Holy Family Convent, Jaffna
Encyclopedia
Holy Family Convent is a girls
public provincial school in Jaffna
, Sri Lanka
. The school was established in 1845. It consists of both a Tamil and English convent.
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.
The Jaffna convent faced repeated attacks during the Sri Lankan civil war
. On Good Friday, 1987, the school was severely damaged in a bombing air raid by the Sri Lankan Air Force. A Jesuit Fr Iruthayam Bernard told the Catholic Herald in 1987 that Sri Lankan forces repeatedly hit hospitals, convents and refugee centres "using attacks in the south as an excuse" to bomb civilians in northern Sri Lanka. The Jaffna Teaching Hospital
had been hit nine times.
The school was repaired following local donations and appeals by nuns in Jaffna.
attended the school while she lived in Jaffna
.
Single-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
public provincial school in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The school was established in 1845. It consists of both a Tamil and English convent.
History
The school was first managed by an IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
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.
The Jaffna convent faced repeated attacks during the Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. On Good Friday, 1987, the school was severely damaged in a bombing air raid by the Sri Lankan Air Force. A Jesuit Fr Iruthayam Bernard told the Catholic Herald in 1987 that Sri Lankan forces repeatedly hit hospitals, convents and refugee centres "using attacks in the south as an excuse" to bomb civilians in northern Sri Lanka. The Jaffna Teaching Hospital
Jaffna Teaching Hospital
Jaffna Teaching Hospital is a government hospital in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It is the leading hospital in the Northern Province and the only hospital in the province controlled by the central government in Colombo. The hospital is the only teaching hospital in the Northern Province. The hospital is the...
had been hit nine times.
The school was repaired following local donations and appeals by nuns in Jaffna.
In popular culture
The artist M.I.A.M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
attended the school while she lived in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
.