Musaeus College provides primary and secondary education to more than 6,500 girls from ages 3 to 18,[1] and is managed by a board of trustees.

[2] It had the backing of the Buddhist Theosophical Society, which previously founded the Ananda College for boys along similar lines.

With help and guidance from Peter De Abrew and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, they founded the Sanghamitta Girls' School at Tichborne Place, Maradana, around 1890, and wanted a European lady as its principal.

After having graduated and obtaining the title of Frau Professor, she proceeded to the United States of America and was engaged in educational work there.

Following an advertisement by Col. Olcott in The Path (the magazine of the Buddhist Theosophical Society), she left for Ceylon, arriving on 15 November 1891.

[4] The Musaeus Buddhist Girls' School started in a very simple and modest ‘mud hut’ which served both as living and teaching quarters with 12 students.

He was a recent convert to Theosophy and around 1892, while in Colombo on his way home to Australia, Hack observed the work being carried out by Higgins ("Sudu Amma" to her students[4]), and decided to become involved in its development.

This college was now sending out annually a number of trained teachers as Head-Mistresses of Buddhist Sinhalese Girls’ Schools, situated out of Colombo.

Not only did it form and indispensable adjunct to the college, but also the mean of giving a free education in Sinhalese to the children in the neighborhood.

The work of the Musaeus Buddhist Girls’ College was thus confined to:- English College Kindergarten on Modern Lines Training College for women (Sinhalese) Practising School (Sinhalese) Works on Buddhism Higgins’ historical studies induced her to study Buddhism and in her later years Higgins was engaged in the task of compiling books on Buddhism “Poya Days” and “Jataka Mala” (a translation of the Jataka Stories) are two of her popular books.

At a time when Western influences were becoming widespread, Higgins encouraged her students to uphold their traditional customs, manners and culture.

De Abrew became actively involved in the movement started by Colonel Henry Olcott and others towards the regeneration of the Sinhala nation, its religion and culture which had deteriorated during the last decades of the 19th Century together with his father, William de Abrew, who was himself a member of this movement donated their own land to build a Buddhist Girls’ School.

All prefects will support the college by completing the assigned duties and by taking charge of discipline of other students in their respective sections.

Each of the houses are named after four founding members of the college: Marie Musaeus Higgins, Henry Olcott, Peter De Abrew and Annie Besant.