Through the pandemic and into the future: Carrying on the legacy of her founders

It all began in the late 19th Century... During the time of British Imperialism when the Sinhalese were losing their innate Sinhala Buddhist identity and with the growth and expansion of the Christian missionary education in Ceylon, the need arose to educate them by combining the English language as a medium of education. Amidst religious restlessness, Sinhala Buddhist elites, heavily influenced by the Theosophical Society, stepped forward to become the life-blood of the Sinhala –Buddhist revival movement.

Realizing the need and the necessity to empower young Buddhist girls on par with the missionary education, philanthropist William De Abrew, an affluent member of the Theosophical Society, followed by his son Peter de Abrew took the initiative to form a new structured educational institute in Cinnamon Gardens. They recognized the talents and administrative skills of the German-born educationalist, Marie Musaeus Higgins who was also a part of the Theosophical Society to commission the school, which they named, Musaeus Buddhist Girls’ School.

In 1891, Musaeus College was born with 12 students in a simple mud hut with a thatched roof. With time, it evolved into a grand edifice formed on a firm foundation laid by its founders, Marie Musaeus Higgins, Peter de Abrew, Colonel Henry Steele Olcott and Annie Besant.

At present, Musaeus College has over 6500 students and an academic faculty of 362. Both the national and British curricula are followed giving students an opportunity to expand their horizons in a fastpaced competitive world.

The Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, followed by the pandemic situation soon after, disrupted the smooth functioning of schools. The Management of Musaeus College had already implemented digitalization of teaching and learning by purchasing Smart Boards and offering teacher-training, unaware that this would be a blessing in disguise during these unforeseen times. Thirty master-teachers had already been given training in this field and were wellgeared to the challenge of using online platforms for teaching, learning and testing, by the time COVID-19 afflicted our island.

Within a short span of time, as lockdowns were imposed Musaeus College launched Microsoft Teams as their digital platform, becoming a model school where a virtual, structured, and formal teaching plan was implemented from the Lower Nursery to the Advanced Level classes. In the forefront in completing the academic curricular, Musaeus received much praise from the school community and the general public.

The school introduced an evaluation system for all grades, paying special attention to students who were preparing for national and international academic examinations such as GCE O/L, GCE A/L, Cambridge, and Pearson EdExcel examinations.

The constant lockdowns at different time periods had a huge negative impact on students whose carefree school life had come to an abrupt halt. Understanding their students’ plight, teachers took the initiative to continue with the extra-curricular activities and sports training through virtual platforms. Many of the school’s more than 25 clubs and societies organised virtual intra-school and inter-school events. Participating in international competitions, students won world prizes. A virtual Vesak festival, debating competitions, inter-house competitions, young inventors, wildlife conservation seminars, a five-day virtual guide camp, motivational sessions, and student power hours etc. were continued. Other activities such as text book distribution, admission interviews, plant distribution for the newly admitted Grade 1 students and even an all-night pirith in memory of the school’s Founders were conducted virtually and drive thru modes. The highlight of this was the ‘Drive Thru Prize Giving’ where 742 students received their prizes.

As Musaeus College reaches another milestone in her long epic journey of 130 years, the school pledges to continue to carry forward the vision and legacy of her founders into the future.