Annually children are enrolled into grade one for the new academic year, and due to the limited number of schools that can satisfy the demanding parental preferences a mighty rush is resulted in school admissions. Following is a guideline for the parents to plan out the admission process of their child:

  • There will be a paper advertisement appearing in all Catholic papers, publishing dates of the issuance of applications from the Catholic Private Schools in the Archdiocese of Colombo
  • This advertisement will appear in the papers during the month of January every year
  • The applications are generally issued by the schools between 15th of February and 15th of April every year
  • The applicant and the parents are called for an interview
  • Considering the suitability acceptable to the Archdiocesan Education Service, the children are selected.
  • The procedure is generally finalized by the 15th of August every year

In Catholic schools the priority and preference is given to Catholic children coming from Good Catholic Families. What qualifies a “Good Catholic Family” needs clarification. The success of a Catholic Education depends on a family environment that practices the Catholic faith in an active manner. This living faith within the Catholic family is vital to correspond with the education imparted in school if the desired effects are to be realized. If what is imparted in school contradicts and conflicts with what the child experiences at home the child will suffer confusion and uncertainty. To keep this possible confusion to the minimum at every intake a family’s active participation in the Parish Church activities is highly regarded as a valid testimony of their living faith. If a family is not involved in the Parish Church activities the aims and the purpose of a Catholic Education is not realized, and such families often than not fall short of meeting the highest expectations of the Church which is the patron of Catholic Education. Hence it is important that the following factors are carefully considered prior to school admissions.

  1. Getting one’s family registered in a Roman Catholic Parish (Family Book)
  2. An honest spiritual rapport with the Parish Priest who recommends the family (Parish Priest’s Letter of Recommendation)
  3. Sacramentalizing the marriage of the parents in the Catholic Church (Baptism Certificates of the parents and the Church Marriage Certificate)
  4. The Child having started attending the Parish Daham Pasala (Sunday School)
  5. Family’s active involvement in the Parochial events and associations:
  • Parents being members of the Parish Pastoral Council
  • Parents working in the pastoral committees of the Parish
  • Parents involvement in the Parish Apostolates and Associations

All in all, the family’s involvement in the Parish Community is a vital factor and a goal of an integral Catholic Education. Having had a Catholic education and not serving the faith community in the local Church is not the desired result and the aim of Catholic Education because it violates the principle that “you give back to the community what the community has given to you”. Atheism and anticlericalism should not be the predominant result of a Catholic Education. On the contrary if it happens increasingly as we now see in the behavior of those who have attended the best Catholic Colleges and Convents in the archdiocese, it is a violation of the whole foundational belief system of Catholic Faith and Education. A school’s identity as a Catholic School depends upon how much devout Catholic professional citizens it can produce who would in turn give back in service to humanity and God what they received from the Church and the Nation.

There are six types among Catholic Educational Institutions in Sri Lanka:

  1. Vested Schools
  2. Private Schools
  3. Branch Schools
  4. International Schools
  5. Priestly Formation Schools
  6. Special Education Schools

The Catholic Vested Schools are the schools that were taken over by the government in the year 1960. The Private Schools are the schools that remained with the proprietors to be run without having them vested in the government. The Branch Schools were started as a new venture as extensions of the existing Private Schools.

SCHOOLS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF COLOMBO

SCHOOL TELEPHONE GENDER CATEGORY
St. Bridget’s Convent (Upper) – Colombo 07 112695200 Girls’ School Fee-Levying
St. Bridget’s Convent (Primary) Colombo 07 112698505 Girls’ School Fee-Levying
Loyola College, Negombo 312277258 Mixed School Private School
Loyola College – Negombo, Bopitiya Branch 1124992626 Mixed School Private School
St. Aloysius Seminary, Borella 112673866 Boys’ School Fee-Levying
St. Lawrence’s Convent, Colombo 06 112581119 Girls’ School Private School
Good Shepherd Convent, Panadura 382235060 Girls’ School Private School
St. Joseph’s College, Nugegoda 115299472 Boys’ School Private School
Christ King College, Pannipitiya 114373795 Mixed School Private School
Christ King College – Pannipitiya, Weliveriya Branch 332257385 Mixed School Private School
Ave Maria Convent, Negombo 312227747 Girls’ School Private School
Maris Stella College, Negombo 312222219 Boys’ School Private School
Maris Stella College – Negombo, Thimbirigaskatuwa Branch 312227970 Boys’ School Private School
Holy Cross College, Gampaha 332222540 Mixed School Private School
De Mazenod College, Kandana 112236295 Mixed School Private School
Good Shepherd Convent, Colombo 13 112434210 Girls’ School Private School
St. Benedict’s College, Colombo 13 112431025 Boys’ School Private School
St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10 112698642 Boys’ School Private School
St. Joseph’s College – Colombo 10, Wattala Branch 112938184 Boys’ School Private School
St. Joseph’s College – Colombo 10, Negombo Branch 312227020 Mixed School Private School
St. Peter’s College, Colombo 04 112588249 Boys’ School Private School
St. Peter’s College – Colombo 04, Gampaha Branch 332232772 Boys’ School Private School
St. Peter’s College – Colombo 04, Negombo Branch 312236796 Mixed School Private School
Holy Family Convent, Colombo 04 112587261 Girls’ School Private School
Our Lady of Victories Convent, Moratuwa 112649340 Girls’ School Private School
St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa 112645245 Boys’ School Private School
Holy Family Convent, Kalutara 342229064 Girls’ School Private School
Holy Cross College, Kalutara 342222560 342222560 Private School
Holy Cross College – Kalutara, Payagala Branch 342298515 Boys’ School Private School
St. Joseph’s Deaf School, Ragama 112958330 Mixed School Private School
Bolawalana Ave Maria Convent, Akkarapanaha, Negombo 312225074 Girls’ School Private School
Holy Angels Girls School, Payagala 342234062 Girls’ School Private School
St. Thomas’ International College, Seeduwa 112251440 Mixed School International School
St. Nicholas’ International School, Pelawatta, Battaramulla 0112787113 Mixed School International School
St. Nicholas’ International School, Negombo 312221606 Mixed School International School
St. Joseph’s O.M.I Seminary, Kohuwala 0112852905 Boys’ School Fee-Levying
St. Joseph’s Deaf School, Ragama 112958330 Mixed School Private School

