Special Vesak Week from May 2 to 8

S M Wijayaratne - Kurunegala Daily News corr

The Education Ministry has declared a special Vesak festive week from May 2 to 8 to mark the Vesak fullmoon day which falls on May 5.

Education Ministry Secretary H M Gunasekara, instructed all Provincial Directors of Education, Presidents of all National Colleges of Education, Teachers’ Training Colleges and school heads in the island to celebrate the Vesak festive season meaningfully with the active participation of teachers, students, parents and past pupils.

All steps should be taken to organize religious programmes that lead to moral development of students of government schools during this week and these programmes should continue during the whole year without being an obstacle to the normal academic programme of the year. The proposed programme for schools during the Vesak week is as follows:

May 2: Shramadana campaigns and environmental conservation work.

May 3: Vesak decorations and other creative work on Vesak.

May 4: All Buddhist students and teachers must observe Sil with their parents.

May 5 and 6: Display Vesak decorations and illuminate schools with Vesak lanterns, organize pilgrimages for students with their parents and elders, organize danselas at school level for pilgrims, organize programmes of Bakthi Gee (devotional songs) at schools.

May 7: Evaluate the knowledge of Dhamma among students and help needy students and provide medical care to patients.

May 8: Award prizes to both students and teachers who have shown talents at different religious activities during the Vesak festive season.