Abstract:
The Buddhist education tradition is pedagogically sound and well organised as many
other education systems in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist education system facilitates both
Buddhist monks and male-laities to become well-educated citizens. Traditionally,
the education of Buddhist monks had been a matter of studying under older,
intelligent, and well-disciplined monks (Sthavira) within monasteries. The Sri
Lankan Buddhist education system was well integrated into Sri Lankan intelligence
tradition, even though its importance was declined soon after the lay-focus
missionary education system was established during the British colonisation period.
Because the government of Sri Lanka mainstreamed and facilitated a lay-focused
education system as a priority welfare concern, the Pirivena education system has
been neglected and under-facilitated. However, the contribution of Pirivena is still
important for student- Buddhist monks as the education of Buddhist monks often
relies on the Pirivena education system, even though it faces several challenges.
Therefore, identifying the challenges of Pirivena education of Buddhist monks in
Sri Lanka was the main objective of this study. A qualitative case study design was
employed for this research, and thematic analysis was applied. The analysis indicates
that the internal culture of the Pirivena education institution has important
implications for Bhikkhus’ education. The influence of hierarchical organisation of
power and authority with educational institutions has been recognised as critical for
education among student-Buddhist monks. Conscious behavioural changes
undergone during the transition from laity to monkhood is another important
determinant that causes challenges in Pirivena education. Overall, it is argued that
there is an urgent need of revising the existing Pirivena education system whilst
reflecting the dynamics of changing Sri Lankan society.
