What the Buddha would approve as Mandatory subjects in Sri Lankan Schools
Sri Lanka is in urgent need of a moral, spiritual, and cultural renaissance.The crisis in our education system is not merely academic — it is ethical, mental, and civilizational. The Buddha taught that true education must train the mind, purify conduct, and lead to wise, compassionate action. In contrast, modern education — severed from values — has produced children who are skilled but confused, informed but undisciplined, and digitally connected yet spiritually directionless. The Western-style education model imposed during colonial times is not only failing Sri Lanka, but is visibly collapsing in the very countries that exported it. It has bred generations of youth drowning in anxiety, identity confusion, moral relativism, and social fragmentation. It is time to return to a system that reflects who we are, rather than who the West wants us to become.
In line with:
- The Buddha’s teachings
- Sri Lanka’s Constitution (Articles 9 & 10)
- The moral foundations of all major religions
Seven mandatory subject areas are proposed to rebuild character, identity, and national integrity.
Why a new framework is urgently needed!
Sri Lanka is wrongfully continuing an education system imposed by colonial invaders — a system rooted in Western liberal values, disconnected from the heart, mind, and soul of our people.
This model:
- Breaks the child’s link to their heritage
- Imposes foreign ideologies over native wisdom
- Promotes rights without duties, identity confusion, and spiritual emptiness
We are now seeing the outcome in the quality of those coming out of the education system.
At its core, this system is alien to our civilizational DNA. It prizes exams over ethics, information over insight, and ambition over responsibility.
The mother tongue (Sinhala or Tamil) is not just a medium — it is the vessel of our history, values, and identity. Without it, children grow up rootless, ashamed of their culture, and vulnerable to external manipulation.
True education must reflect who we are as a nation — not who the West wants us to become.
We must stop forcing our children into a framework that mutilates their spirit in the name of progress.
This new values-based, Dhamma-rooted framework reclaims our cultural sovereignty and prepares children not just for jobs — but for life, character, and nationhood.
This is why no reforms should be led by those representing what we no longer wish to continue or newly adopt.
The Challenges Youth face today
- Moral collapse: dishonesty, sexual promiscuity, lack of discipline
- Spiritual emptiness: materialism, consumerism, rejection of duties
- Mental instability: anxiety, overstimulation, identity confusion
- Historical ignorance: no pride in Sri Lanka’s heritage
- Economic dependency: foreign worship, unethical careers
- Physical decay: laziness, poor hygiene, screen addiction
Western-style secular education, introduced post-16th century colonization, uprooted the Dhamma-based education that once produced compassionate, wise, and duty-bound citizens. It is time to rebuild from the roots.
The 7 Core Mandatory Subjects
1. Moral Education (Dhamma, Duties)
Why it’s vital today:
- Children lack clear guidance on right and wrong
- Families are breaking down due to selfishness and ego
- Social media and global activism promote values alien to our culture
All students must receive moral instruction:
- Buddha Dhamma – for Buddhist students
- Faith-based ethics – for Hindu, Christian, and Muslim students
Core Moral Teachings (across all religions):
- Respect for elders, parents, and teachers
- Truthfulness, non-violence, compassion
- Sexual modesty and restraint
- Service to others and social harmony
- Duties before Rights
Must exclude ideological content such as:
- LGBTQIA+ theory
- Gender identity confusion
- Rights-without-duties activism
Implementation & Teacher Training:
- Focus not just on content delivery, but on how tolive and model virtues — kindness, restraint, reverence — in daily interactions.
- Equip teachers withshort moral stories, Dhammapada verses, and faith-based parables they can use without textbooks.
- Include methods forgentle classroom discipline, non-punitive corrections, and creating a respectful, emotionally safe classroom culture.
Key Message: Teachers must embody what they teach — values are not taught; they are caught.
“Sīla is the foundation of all good things.” – Buddha
2. Language & Communication (Right Speech)
Why it’s vital today:
- Children are absorbing vulgarity, lies, and abuse online
- Language shapes thought, identity, and community harmony
Key Focus:
- Pride in mother tongue (Sinhala/Tamil)
- English as a link language, not a cultural replacement
- Speaking truthfully, kindly, and meaningfully
Implementation & Teacher Training:
- Re-train Language teachers (Sinhala, Tamil, English) to embed the five aspects of Right Speech: truth, harmony, gentleness, purpose, and timeliness.
- Workshops should include roleplay, debate practice, and compassionate communication techniques.
