History of Methodist Central College
Methodist Central College was the first educational institution in Batticaloa and the first English Boys School in Ceylon (established). It was founded in 1814 by the Rev. William Ault, one of the pioneer Methodist Missionaries who came from England to Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
According to the history of the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the first Methodist missionaries landed in Weligama - Galle on the 29th of June 1814. Rev. William Ault, one of the first five missionaries, left Galle on the 14th of July in a small boat to Batticaloa and arrived after eight days. He lived only eight months and died in April 1815. During that eight month period he started eight schools. The first one is the Methodist Central College. He started the school with just five students. They gathered every morning on the cow dunged floor of a veranda in a small one roomed Kadjan thatched house to learn English alphabets from the missionary.
After the death of Rev. William Ault, until Rev. Elija Jackson arrived from England in July 1816, Mr. Thomas Johns, an army Captain, helped to run the school. The school students helped in singing of songs at the worship services.