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ADMINISTERED BY RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS IN SRI LANKA

  1. Sylvestro-Benedictine Fathers
    1. St. Anthony’s College, Kandy
    2. St. Xavier’s College, Nuwara Eliya
    3. St. Thomas’ College, Matale
    4. Berraverts’ College, Ampitiya
    5. St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy
  2. Apostolic Carmel Sisters
    1. St. Mary’s College, Trincomalee
    2. St. Cecilia’s College, Batticaloa
    3. All Saints’ College, Borella
    4. Little Flower Convent, Bandarawela
    5. St. Paul’s Balika Vidyalaya, Kelaniya
    6. St. Anthony’s Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Colpetty
    7. Carmel Girls’ College, Chilaw
  3. Brothers of St. Joseph
    1. St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna
    2. St. Anthony’s College, Kayts
    3. St. Henry’s College, Illavali
    4. St. John Bosco College, Hatton
  4. De La Salle Brothers
    1. St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa
    2. St. Benedict’s College, Colombo
    3. St. Anne’s Colleg, Kurunegala
    4. St. Joseph’s College, Grandpass
    5. St. Xavier’s College, Mannar
    6. St. Mary’s Boys’ School, Pettah
    7. St. Lucia’s College, Kotahena
    8. St. Andrew’s College, Puttalam
    9. De La Salle College, Mutwal
    10. De Mazenod College, Kandana
    11. St. Mary’s College, Chilaw
    12. St. Anthony’s College, Wattala
  5. Archdiocesan Fathers
    1. Davisamara Vidyalaya, Seeduwa
    2. St. Joseph’s College, Colombo
    3. St. Peter’s College, Negombo
    4. St. Peter’s College, Colombo
    5. St. Mary’s College, Dehiwela
    6. St. John’s College, Dematagoda
    7. Loyola College, Negombo
  6. Dominican Sisters
    1. Christ King College, Pannipitiya
  7. Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
    1. Our Lady of Victories Convent, Moratuwa
    2. St. Gabriel’s Convent, Hatton
  8. Good Shepherd Sisters
    1. Good Shepherd Convent, Colombo 13
    2. St. Thomas’ Convent, Matale
    3. Good Shepherd Convent, Kandy
    4. St. Lawrence’s Convent, Colombo 06
    5. St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 07
    6. St. Scholastica’s Convent, Kandy
    7. St. Anne’s Convent, Wattala
    8. St. Mary Margaret’s Convent, Mutwal
    9. St. Sebastian’s BMV, Kandana
    10. Good Shepherd Convent, Nayakakanda
    11. Ave Maria Convent, Negombo
    12. St. Anthony’s Girls’ School, Panadura
    13. Good Shepherd Convent, Panadura
  9. Holy Angel Sisters
    1. St. Agnes’ Convent, Balangoda
  10. Holy Family Sisters
    1. Holy Family Convent, Jaffna
    2. Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala
    3. Holy Family Convent, Anuradhapura
    4. Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya
    5. Holy Family Convent, Dehiwela
    6. Holy Family Convent, Wennappuwa
  11. Jesuit Fathers
    1. St. Joseph’s College, Trincomalee
    2. St. Mary’s College,Kegalle
    3. St. Michael’s College, Batticaloa
    4. St. Aloysius’ College, Galle
    5. St. Servatius’ College, Matara
    6. St. Aloysius’ College, Ratnapura
  12. Marist Brothers
    1. St. Mary’s College, Negombo
    2. Holy Cross College, Kalutara
    3. St. Joseph’s College, Bandarawela
    4. Maris Stella College, Negombo
    5. St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa
    6. Christ King College, Tudella
    7. St. Joseph’s College, Nugegoda
  13. Oblates of Marty Immaculate
    1. St. Joseph’s College, Colombo
    2. St. Joseph’s College, Anuradhapura
    3. St. Peter’s College, Colombo
  14. Charity Sisters
    1. Sacred Heart Convent, Galle
    2. St. Mary’s Conevt, Matara
    3. St. Joseph’s Convent, Kegalle
    4. Infant Jesus Conevt, Ratnapura