Vesak Week from May 12-18

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor.

The Ministry of Education has declared its annual vesak week from May 12-18. Circulars have been sent to all school heads, presidents of National Colleges of Education, Principals of Teachers' Training Colleges and pirivena heads islandwide to organise meaningful vesak programs for students and teacher-trainees to foster noble human values in the minds of student population as preached by Gauthama Buddha.

According to the proposed Vesak program, on 12 shramadana campaigns have to be organised by school teachers with students to clean the places of worship near their schools.

On May 13th, sil programs will be organised at school level by school heads and school teachers.

On may14th, school heads shuld organise pilgrimages, alms givings, concerts of reciting devotional songs on Buddha, illuminating Buddhist shrines and temples and illuminates vesak lanterns, on the 15, programs of paying tribute to elders, touring to historic and holy places of worship, conducting meditation programs have to be organised.

On May 16 programs to help the needy and the sick shuld be organised by school heads with the participation of students at hospitals and elders' homes. On May 17and 18, students will organise programs of planting medicinal plants, cleaning common and public places, distributing Dhamma books, planting flowers around places of worship in the area, visiting the needy and the orphaned and to donate food, clothes and medicine to them according to the circular issued to the school heads and presidents of National Colleges of Education by the Secretary to the Ministry of Education Anura Dissanayake.