St. John's College (; ; SJC) is a private school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1823 by British Anglican missionaries, it is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools.

History In 1817 the Anglican Church Mission Society (CMS) approved the establishment of missions in Ceylon. On 20 December 1817 four clergymen – Joseph Knight, Samuel Lambrick, Robert Major and Benjamin Ward – and their wives left England and sailed to Ceylon on board the Vittoria. They arrived in late June 1818. Knight went to Jaffna, Lambrick went to Colombo, Major and his wife went to Galle and Ward and his wife to Trincomalee. Knight started his missionary work in 1818 in Nallur.

The Nallur English Seminary was established in March 1823 by Knight. The school had only 7 students and was located in Knight's bungalow. In 1845 the school was relocated to Chundikuli and renamed the Chundikuli Seminary.

In the same year the Church Mission Society took over the old Portuguese St. John the Baptist church. In 1846 the school moved into a hall next to the church. The church was demolished in 1859 and replaced by the current church.

The school was renamed St. John's College in 1891. The free education system was introduced by the government in 1945 but SJC chose to remain outside the system. In 1951 SJC joined the free education system. Most private schools in Ceylon were taken over by the government in 1960 but SJC chose to remain as a private and non-fee levying school.

SJC's principal C. E. Anandarajah was shot dead on 26 June 1985 in Jaffna. It is alleged that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam assassinated Anandarajan for organising a cricket match with the Sri Lankan military.

Big Match

SJC plays Jaffna Central College in the annual cricket match known as the "Battle of the North". The first match took place in 1904. This is the longest running cricket encounter in the Jaffna peninsula and the 3rd oldest cricket encounter in Sri lanka

Principals

1823-1825 Rev. Joseph Knight 1825-1839 Rev. W. Adley 1839-1841 Rev. F. W. Taylor 1841-1846 Rev. I. T. Johnstone 1846-1866 Rev. R. Pargiter 1866-1874 Rev. T. Good 1874-1878 Rev. D. Wood 1878-1879 Rev. E. Blackmore 1879-1889 Rev. G. T. Fleming 1889-1892 Rev. C. C. Handy (Acting) 1892-1895 Rev. J. W. Fall 1895-1899 Rev. I. Carter 1899-1900 Rev. R. W. Ryde 1900-1919 Rev. Jacob Thompson 1919 Rev. K. C. Mc Pherson (Acting) 1920-1940 Rev. Henry Peto 1940-1957 Rev. J. T. Arulanantham 1957-1959 P. T. Mathai 1959-1966 A. W. Rajasekeram 1967-1976 K. Pooranampillai 1976-1985 C. E. Anandarajan 1985-1987 T. Gunaseelan 1987 K. Pooranampillai 1988-1993 Dr. E. S. Thevasagayam 1990-1993 S. Thanapalan (Acting) 1993-2006 S. Thanapalan 2006-2019 Rev. N. J. Gnanaponrajah 2019 Ven. Samuel J. Ponniah (Acting) 2020- V. S. B. Thuseetharan

Notable alumni

Name Notability Reference Bishop of Jaffna (Church of South India) (1971–1993) Principal St. John's College, Jaffna (1976–1985) Principal St. John's College, Jaffna (1940–1957) Vice-chancellor Eastern University (1986–1996) Director of Irrigation, author Major general Chief of the Defence Staff (1992) President and Vice-chancellor University of Leicester (2019–present)

Pro-vice-chancellor University of Bristol (2014 - 2019) leader Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi/Tamil United Liberation Front, member parliament – Kankesanthurai (1947–1952, 1956–1977) Solicitor General (1950–1951) member parliament – Jaffna (1960–1965), Mayor of Jaffna (1970–1975) member parliament – National List (2004–2007) academic, human rights activist academic, professor electrical engineering musician, songwriter, record producer academic, professor signal & information processing Bishop of Jaffna (Church of South India) (1947–1970) Governor of Western Province (2015–present) member parliament – Colombo (2004–2008) acting Governor-General (1954), acting Chief Justice (1954), Attorney General (1946–1947) Puisne Judge – Supreme Court of Belize (1985–1993), Chief Magistrate of Belize, Senior State Advocate of Zambia Gate Mudaliyar, President of the Jaffna Co-operative Bank member parliament – Jaffna (2001–2006), Mayor of Jaffna (2001) Mayor of Jaffna (1949, 1952–1955) Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice (1951–1955) member parliament – Medawachchiya (1947–1989), Governor of North Central Province (1994–1998) journalist, editor – Thinakaran (1961–1994) member parliament – Vavuniya (1947–1960) Supreme Court Judge (1960–1972) educationist vice-chancellor University of Jaffna (1979–1988) member parliament – Kurunegala, Governor of North Central Province (1988–1989) member parliament – Jaffna (1977–1983)

See also List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka

Notes

References

External links

St. John's College Old Boys Association Old Boys Association, Sydney, Australia Old Boys Association, Victoria, Australia Old Boys Association, South Sri Lanka Chundikuli St. John's Past Pupils Association, UKA Church of Ceylon - The Anglican Church in Sri Lanka