Minister of Mass Media, Transport, and Highways Bandula Gunawardena said that the decision of whether to reopen the Pali and Buddhist Universities or not will be made only on the advice of Maha Nayaka Thera, religious leaders, and related parties.
The minister who stated this at the cabinet press conference held today said that this university is not an institution established under the Universities Act, which deals with other universities in the country, and currently, the Minister of Education, Susil Premajayantha Mahata, has prepared a report on the matter. He said that the relevant decisions are to be taken together with Buddhist prelates and the Minister of Education, while answering a question raised by a journalist.
There, Minister Bandula Gunawardena stated that this university was established under a separate act called the Pali and Buddhist Universities Act. This university, which has been closed due to recent protests, was established in 1982 with the aim of creating a generation of monks with knowledge related to propagating the Buddha Dharma and Buddhist philosophy throughout the world and promoting knowledge about the subject of Pali.
The minister also stated that a proper decision has not yet been made regarding the reopening of this university, which has been closed indefinitely due to the recent student protests.
