Ananda College

Celebrates 135th Anniversary on 1st November, 2021

A.P. Gunaratne, Principal of Ananda College (1987 to 1995)

by Meghavarna Kumarasinghe

In 1995 Mr. A. P. Gunaratne completed his 60th year and had to retire from the position of Principal, Ananda College, Colombo, according to the rules. But appeals by the Ananda College Old Boys Association and Parents–Teachers Association saw President Chandrika Kumaratunga approving a three-year service extension – the first ever granted to a National School principal. But this was not to be.

He didn’t get the letter of extension and found on inquiry that although the directive had been received, it had been taken from the Secretary to the Ministry by the Minister who wanted Gunaratne to collect it personally from him. Gunaratne refused as relations between him and the minister were strained over a school admission matter. The granting of an extension was not officially conveyed to the school, and on the due date, Gunaratne handed over the college keys and duties to the deputy principal, after duly informing the ministry, and then went home.

Ahangama Gamage Don Piyasena Gunaratne popularly known among his colleagues as A. P. Gunaratne was born on April 18, 1935. The eldest in a family of nine siblings his parents were A. G. Don Pedrick Gunaratne, a businessman, and Ahangama Vithanage Somawathie.

Gunaratne began his primary education at the Sripada College Hatton and later entered Dharmaraja College Kandy to Std. Three. After completing his secondary education there, he entered the University of Ceylon Peradeniya, reading Economics, History and Sinhala for a Bachelor of Arts Degree. After his final examination in 1960, A. P. Gunaratne joined the staff of Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala , as a teacher and devoted his entire life to the teaching profession.

In 1968, Gunaratne received an appointment as a Lecturer at the Teacher Training College at Katukurunda and was subsequently promoted to Grade 1 Special Post. He returned to Dharmaraja College in 1971 as Vice Principal and in due course was appointed Principal, serving in this capacity for nearly 14 years. He was promted to Class 1 of the Sri Lanka Educational Service in 1986.

A year later, his abilities and a teacher and administrator were recognized by the Ministry of Education and he was selected to succeed Colonel V. S. Kudaligama as Principal of Ananda College – the sixth Dharmaraja Principal to head Ananda.

There, a major school development program was undertaken under Gunaratne’s leadership including the building of principal’s quarters within the College premises, renovation and restoration of old buildings including the Olcott Hall, the hostel, the Buddha Jayanthi Mandiraya, the five-storey science building and the year six and commerce sections.

The Ananda College Old Boys Association had long sought the acquisition of an adjoining property belonging to Mackwood & Company Ltd. with little success. But during Gunaratne’s period this land was vacated and handed over to the Ananda OBA under Dr. H.S. Perera. A swimming pool fund was launched, the pool built and declared open by President Premadasa on April 2, 1993. A Mackwoods factory building was renovated and converted to a gymnasium.

During the Gunaratne era, the annual prize giving was re-organized, sports activities were administered under a newl organized Sports Council comprising the Prefect of Games, all masters-in-charge of sports and the college team captains. Ananda won numerous championships in athletics, cricket, cadeting, tennis and swimming during this period. The college was runners-up in the President’s Trophy for Rugby 1991 and 1992 beating all schools except Isipathana. The Gunaratne period saw the award of college colors to accomplished sportsmen and the ” Colours Nite”, a colorful and popular annual event among students, teachers, parents and old boys was begun.

The Scout Movement at Ananda was revived and cub scouting from grade three made available. The concept of adventure was introduced and the College Scouts Himalayan Hill Climb program became very popular and received much publicity. Gunaratne initiated the forming of Ananda College Past Teachers Association in 1992. This is today a well organized and vigorous body.

In 1971, he married Sunethra Illeperuma. an English trained teacher and their happy union was blessed with two children. Daham is a Managing Director of a firm and their daughter is still studying.

After retirement in 1995, Gunaratne worked on UNICEF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank projects and has assisted the University’s Education Faculty in training school principals and school management. He was a Council Member of the University of Colombo and also a member of the Academic Syndicate of the Institute of Human Resources Advancement from 1996 to 2015.