Buddha Jayanthi Vesak fervour spreads to schools

Chamikara Weerasinghe

COLOMBO: The national schools throughout the country will celebrate Vesak in keeping with a circular issued by the Education Ministry to mark the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi.

The Education Ministry will issue instructions to 9760 schools in the island to organise Vesak programmes in schools commencing from May 9 to 15 to mark the Buddha Jayanthi on the advice of the Mahanayake Theras of the Ministry's Buddhist Advisory Committee.

Ananda College Colombo had been selected to function as the centre for these programmes.

Secretary of the Ministry, Ariyaratna Hewage said the Ministry had also issued guidelines with regard to how these programmes should be conducted to every education institute in the country.

He was speaking at a press conference held at the Ananda College yesterday to announce the Ministry's decision to celebrate the Buddha Jayanthi as a national event in schools.

Hewage said their decision was taken centred on a long-term objective of promoting moral values and ethics within the nation.

He said schools will play an mportant role in achieving these goals.

"The national schools are expected to become the centre for relaying the Buddha's teachings to the world," he said.

"There will be no better occasion than the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi, to lay the foundation for such a noble deed," he said. Education Secretary requested the public to celebrate the Vesak to add meaning to their lives.

"We request the public not to stage puppet shows ('Olu bakko') and disturb the peace which is the aspiration of everyone during Vesak," he said and asked the public not to break the peaceful atmosphere by beating drums and organising 'choka baila' musical shows."

"We are not against music , but let Vesak be Vesak and let us listen to Bhakthi Gee which reminds us of the qualities of the Buddha," he said.

Hewage said, the Ministry had found that out of 9,760 Buddhist schools only 1,762 schools had Buddhist shrines. "The ministry had requested these school heads to build Buddhist shrines," he said.

The Education Ministry had introduced a sponsorship programme to give away Buddha statues to these schools, he said.

The Ministry will hand over Buddha statues to a few schools at the inauguration ceremony of the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi on May 9, at the Ananda College.

Ananda College Principal B.A. Abeyratna also spoke.

Education Ministry's Additional Secretary W.Dharmadasa, Aesthetic Education Director G. Gunatilleke, SSP Jayasundara were present at the head table.