Our History
This college was started as a boarding school in 1929. Don Henry Kotalawala (D. H. Kotalawala), a famous philanthropist who lived in the Badulla area, built a small building on his land and started it as a school. Since this school was located in a large paddy field, this school was called "Welagedara College". At this time, the main schools in the Badulla area were missionary schools. The Girls' High School ", now known as "Vishakha Vidyalaya", "Ursula Vidyalaya", now known as "Viharamaha Devi", "Uva Vidyalaya" etc. were the main schools, and Puwak Godamulla, Hindagoda, Maila Gas Thanna. Methodist schools had started in the villages of Lindamulla. Teaching was carried out in English in particular in missionary schools, and only children from elite families could attend these schools. At that time, only Buddhist children from elite families were admitted to the Buddhist college "Dharmaduta Vidyalaya". Therefore, there was no school to educate Sinhala Buddhist children from ordinary families. The primary objective of starting this college was to fill that void.
This college, which was started as a boarding school, was handed over to the government by Mr. D. H. Kotalawala. This college, which was started under the name "Wela Gedara School", was constructed at the government expense on 1st January 1934, in which the art department is currently operating, and Mr. A. D. J. Wijesekera was appointed as its first teacher. Since then, it was registered with the government as the Badulla Sinhala Mixed School.
Especially in the beginning, children from middle class and upper class families were not admitted to this school. Children from poor families in villages and slum dwellers were admitted to this school as they could not be admitted to high schools like Uva, Dharmaduta, St. Bead, Girls' High School. Therefore, the teachers who worked in this school in the early periods also automatically fell into a low mental state.
Mr. A. D. J. Wijesekera was appointed as the first teacher of this school. The total teaching staff was five (05). Mr. E. D. M. Dhanasena was appointed as the Head Teacher on 01.05.1945. While Welagedara College was in existence, around 1950 a school called "Senior School" consisting of a two- storey building was started next to Welagedara College. Its principal was Mr. N. E. Perera.
