Holy Family Convent, Jaffna
Holy Family Convent is a national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.[1][2] The school was established in 1845 and consists of both a Tamil and an English convent.
| Holy Family Convent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
  Holy Family Convent Location in central Jaffna | |
Vembady Road , | |
| Coordinates | 9°39′35.70″N 80°01′12.20″E |
| Information | |
| School type | National School 1AB |
| Motto | Glory to God Alone |
| Founded | 1845 |
| School district | Jaffna Education Zone |
| Authority | Northern Provincial Council |
| School number | 1001003 |
| Principal | Rev. Sr. Amirtha Anton Thevathasan |
| Teaching staff | 114 |
| Grades | 1-13 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age range | 5-18 |
| Language | Tamil, English |
| School roll | 1,878 |
| Website | jaffnahfc |
History
The school was first managed by an Irish lady called Mrs. Flannagan with the aim of providing English education to the girls in Jaffna. In 1862 the school was taken over by the sisters of the Holy Family and became the first convent school on the island.
A nunnery exists behind the convent. St. Henry's college is also in Ilavalai, Jaffna and is the Roman Catholic school for Tamil boys.
On Good Friday, 1987, the school was severely damaged in an air raid by the Sri Lankan Air Force targeting Tamil Tigers.[3]
In 2002 it was amalgamated with the Tamil Convent Mahavidyalayam and in 2010 it was upgrade as a national school. Currently it has a student population of 2000 and a teaching staff 76.[4]
Notable alumni
- Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (known as M.I.A.) - British artist
References
- Schools Basic Data as at 01.10.2010. Northern Provincial Council. 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- "Province - Northern" (PDF). Schools Having Bilingual Education Programme. Ministry of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-03.
- "Convent attacked". Catholic Herald. 1 May 1987.
- Jaffna Holy Family Convent celebrates 150 years