- English teachers should be guided to teach the language without transferring Western cultural ideologies, helping students use English as a tool, not an identity.
Key Message: Speech is a mirror of thought — language teachers must teach not just how to speak, but how to speak wisely.
“One who speaks what is true, wholesome, and beneficial is loved by all beings.” – Dhammapada
3. Mindfulness & Meditation (Right effort, Right concentration)
Why it’s vital today:
- Stress, emotional imbalance, and screen addiction are common
- Children need mental discipline, not just exam skills
Includes:
- Basic breathing meditation (ānāpāna)
- Loving-kindness (mettā) practice
- Daily mindfulness in actions and speech
Implementation & Teacher Training:
- Select and traina core team of meditation facilitators in each school — ideally one teacher per grade level.
- Training should behands-on and personal — not just lectures, but actual meditation practice in retreat settings (e.g., 3-day teacher retreats).
- Teach classroom-friendly techniques:5-minute breathing, loving-kindness recitations, daily gratitude reflection, and how to manage student emotions with calm presence.
Key Message: A mindful teacher creates a calm class — training the teacher’s mind must come before training the childs.
“Mind is the forerunner of all states. With a trained mind, happiness follows like a shadow.” – Dhammapada
4. Wisdom Subjects (Yoniso Manasikāra – Wise Reflection)
In a world flooded with data, digital noise, and shallow thinking, youth must be trained to see clearly, reflect deeply, and choose wisely.
Without Yoniso Manasikāra (wise attention), children are vulnerable to manipulation, impulsivity, and moral confusion.
These subjects cultivate:
- Critical thinking, not just fact recall
- Cause-and-effect reasoning rooted in ethics
- Insight, not just information
| Subject | Purpose |
| Basic Science & Nature | Cause and effect, interdependence, humility before nature |
| Ethics / Moral Reasoning | Decisions based on consequences and values |
| Civic Education | Duties, law, responsibility to community |
| Media Literacy | Identifying manipulation and propaganda |
| Environmental Studies | Responsibility for the natural world (kamma principle) |
| Logic & Philosophy | Sharpening thought and challenging false beliefs |
| Mathematics | Precision, pattern recognition, structured thought |
Implementation & Teacher Training:
- Conductinterdisciplinary seminars for Science, Civics, Media, and Math teachers on how to foster ethical inquiry, cause-effect analysis, and wise reflection.
- Provide them with Dhamma-based teaching aids:Jataka story parallels, ethical dilemmas, and logic puzzles to spark discussion.
- Retrain teachers tode-emphasize rote memory and instead ask students: “Why does this matter?”, “What is the consequence of this action?”
Key Message: Teachers must shift from delivering answers to cultivating ethical thinking — knowledge without wisdom is dangerous.
“A fool who knows he is a fool is wise to that extent. But a fool who thinks he is wise is a true fool.” – Buddha
5. History & Geography (Desa–Jātiya Itihāsaya saha Bhūgōlaya)
Why it’s vital today:
- National identity is eroding through historical erasure
- Youth must understand the value of Sri Lankan civilization and unity, the great achievements of the Sinhale kings & how the protected & guided the Nation & its People.
Must include:
- Pre-colonial history, Sinhala kings, Buddhist civilization
- Temple-based education, irrigation systems, ethics of rulers
- Role of all communities in building the nation
- Impact of colonialism and post-independence struggles
| Component | Purpose |
| Sri Lankan History | Pride in heritage, resistance to colonial erasure, civilizational continuity |
| Local Geography | Understanding of rivers, agriculture zones, ecosystems |
| Archaeological Sites | Connection to Buddhist civilization, ancient engineering, heritage |
| Ethno-Religious Harmony | How all communities contributed to nationhood |
| Geopolitical Awareness | Understanding Sri Lanka’s strategic position & foreign pressures |
| Disaster & Resource Awareness | Ethical use of land, water, preparedness (linked to kamma) |
Implementation & Teacher Training:
History must be made a non-negotiable core subject from Grades 3 to 11,
- Run district-level teacher camps focused on Sri Lanka’s pre-colonial history, Buddhist heritage, irrigation marvels, and geopolitics.
- Involve historians, archaeologists, and monks to teach teachers how to connect children to land, lineage, and legacy through storytelling and site visits.
- Equip teachers to counter false narratives, present balanced views, and foster national pride without chauvinism.
Key Message: History teachers must be guardians of memory — they shape the identity of a nation one classroom at a time.
“He who reveres the past and understands his land, protects the future.”
