Structure

The Royal College Union (RCU) was established on the 17th January 1891.

It has no doubt weathered many storms from the Victorian times up to now and evolved into a modern alumni association fully aware and sensitive to the ground situation of the Country and the needs of the present student population of Royal College. The student population of the College has now evolved as a microcosm of the Sri Lankan population, with children from all races, religions, all walks of life rubbing shoulders with each other. This composition, whilst forming a solid foundation for students to face the challenges of modern society, has its own problems that our forefathers who established the RCU in 1891 did not have or even could have imagined. However, we have successfully adapted by evolving according to current requirements, in order to ensure that Royal College continues to be the foremost primary and secondary education institution in the country.

The Royal College Union is headed by the Principal as the ex officio President. The CEO of the Union is the Secretary. There are currently 8 Emeritus Vice Presidents. Fifteen Vice Presidents are appointed with the concurrence of the Council – chosen from amongst distinguished old Royalists over 60 years of age. The main office bearers are nine in number and are elected at the AGM and the Council comprises 288 council members. Ten Trustees, selected amongst old Royalists who have distinguished themselves in the public or private sector and with a background in finance are chosen to manage the RCU Trust.

There are two arms to administer the funds and the endowments made to the Union. They are the Royal College Union Trust and the Finance Committee of the Union. The Trust was established under Section 114 of the Trusts Ordinance in the year 1949.

There are two arms to administer the funds and the endowments made to the Union. They are the Royal College Union Trust and the Finance Committee of the Union. The Trust was established under Section 114 of the Trusts Ordinance in the year 1949.

It is the Finance Committee of the Union that oversees and controls the finances of the Union. The Finance Committee or FC as it is referred to often, consists of five eminent members of the RCU nominated by the Principal. They are drawn from the public or corporate sector with ample exposure to finance and financial controlling, often with professional qualifications in accounting, law and related fields. In addition, the Union Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, the Royal College Union Trust Secretary and the Trust Assistant Secretary are ex officio members. The Principal, as the President of the Union presides and the Treasurer of the Union acts as the secretary of the FC. They meet at least 5-6 times during a year and vet all financial proposals, fundraising projects before approval is granted. They also check all expenditure after any project. Audited reports have to be submitted to them for all projects after the completion of the project and they have the right to inquire into any activity while it is in progress. This is to ensure that all funds raised or donated to the Union are properly used for the purpose for which they were raised or donated.

It is also important to note that the RCU, its affiliates and member groups fund co-curricular, extra-curricular, sports, skills development, scholarship awarding, student welfare, teachers welfare and other activities of our alma-mater. In addition, the RCU has over the years built and donated many infrastructure facilities such as the RC Sports Complex, swimming pool, new hostel building, Skills Development, Career Guidance and Counselling Centre and JRJ Pavilion amongst many others.

The Union has nine statutory committees and 36 Advisory & Management Committees to look into and manage the multifarious activities of the Union, undertaken to assist the College – ranging from sports and games to student counselling, infrastructure development, scholarship awarding and income generation. The Council of the Union also has the right and ability to form an ad-hoc committee for a specific project or purpose..

As our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the RCU organises the annual EDEX exhibition (Sri Lanka’s largest Higher Education and Careers exhibition) which also makes the single most significant financial contribution to the RCU Trust. In addition, the merchandising shop, College affiliated credit cards issued by leading banks and the life membership fees are other sources of regular income.

The Union looks after the requirements of academically, aesthetically or athletically capable students via the Loyalty Pledge scheme. Funds are obtained from generous alumni and well-wishers who voluntarily donate money to the scheme periodically – monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc. and scholarships are awarded to students. Details on making donations, the application processes, selection criterions and administration processes of this scholarship program are available on www.rcu.lk.

The committees that deal with games are tasked with raising significant amounts of funds for training, coaching, sport equipment, sports infrastructure development and food and nutrition of players.

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