Diemazz

University of Ceylon
Motto:	Sarvasya Locanam Śāstram Sanskrit, "Knowledge is the eye unto all"
Established:	1942, dissolved 1978
Location:	Main Campuses were in Peradeniya & Colombo, senate located in Colombo, Ceylon

The University of Ceylon was the only university in Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) from 1942 until 1978. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Ceylon. In 1978 it was separated into four independent universities. These are the University of Colombo, the University of Peradeniya, Vidyodaya University and the University of Kelaniya.

History

Agitation for the provision of higher education in the island and for the establishment of a University began by the mid 19th century. This agitation gathered momentum by the beginning of the 20th century and the Ceylon University Association, formed in 1906 by a group of western educated elite, urged the establishment of a national University. Owing to the persistent demands of the Association the government decided in 1913 to set up a University College affiliated to the University of London.

However, indecision regarding the nature and status of the institution to be set up, its location, and eventually the intervention of the First World War hindered further progress and it was only in 1920 that the government purchased a private building called the "Regina Walawwa" which came to be known as "College House" for the purpose of setting up the University College. The University College Colombo was formally declared open in January 1921 in the building that was originally the main building of Royal College located on Thurstan Road opposite College House.

From its inception, the University College was regarded as only a preliminary step, a half-way house, the ultimate goal being the establishment of a fully fledged degree granting University. The University of Ceylon was established on 1 July 1942 by the Ceylon University Ordinance No.20 of 1942. The University was to be located in Peradeniya and was to be unitary, residential and autonomous. With the establishment of the University, the two Colleges, the Ceylon Medical College and the Ceylon University College, lost their separate identities and were absorbed into the new Institution.

The first official announcement of the creation of a separate University in Colombo was made in Parliament in the Throne Speech of 1967. The necessary legislation for this purpose had been prepared by the Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs under section 34 of the Higher Education Act No. 20 of 1966 on the recommendation of the National Council of Higher Education. The new University which came into existence on 1 October 1967 with the Colombo Campus as its nucleus had initially a student population of nearly 5000 reading for degrees in Arts, Law, the Sciences and Medicine and a teaching staff of nearly 300.

The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, which replaced the Higher Education Act of 1966 altered the complexion of the hitherto familiar University structure. The four independent autonomous universities (University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, University of Ceylon, Colombo, Vidyodaya University of Ceylon and Vidyalankara University of Ceylon) which had been set up by then and the Ceylon College of Technology at Katubedda became Campuses of a single University styled the University of Sri Lanka. Its headquarters designated "Senate House" was located in Colombo. This arrangement did not last very long. With the promulgation of the Universities Act. No 16 of 1978, University status was again restored to the Campuses and the Colombo Campus of the University of Sri Lanka was renamed the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the name and style by which it is known today.

Notable alumni

• President J.R. Jayawardene -Former President & Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
• Hon Ranil Wickramasinghe, MP - Former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka & current Leader of the Opposition.'
• Sri Lankabhimanya Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC - Former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka.
• Dr.Nissanka Wijeyeratne, CCS - ex Cabinet Minister of Education, Higher Education & Justice, Member of Parliament, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Russian Federation, a former Permanent Secretary & Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa,Kandy.
• Dr. N. M. Perera -Former Cabinet Minister & Member of Parliament.

• Prof. S. "SAM" Karunaratne - Former Vice Chancellor of University of Moratuwa, current president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology.
• Vidya Jyothi Prof.V. K. Samaranayake - former Dean of the Faculty of Science and Founder of University of Colombo School of Computing, University of Colombo
• Dr Ediriweera Sarachchandra, Sri Lanka's premier playwright and ex Sri Lankan Ambassador to France
• Deshamanya Dr Vernon Mendis - Sri Lankan Diplomat and United Nations Special Envoy to the Middle East
• Dr Harischandra Wijayatunga, well known non-fiction writer, lexicographer and politician.
• Prof. P.W. Epasinghe
• Prof. Joseph Valentine
• Prof. Malin De Silva
• Malik Peiris, Discovery of SARS Virus
• Dr. Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Balzan Prize recipient, 1997
• Vidyaj Jyothi Prof. Osmond Jayaratne - Professor of Physics, University of Colombo and left wing politician.
• Cardinal Thomas Cooray, OMI - Cardinal and former Archbishop of Colombo
• Iranganie Serasinghe -Film actress
• Dr. Chandana Jayaratne
• Hon. Thilak Karunaratne, MP
• Dr. Ruwan Weerasinghe
• Dr. Ajantha Athukorale
• Prof. W.D.Laxman
• Dr. Gihan Wickramanayake
• Nash Narenthira

External links

• University of Peradeniya
• University of Colombo
• University of Sri Jayewardenepura

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