It all began in the late 19th Century…

During the time of British Imperialism when the Sinhalese were on the verge of losing their innate Sinhala Buddhist identity, and with the growth and expansion of the Christian missionary education in Ceylon, the need arose to educate them by combining the English language as a medium of education.

Amid religious restlessness, Sinhala Buddhist elites, some of who were heavily influenced by the Theosophical Society, stepped forward and became the life-blood of the Sinhala -Buddhist revival movement. Realizing the need and the necessity to empower young Buddhist girls on par with the missionary education, Mr. William de Abrew, a philanthropist and an affluent member of the Theosophical Society, followed by his son Mr. Peter de Abrew took the initiative to form a new structured educational institute in Cinnamon Gardens. They recognized the talents and administrative skills of the German born Educationalist, Mrs. Marie Musaeus Higgins who was also a part of the Theosophical society to commission the school, which they named, Musaeus Buddhist Girls’ School.

In 1891, Musaeus College was born in a simple mud hut with a thatched roof, with 12 girls. With time, it evolved into a grand edifice formed on a firm foundation laid by our Founders, Mrs. Marie Musaeus Higgins, Mr. Peter de Abrew, Col. Henry Steel Olcott and Ms. Annie Besant. At present, Musaeus College houses over 6,500 students and an academic faculty of 362. Both the National and British Curricula are followed by giving our students an opportunity to expand their horizons in this fast-paced competitive world.

Musaeus College amidst challenges and obstacles

The Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, followed by the pandemic situation soon after, disrupted the smooth functioning of schools and created a standstill in all aspects of our lives. Being visionaries, the management of Musaeus College, had already implemented digitalization of teaching and learning of the school, by purchasing Smart Boards and offering teacher-training, unaware that this will be a blessing in disguise during this unforeseen time. Thirty Master- Teachers had already been given training in this field and were well- geared to this challenge of using online platforms for teaching, learning and testing, by the time Covid 19 afflicted our island. Since the teachers were well equipped with the tech- knowledge, within a short span of time Muasaus College launched Microsoft Teams as their digital platform as soon as lockdowns were imposed. With this, Musaeus College became a pioneer and a model school where a virtual, structured, and formal teaching plan was implemented from the Lower Nursery classes to the Advanced Level classes.

By this time the College was in the forefront in completing the academic curriculum and received much praise from the school community and the general public.

We went a step ahead by introducing an evaluation system for all grades, paying special attention to students who were preparing for National and International academic examinations such as GCE O/L, GCE A/L, Cambridge, and Pearson Edexcel examinations.

The constant lockdowns at different time periods restricted our functioning and this had a huge negative impact on our students whose carefree school life had come to an abrupt halt. The teachers, understanding their students’ plight, took the initiative to continue with the extra-curricular activities and sports training through virtual platforms. Presently the school has more than 25 clubs and societies and many of these organized virtual Intra-school and Inter-school events. The students participated in International Competitions and won World Prizes.

A virtual Vesak festival, Debating Competitions, most Inter-House Competitions, Young Inventors, Wild Life Conservation seminars, five-day virtual Guide Camp, motivational sessions, and student Power Hours etc. were continued uninterrupted. Further, many other activities such as text book distribution, admission interviews, plant distribution for the newly admitted Grade 1 students and even an all-night Pirith Ceremony in memory of our Founders were conducted virtually and Drive Thru modes. The highlight of this was the ‘Drive Thru Prize Giving’ where 742 students received their prizes.

As Musaeus College reaches another milestone in her long epic journey of 130 years, we pledge to continue to carry forward the vision and legacy of our Founders into the future.

Long live Musaeus College.

Musaeus College celebrates

130 years of excellence

By Principal, Mrs. Nelum Senadira