Temple based education programme represents a major area of Buddhist teaching and learning. During the reign of the great Buddhist kings Ashoka and Kanishka and later, during the Pala dynasty, Buddhism entered its golden age in Bengal. Widely traveled Bengali Buddhist teachers such as Atisha Dipankara contributed to the revival and spread of Buddhism in Tibet and Southeast Asia. Buddhist temples, in Bangladesh, are focal points of the Buddhist community, hosting not only religious practices but a range of social and community and educational purposes.
Bangladesh Buddhist Association (BBA) BBA, a national organization for Buddhist welfare and social activities, was established in Chittagong in 1887. It participates mainly in humanitarian work, education, and cultural programs and carries the ancient Buddhist legacy of Bihara/monastery-based education programs. It also manages one kindergarten school, Dharma Bangsha Institute, a Pali College, and a library. For example: Dipankar Pali College offers courses in Pali language and literature and is controlled by the Bangladesh Sanskrit & Pali Education Board.
Moanoghar, a socio-educational and development organization, is located in the CHT . Established in 1974, by Venerable Jnanashree Mahathera, Bimal Bhikkhu, and Venerable Prajnanandha Mahathera, Moanoghar served as a critically important resource for indigenous youth throughout the insurgency period (1977–1997) and today provides quality education in academic and technical subjects to disadvantaged youth from across the region. Students are currently enrolled in Moanoghar primary, secondary, and technical vocational schools. Children come from remote villages and receive housing in the school’s hostels with the rest come from neighboring villages. Students receive free or highly subsidized education. Also, noteworthy Buddhist endeavor, Parbatya Bouddha Mission in Khagrachari, operates an orphanage, health center, school, and vocational training center. Venerable Prajnanandha Mahathera established Banophool Adivasi Green Heart College in Mirpur, Dhaka, that now has many students ranging from the equivalent of kindergarten to Grade 12.
Other Buddhist education actors Bangladesh Boudha Kristi Prachar Sangha (BBKPS), a regional center of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, currently manages four secondary schools and three higher secondary colleges in Dhaka and Chittagong. They all follow the national curriculum. Mahamandal Welfare Organization (MWO) provides financial support to underprivileged children. Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust (BRWT) runs pagoda-based pre-primary education programs at 100 pagodas.
Temple based education proclaims commitments to diversity, harmony, and peaceful co-existence. Moreover, one of Moanoghar’s principal aims is the betterment of poor and indigenous children, and this is pursued through the educational curriculum at its residential school, which presently houses students from different ethnic groups and that's a very mentionworthy work for the betterment of the unprivileged students and the parents who can hardly afford their children’s educational expenses.
Written by Priase Chakma
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