The Sri Lanka Army marked its 77th anniversary on Saturday with a ceremony at the Army Cantonment in Panagoda, and for the first time recognised the schools that have produced the largest numbers of its serving personnel.
The Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Nilantha Premaratne, attended as chief guest, NewsFirst and Hiru News reported.
Schools ranked by serving former students
The school awards are described by both outlets as a first for the Tri-Forces. Schools were ranked not by cadet programmes or recruitment drives but by the number of their former students currently serving as officers and soldiers — a measure of where the standing army actually comes from, rather than of who signed up this year.
Awards went to three schools in each of four categories. The winners, as named by NewsFirst:
- Male officers — Ananda College, Colombo
- Female officers — Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo
- Male soldiers — Kebithigollewa Central College, Anuradhapura
- Female soldiers — Kegalu Balika Vidyalaya, Kegalle
The split is worth reading closely: the two officer categories were topped by established Colombo schools, while the top male-soldier school is in Kebithigollewa, a village in the Anuradhapura district on the former front line that was itself the site of a 2006 massacre of civilians.
The parade
The 2026 Anniversary Day parade comprised 78 officers and 652 other ranks representing 25 regiments, along with colour squads — a figure both outlets give identically.
Proceedings opened with a guard turnout, the hoisting of the Army flag by the Commander, the singing of the Army song and two minutes of silence for personnel killed in the war. The Daily Mirror carried a photograph of Premaratne inspecting the guard of honour during the ceremonial parade.
Seven personnel received Army Commander’s Commendation Badges for distinguished service over the past year, including acts of bravery during national emergencies.
”A new era”
Addressing the gathering, Premaratne paid tribute to personnel killed and wounded in the war, to those serving and to their families. He said the anniversary marked not only a celebration of past achievements but the beginning of a new era focused on transformation and modernisation.
He called for a soldier-centric, technologically equipped and professionally competent force capable of meeting future challenges, and urged all ranks to uphold discipline and professionalism while taking on innovation and modern warfare capabilities.
One discrepancy
The two accounts differ on which unit mounted the guard. NewsFirst says the celebrations began with a guard turnout by troops of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry; Hiru says the Commander was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by troops of the Sri Lanka Infantry Corps. These are not the same formation, and neither outlet’s account resolves the other.
The Daily Mirror renders the Commander’s name Nilantha Premarathna, against the Premaratne used by both NewsFirst and Hiru. This is a transliteration variant, not two officers.
Not reported
None of the three filings gives the Army’s current strength, the number of former students the winning schools have serving, or the margins by which they won. None names the seven commendation recipients or says what they did.
No outlet reports what “transformation and modernisation” means in budgetary or structural terms — whether it implies a change in troop numbers, new equipment procurement, or a restructuring of regiments. The Army has been the subject of a stated government intention to reduce its size over the coming years, and none of these accounts says how that sits with the modernisation programme the Commander described.
There is no comment from the Minister of Defence or the President, and no indication whether the school-recognition scheme will be repeated annually or extended to the Navy and Air Force, despite being presented as a Tri-Forces first.
