(while participating in the function to hand over teaching appointments to 35 Buddhist monks and nuns who were in the Development Officers’ Service)

The Minister of Education, Professor G.L. Peiris stated that a society cannot be developed only by enforcing the laws, but the actions must be taken for changing the attitudes from the early stages of life through pre-schools, Dhamma schools, Pirivenas and other institutions. Especially,theBuddhist Monks’ entry to teaching service is a contemporary need in this regard.  

The minister expressed these ideas when he participated in the function held at the premises of the University Grants Commission for the purpose of handing over of teaching appointments to 35 graduate Buddhist monks and nuns according to a decision of the cabinet of ministers in relation to absorb graduate Buddhist monks who were working as the development officers into the teaching service.

Under the first stage of this exercise teaching appointments were offered to twenty Buddhist monks on 01.06.2020 and its second stage was implemented today. 

The minister further stated that it is impossible to create full pledged human beings only by providing subject knowledge to the children. The responsibility of creating a generation which can improve the belief in the identity of the country and its culture lies with the teacher community. The development of child mind must be done from the early childhood stage through pre-schools, Dhamma schools, Pirivenas and other institutions.  

It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to offer teaching appointments to Buddhist priests under the ministry of education which has been trusted with a huge workload including four state ministries for human resource development. The religious institution headed by the priests can provide a real contribution to create sensitive people who identify their customs and norms and love their culture instead of creating robots from the system of education in the country, the minister further said.

A large garhering including the Secretary of the ministry of education Professor K. Kapila C.K. Perera, the Chairperson of the University Grant Commission Senior Professor Sampath Amarathunga and the Additional Secretary (Establishment) Anusha Gokula Fernando had joined in this occasion.