History
When Sri Lankan education and its on going progress is concerned , contribution made by southern part of Sri lanka is always in front.Mahinda college, Sangamiththa college, Dharmashoka college, Rahula college, are the oasis’s of Sinhala. Buddhist education the city of Galle which is the capital city of the southern part of Sri lanka particularly in front in this respect. If there is a school coincided to be important and popular, other than Mahinda and Sangamiththa colleges, it is the Rathanajothi College in bataduwa Galle.
When attention is paid to the history of this school, it dates back as far back as the year 1898. The chief incumbent of the temple called Sri sugatharamaya bataduwa most venerable Sri Rathanajothi thero was the founder of this collage when he touched this meritorious venture on the 2 nd July 1898 ,it was a period in which the buddhistic feelings renaissance were immerging under the guidance of sir Henry Steel Olcott and Mr. Anagarika Dharmapala .
At the out set number of student was eight with one teacher. Just as many other schools in Sri Lanka this was also standard under the shade of a Cajon hut.
As time passed a famous philanthropist called Edmond Rolland Jayathilaka Gunarathna of weliwatta Galle, made a donation of Rs 3000/= to erect a monastery out of witch, venerable thero erected a permanent building for the students of this college. This building is still lying at a corner of the college as the oldest building. Though clear evidents are not there, there are certain facts of evedents, that it was erected in 1903.
When it was converted in to a Sir Sugathrama bawuda missra patashalawa
In 1920, there had been two permanent buildings. In addition to that, annual examination and other examinations were held while the school leaving examinations became the highest test .. These are clearly proved by the record, placed by then school inspectors of southern province.
Till 1933, this school had been administrated by a society called “Balabiwardi sadaka sabawa” and later in 1933 it became the “Bataduwa Poshitha Pasala”
It was the year 1938 that this school was taken over by the government where it became junior secondary school. It was administrated as two separate sections as primary and senior secondary when it became a “Maha Vidyalaya” in 1962 again the management was taken over under one principal in 1970.
Now this college witch is known as Bataduwa Sri Rathanajothi Nawodya college was made to a Nawodya college in …………………. .
The seed of education that the venerable Sri Rathanajothi thero planted has now became a giant tree of which the fruitful fruits are across the World.