New chapter for A’pura Bhikshu University

President Mahinda Rajapaksa opens University administrative building :

Ven Raluwe Padmasiri Lecturer, Buddhist Studies Department, Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University, Anuradhapura

This article is published pertaining to the opening of Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University which is relocated with a fully equipped building in a new premises at Manamunawatta in the vicinity of Malvatu river, nearby the Anuradhapura-Colombo Road, in Anuradhapura. This construction was done under the development projects of education shown in Mahinda Chintana of the Government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa will open this building today (February 28).

Expanding Theravada Buddhist knowledge

* Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University in 1998

* Offers many external, distant learning programs

* Provide opportunity for foreign tourism

* Located at Manamunawatta

* Construction under Mahinda Chintana education development project

Buddhasravaka Dharma Pita was established as a University with the name of Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University by Parliament Act No 20 in 1998 and first batch of students was admitted in 1998. The objectives of the new university were expanding Theravada Buddhist knowledge, culture and practice locally and internationally in many different ways and means.

Providing modern facilities and re-locating the university in a new premises are crucially significant from different point of views. Firstly, the Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University is the one and only university specifically meant for monks’ higher education even though there are several departments in several national universities monks can study.

Being concern with negative criticisms and accusations regarding the deterioration of the monks’ knowledge in the Dhamma, skills in propagating the message of the Buddha and lack of knowledge in languages both oriental and modern, Mahinda Chintana has extended its fullest support to the progress of our university. This can be impartially considered as a great move with a motivation of goodwill of the country and Buddhism as this directly related to promote Buddhism and uplift the Buddhist educational institutes.

Sacred city

Likewise, the prevailing premises of the university were located within sacred city itself, in an archaeologically significant site. As a result of that new constructions could not be done. Moreover, urgent need for the development of material resources of the university could not met due to the restrictions of the archaeological law. Now the university has the opportunity to its further developments fulfilling the demands of the many.

In addition, we as a university had to face for many disturbances and troubles in reaching to the common public as the university was located in a high security zone and had a considerable distance from the city.

This situation produced a negative impact for the fulfillment of our mission. Having less infrastructural facilities was a really great inconvenience as well as harm to the university. Bringing the university into a new location with many facilities has produced the resolution for this issue and it encourages many commoners as it gives an opportunity of easy access to the university.

Distant learning programs

Moreover, providing enough material resources enables the university to compete with other local and international universities that are already well established and newly emerging both in Government and private sector. Good location and facilities cause to overcome crucial hardships that our university had to undergo for several years. Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University has already started vivid external and distant learning programs enabling many people to earn their degrees, diplomas, certificates etc. This new construction will directly cause to quench thirst of knowledge and skills of many people in a less-privileged area like Anuradhapura.

Even though this university has being run with a fully-qualified academic staff constituted with professors, doctors, senior and junior lecturers who have earned their degrees from local as well as international universities, they could not give their best to the society due lack of material resources and problem of the location. This is the real resolution for that and it would energize specifically for Sri Lankan society by disseminating their knowledge and skills for the progress of the country.

Finally, the newly established university will provide an opportunity to promote tourism and give many opportunities to foreign students. Having a good staff, materially good resources, different courses conducted internally as well as externally in two media Sinhala and English are the key milestones of the development of a standard university.