Royal College celebrates 177 years of pride, honour and responsibility

Royal College, ranked among the best schools in the country, celebrates 177 years of education inculcating pride, honour and responsibility.

Students of Royal are from varying social backgrounds, ethnicities and religious faith. Since 1835, Royal College has produced outstanding individuals from many walks of life, and they have played a key role in shaping the nation, its politics, professions and development.

Being in the forefront of education, the school has always adapted to the changing pace of the world to prepare its students to face their future, knowledgably and confidently. Royal offers an exemplary education system and excellent supportive facilities that has helped students over the years excel in many areas.

Currently, the school offers one of the best Information Communication Technology (ICT) Programmes in the country and its’ students have been globally acknowledged and awarded for their innovations.

While instilling ‘pride and honour’ remains at the core of the school’s education belief system, ‘responsibility’ plays a key role in its actions. Throughout its history, Royal College has strongly inculcated among its students the responsibility that goes with being a leading school in the country.

The school encourages students to interact with other schools and children, share with them and more importantly learn from them. Students are encouraged to actively initiate and participate in community development programmes across the country. This is a continuous effort by Royal to make its students more conscious of the country and their fellow citizens, expose them to different life circumstances and help them be better citizens.

Commenting on the schools recent 177th milestone, Principal of Royal College Upali Gunasekara said: “Royal does not claim to be the leader, but we do lead in certain ways. We are not the best of innovators, but we do innovate in unique and significant ways. We excel in what we do because of our heritage and history of 177 years. We are, in this sense, expected to lead, to set an example, to innovate and be among the best educational institutions in the country. It is with humility that I say that we have not failed. We have delivered. Indeed delivered often and often beyond expectation.”

He added: “Royal has always given confidence to the weak, made the average student push themselves above the average and encouraged those who are above average to be exceptional. We do all this keeping pride, honour and responsibility at heart.”

Throughout the school’s 177 year journey, the Royal College Union (RCU) has played a vital role in spreading the values of the school to the world outside. The RCU, which consists of former students of Royal College was established in 1891 and has completed 121 years of existence.

The RCU endeavours to serve one cause and that is the school. Making unprecedented levels of volunteer contributions in terms of time, effort and finances, with much loyalty, commitment and enthusiasm, members of the RCU have engaged in development work of the school, its student population, the academic and non academic staff.

Further having realised its responsibility to the community outside the boundaries of the school, the RCU has extended its support to many other schools and institutions in all parts of the country.

Commenting on some key projects by the RCU, Secretary of the Union Manju Ariyaratne said, “From our pioneering Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of organising the annual EDEX exhibition, Sri Lanka’s largest higher education and careers exhibition, to the management of the Royal Nelung Centre (RNC), an institution dedicated to all forms dance, drama, arts and other forms of aesthetic studies, we work tirelessly to improve our community at large and open opportunities for future generations.”

He further notes that the union has launched many ‘Green Initiatives’ within and outside the school such as rain water harvesting, bio gas generation, reforestation and waste segregation. Its latest CSR project, titled ‘Live Your Dream,’ has resulted in the donation of a brand new library and upgrading of two other school libraries located in Jaffna, Trincomalee and Kegalle districts.

Ariyaratne in retrospect of the school’s 177-year heritage said: “We as a responsible alumnus will always strive to take forward the values of pride, honour and responsibility we learnt at Royal College to the world at large.”