6. Life Skills / Right Livelihood Training
Why it’s vital today:
- Children are conditioned to value fast wealth, foreign jobs, or immoral industries
- Right Livelihood trains ethical, productive, and self-reliant citizens
| Area | Skills | Moral Values |
| Agriculture | Food growing, herbal medicine | Gratitude, self-reliance |
| Home Economics | Cooking, budgeting, hygiene | Care, cleanliness, discipline |
| Financial Literacy | Saving, avoiding debt | Contentment (santutthi), restraint |
| Simple Trades | Carpentry, tailoring, repair | Dignity in labour |
| Time Use | Daily routine, digital discipline | Right effort |
| Health & First Aid | Personal care, emergency skills | Compassion, readiness |
| Family Life | Parenting, elder respect | Harmony and duty |
| Career Ethics | Guidance on ethical jobs | Avoidance of harm, deceit, exploitation |
Implementation & Teacher Training:
- Establish“Livelihood Labs” in schools with hands-on sessions in cooking, planting, repairing, and managing time and money.
- Teachers should be trainedin the dignity of labor, simplicity of living, and the Buddhist ethic of santutthi (contentment).
- Partner withlocal artisans, village elders, monks, and Ayurvedic healers to co-facilitate weekly practical classes.
Key Message: Teachers must not be afraid to get their hands dirty — right livelihood must be demonstrated, not theorized.
“Not by harming others does one gain success, but by right effort and honest work.” – Buddha
7. Health & Physical Care
Why it’s vital today:
- Children face poor diet, laziness, early sexual exposure, drug use
- A sound body supports a stable mind and virtuous life
Focus:
- Cleanliness, physical fitness, nutrition
- Avoidance of intoxicants
- Strength and balance for service to society
“Health is the greatest gain; contentment, the greatest wealth.” – Dhammapada
Age-Wise Outcomes: What each stage of Education should produce
| Grade Range | Focus Areas | Expected Outcome |
| Grades
1–5 |
Foundation in morality, language, mindfulness, hygiene | Respectful, emotionally stable, ethically grounded child |
| Grades
6–9 |
Moral reasoning, civic identity, national pride, life skills | Thoughtful, disciplined youth with cultural rootedness and early purpose |
| Grades 10–13 | Application of ethics,
Right Livelihood, national service |
Responsible, self-aware citizen ready for ethical work or service |
Implementation & Teacher Training:
- Replace foreign-modeled sex education withlocal, culturally rooted body-awareness and hygiene education, guided by doctors, bhikkhunis, psychologists, and even nurses.
- Train teachers inhow to speak about the body and sexuality with dignity and truthfulness, rooted in Dhamma concepts of modesty and restraint.
- Emphasize clean living, nutrition, daily routines, and the abandonment of intoxicants and harmful indulgences.
Key Message: Health is sacred — teachers must guide children to care for their bodies as vessels of virtue.
A New National Training Body:
- Establish a“Dhamma-based Teacher Training Institute” under the Ministry of Education/NIE in partnership with the Maha Sangha and representatives of all major faiths.
- This institute would design and oversee:
- Certification of new values-based teachers
- Ongoing in-service moral training
- Common ethics modules for Buddhists/Non-Buddhists
- A national database of local resource persons (monks, elders, craft mentors)
After 13 Years of Education: The Path Forward
The Ideal Graduate: A young adult who is:
- Morally upright (Sīla)
- Emotionally stable (Samādhi)
- Intellectually wise (Paññā)
- Rooted in heritage and ready to serve society
Three Pathways after School:
- Right Livelihood Track
- Vocational training (Dhamma-aligned trades)
- Apprenticeships with ethical mentors
- Focus on agriculture, crafts, service, and rural development
- National Service & Leadership Track
- Voluntary 1–2 year service: disaster response, rural upliftment, teaching
- Training in ethical leadership and civic duty
- Higher Academic or Dhamma Studies
- Entry into reformed universities with moral foundation
- Specializations in Buddhist thought, ethics, education, policy
- Monastic or scholarly spiritual advancement
Long-Term National Goals:
- Rebuild a duty-oriented, disciplined citizenry
- End ideological dependency on foreign models
- Restore cultural sovereignty
- Reconnect education to life, purpose, and national identity
We call upon Sri Lanka’s policymakers, religious leaders, educators, and parents to unite behind this Dhamma-rooted educational vision — and reject externally imposed ideologies that continue to fracture our youth. Let us rebuild from our own soil & spirit.
Shenali D Waduge
