D. S. Senanayake College (; ; also referred to as DS and DSSC) is a boys' primary and secondary national school in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It was established on 10 February 1967 with R. I. T. Alles as the founding principal, and was named after the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, D. S. Senanayake.

It provides education from Grades 1 to 13 in Sinhalese, Tamil and English languages. It was established on what was then known as Gregory Road but was renamed to R. G. Senanayake Mawatha in 2013.

History In 1965, the number of requests to admit children into the Royal College Primary had become excessive. Thus the Minister of Education I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla took the initiative to build a new school in Cinnamon Gardens on the lines of Royal College, Colombo. In 1967, Iriyagolla began the ground work for establishing the school. It was named after D. S. Senanayake, who was the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) after gaining independence. R. I. T. Alles, an assistant principal at Royal College became the head teacher of the new school. The location where the college stands today was at that time called the Kumbikale jungle.

As a resolution the Ministry of Education had taken a decision to increase the number of primary schools, to meet the increasing demand of parents enrolling their children to Colombo schools. The secretary of the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, M. J. Perera, was assigned to find a suitable plot of land to start the new school. Accordingly, the empty plot of land situated down the Gregory's road normally "Kubi Kelle" adjoining Kinsy road was selected for the purpose with another land bounded the said premises which belonged to the Ministry of Defense and also was acquired building plans were prepared and implemented by the state engineering co - operation.

Alles who had been an assistant teacher at Royal College had been appointed as the principal of D. S. Senanayake College. He was helped by the principal of Royal College, B. Premarathne. The cadet platoon of the Royal College also cleaned the land holding a shramadana. Five assistant teachers and office equipment were donated by the Royal College.

Principals

Name Tenure R. I. T. Alles1967 - 1982P. Samarahnayake1982 - 1984 S. M. A. Jiif. A. Mayadunne1984 - 1989R. I. T. Alles1989 - 1992Somabandhu Kodikara1992 - 1995G. C. Adikari1995 - 1999Asoka Senani Hewage1999 - 2010 D. M. D. Dissanayake2010 - 2016R. M. M. Rathnayake2016 - 2020 Prasanna Udumuhandiram2020 - 2023Sampath Weragoda2023–present

Hostel The school has a hostel which provides accommodation to over 200 students. The hostel was opened in January 2003 by the Minister of Education, Karunasena Kodituwakku. The students were admitted to the hostel for the first time in February 2003.

War memorial Senanayakians were the first to establish a War Heroes’ Monument within the premises of a school. About 33 old Senanayakians sacrificed their lives during the civil war. https://archives1.dailynews.lk/2013/07/12/local/ranaviru-day-ds-senanayake-college

Sports Cricket The Battle of the Golds is the annual cricket encounter between D. S. Senanayake College and Mahanama College. It began in 2007 and is played in three formats: three-day, one-day, and T20.https://island.lk/inaugural-dss-mahanama-t20-big-match-today/

The ‘Bridges of Brotherhood’ is an annual 50-over encounter played with St. Anthony's College, Kandy, inaugurated in 2026. https://island.lk/ds-to-face-st-anthonys-in-bridges-of-brotherhood-cricket-encounter/

Rugby Rugby was introduced to college in 1974. The college currently competes in Division 1 of the Dialog Schools Rugby League. The school annually competes for the R. I. T. Alles Memorial Challenge Trophy rugby encounter with Zahira College and Alles Cup played with St. Anthony’s Collegehttps://www.ft.lk/sports/5th-R-I-T-Alles-Trophy-rugby-on-Saturday/23-779135

Notable alumni

Name Notability Ref. electrical engineer, environmentalist and social activist Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councillor (1988–1993), acting Diyawadana Nilame, Temple of the Tooth (1975–2005) international cricket player (1984–2003) Surgeon and academic Azath SalleyGovernor of the Western Province (2019), Acting Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Colombo (2002-06), Leader of the National Unity Alliance (2017-Present) Member of parliament – Anuradhapura Electoral District (2010–2024) transgender actress, human rights activist international cricket player (2015–present) Judge of the Court of Appeal (since 2024) President appoints new judges to Court of Appeal international cricket player (1986–2004) international cricket player (2009–present) Major General, Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army (2020–present) international cricket player (1986–1987) singer, musician, music producer Presenter international cricket player (1998–2002) filmmaker Major General, General Officer Commanding of the 58 Division (2020–present) international cricket player (1993–1994) cricketer 2002 - 2003Premnath C. DolawatteAttorney-at-Law, Member of Parliament - Colombo (2020 - 2024), and LGBT+ rights advocate Colonel, former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps (2004–2005) Member of parliament – Colombo Electoral District (2015–2024) Western Provincial Councillor (2014–present) Megha SooriyaarachchiFilm Actor, Top 10 Finalist – Mister World 2024

References

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