Honourary degrees for Prof. H. A. Aponso and Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera
View(s):
Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera addresses the convocation
At the 82nd convocation of the University of Peradeniya, two honourary degrees were conferred on two eminent scholars who had served the university.
They were pediatrician Prof. Herbert Allan Aponso and creative writer and dentist Dr.GunadasaAmaraskera.
Prof. H. A. Aponso was presented the degree by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Vasanthi Pinto and Dr.GunadasaAmarasekera was presented the degree by the Dean of the Faculty of Dental Science Prof. A.M.Atygalle.
The traditional garlanding of the graduates did not take place, instead the graduates wore the garlands when they entered the convocation hall.
The convocation address was delivered by Dr.GunadasaAmarasekera after he received the honourary degree.
“At the moment I see a concerted effort by education authorities to incorporate a knowledge of the basic sciences and the latest knowledge, technical skills and information technology to the universities,” Dr.Amarasekera said.
“This reminds me of a personal experience I underwent some time ago. It was in 1987 during the JVP insurrection. I was abroad at that time and was keen to know what was happening especially in the universities. I could see the terrible mayhem, the terrible tragedy, the torture, that was inflicted on the youth, especially at Peradeniya University. The picture of those decapitated heads lining the pond made me utterly sick and guilty,” he said.
“WhenI came back I was interviewed by a weekend Sinhala newspaper and was asked what remedial measures I would suggest to prevent such a tragedy from happening in the universities. I said there wasno need to continue with these universities as they had provided a breeding ground for rebels and insurgents. All these universities must be closed down I said.”
The honourary degrees being conferred to the recipients
“We must go back to the situation that existed before these universities were established, I told the newspaper. We must have a medical college to provide doctors, an engineering school to provide engineers and a law college for lawyers. We must also resurrect the technical colleges to provide the necessary technicians for the country. The country cannot afford to sustain residential universities which produce unemployable graduates. If there is a need to teach the humanities we should have a certain number of open universities to cater for the need, I said.”
“But I think the current government’s educational restricting programme is going to be a success. It must start in the schools, not in the universities. The universities must only carry on the process,” Dr.Amarasekera added.
He also said the emphasis on technology,technical skills and IT at the expense of scientific knowledge is bound to generate a warped idea of science.
“The youth may consider science, not as a source of knowledge or a way of understanding the world, but as a means to an end. They may get the idea that science aims to create a world dominated by gadgets and machines. This will damage their creative thinking,” Dr. Amarasekera said.
Dr. Amarasekera said he believed in the idea of a holistic approach devoid of the compartmentalisation of knowledge.
“In the pirivena schools and universities they maintain a holistic approach,” he said.
He added that many mistakenly believed that pirivenas were religious centres and their main function was the propagation of Buddhism, but that was not true.
“They are centres of learning and also intellectual and cultural centres. The heads of pirivenas were historically, advisors to the rulers and also representatives of the people,” he said.
-L. B. Senaratne
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!