Parents have raised concerns over a memento bearing the image of a scantily clad female dancer that was presented to underage students who won National Day Dhamma School competitions in the Anuradhapura District, the Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday.
The awards were handed out at a ceremony at Anuradhapura Madya Maha Vidyalaya on Sunday. The Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, and the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Gamagedara Dissanayake, attended as chief guests.
Students from Dhamma schools across the Sasanarakshaka Balamandala areas of the Anuradhapura District took part in the competitions. Certificates and gifts were presented to the winners at the ceremony.
Organisers say the image matched the subject
The Chief Secretary of the Anuradhapura District Sasanarakshaka Balamandala, Ven. Kunwuttuwe Kusaladhamma Thera, defended the award. He said the memento carried the image of a woman playing a musical instrument and was given only to the winners of the drama and music competitions, making it relevant to the subject matter.
Parents should have understood that context, the Thera said.
Dhamma schools are the network of Sunday religious schools attached to Buddhist temples across Sri Lanka, teaching Buddhist doctrine, Pali and related subjects to children alongside their mainstream schooling. The National Day Dhamma School competitions are organised through the Sasanarakshaka Balamandala, the lay committees that support temple administration at district and divisional level.
No response from the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has been reported.
