning for revision of subjects. The teachers spent their time and efforts to educate the students even during the holidays to prepare them for the examination.
The school also conducted results development programs and seminars by veterans in the field to explain difficult lessons to the students. The school development committee and the Past Pupils Association rendered a great service to support these efforts of the principal and staff.
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| Students in the laboratory |
Students achieving good results at the Ordinary Level examination have their name and picture put up on the school’s Golden Wall which also acts as a form of motivation to other students. The school has also adopted a ‘Red Lotus Concept’ to encourage the students. Under this, students obtaining 9 A passes are taken on a school-sponsored trip to Anuradhapura where they are able to make an offering of Red Lotuses. All classes display a Red Lotus to remind the students of this program and motivate them.
The mathematics camp and science practicals seminar held with the support of University students also helped the students to achieve good results. These efforts led by principal Rajapaksa were supported by deputy principals Yasantha Piyadigamage, A.A.J.J. Amaratunge, J. Athokorale, H.H. Sriyani, C. Amarasinghe, K. Pradeep Darshana and Nishanthika Vellapuli, Section head Vajirapani Aravinda, Grade 11 head Manjula Samanmali, Grade 10 head Supun Nirmal Boteju and other staff .
Green concept
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| The Principal with Deputy Principals Yasantha Piyadigamage, A.A.J.J. Amaratunge, J. Athokorale, H.H. Sriyani, C. Amarasinghe, K. Pradeep Darshana and Nishanthika Vellapuli |
The students have also showcased their talent in extracurricular activities. Amid the Covid-19 outbreak and obstacles caused by it, the school was able to win first and third place in the Colombo district and Western Province Karate championships 2020. Its students won at the Western Province Chess tournament and qualified to play at the all-island tournament. It won big at national volleyball and netball tournaments.
All classrooms in the school have been formed under a green concept to support students in their studies. The Environmental Society of the school won a presidential award in 2021 while also winning many more awards at the Children’s Day program organised by the Central Environment Authority.
The Past Pupils Association has also dedicated itself for the betterment of the school and commenced building an indoor stadium and an auditorium. A concert titled ‘Anu 2023’ will be held at the Nelum Pokuna theatre on April 22 at 7 p.m to raise funds for the projects.
