Olcott Schools Under Pressure

Col. Henry Steal Olcott established Buddhist schools such as Ananda and Nalanda in Colombo, Dharmaraja Kandy, Maliyadewa Kurunegala, Mahinda Galle, Vijaya School Matale etc. as missionary schools established in each and every major cities, towns, suburbs and even very remote areas of Sri Lanka to promote missionary religious education and to convert Sinhala Buddhists and Hindu Tamils children to missionary religions with support of colonial powers.

Now the very same Buddhist schools that were established to preserve the Buddhist identity and Buddhist values are being changed into National Schools with the condition that non Buddhists be also admitted.

Very soon the non – Buddhists will make demands for Prayer Rooms, loudspeakers for call to prayer, removal of Buddha statues and blocking of Buddhist monks from entering the school premises or serving on the teaching staff of the school.

This happened at a leading school in Colombo.

The State is obliged to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana under Article 9 of the Constitution.

If Buddhist Schools are converted into Multi Cultural schools or National schools the fostering of Buddhist studies, Buddhist values and Buddhist thought will be ended or heavily circumscribed.

Sri Lanka is one of the leading Buddhist countries in the world.
It must produce future Buddhist leaders and also people to work in a voluntary capacity in Buddhist Associations.

Today you will never find an old boy or old girl of missionary schools working in a voluntary capacity in leading Buddhist organisations. 98% of the office bearers are drawn from the Alumni of Buddhist schools. Why?
Because they have a sense of obligation towards preservation of Buddhism. There is Buddhism in their regular conversations.

But this is conspicuously lacking in the products of Missionary and Public schools.

The All Ceylon Buddhist Congress must convene a Conference on the topic
‘ The Future of Buddhist Education in Sri Lanka ‘

In addition steps must be taken to file a FR application to stop Olcott Buddhist schools from being turned into Multi Cultural schools which will be an infringement of Article 9.

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