News
Dr. Deraniyagala passes away
Former Director General of Archaeology, Dr. Siran Upendra Deraniyagala, a prehistorian known for his work across the world, passed away yesterday. He was 79.
In 1968, Deraniyagala discovered ancient human burials in the Fa Hien Cave.
He was born on March 1, 1942, in Ratnapura, to parents Dr. P.E.P. Deraniyagala, former Director of National Museum, a giant in his own right, and Prini Molamure. Siran Deraniyagala completed his schooling at S. Thomas’ College Mount. Lavinia. He received his BA and MA degrees in Architecture and Sanskrit at Cambridge University and went on to do postgraduate studies in archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology in London. At the Institute he qualified with distinction and was awarded the prestigious Gordon Childe Prize, as one of two best all-round students in all fields of archaeology.
In addition to the academic degrees, was awarded honoris causa degrees by many leading universities in the world. When he was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his services to the field of archaeology at the 2001 General Convocation of the University of Peradeniya, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of that university Prof W.M. Sirisena said the following in the conferral presentation speech that Dr. Deraniyagala joined the Archaeological Survey Department of Sri Lanka in 1968 as Assistant Commissioner in charge of scientific excavations. He also said: “Following this, Dr. Deraniyagala reoriented excavation and research strategies of the Department that were until then carried out on an ad hoc basis.
He introduced a research design, plans for infrastructure and human resource development in the excavation division and in 1969 undertook the epoch-breaking excavation at the Citadel of Anuradhapura.
This was the first scientific stratified excavation undertaken in this country and it set the pattern to the next generation of field archaeologists in Sri Lanka.
The excavation at the Citadel in fact revolutionized much of traditionally accepted theories on the emergence of civilization in Sri Lanka.
It conclusively pushed back the beginnings of the earliest village culture, the introduction of metals and plant and animal domestication in this Island to 1000 BC. Dr. Deraniyagala’s investigations in the past two decades at the Citadel have revealed that this is one of the largest urban archaeological sites in pre modern South Asia.
This site now functions as a promising state-of-the-art research and training centers for archaeology in South Asia.
During his tenure as Assistant Commissioner Dr. Deraniyagala commenced a systematic reinvestigation of the prehistoric technology and culture of Sri Lanka.
He pioneered a new research strategy and lunched a long-term study of this significant period in our history hitherto little understood and little known.
Deraniyagala then proceeded to the USA for his doctoral research at Harvard University and in 1988 his magnum opus; The Prehistory of Sri Lanka: an Ecological Perspective was completed.
This monumental work on cultural palaeo-ecology totalling over 1500 pages, has been hailed by Harvard professors as a landmark in the archaeology of South Asia as a whole, which has incidentally transformed their concept of Sri Lankan prehistory.
In 1992 his thesis was published as Memoir 8 of the Archaeological Department and is acclaimed as one of the primary source books on South Asian prehistoric archaeology.
Dr. Deraniyagala’s tenure as Director General of Archaeology (1992 to 2001) has been one of the most significant epochs in modernizing Sri Lankan archaeology in the state sector.
He prepared an agenda restructuring theoretical, applied and management archaeology at the professional level by coordinating several ‘thrust’ programs for this purpose.
Dr. Deraniyagala was responsible for the introduction of a radical shift in the Antiquities Ordinance in 1998 and it vested greater power with the Director General of Archaeology and formalized Archaeological Impact Assessments.
Dr. Deraniyagala has disseminated his knowledge by publishing over 40 research articles in some of the most prestigious learned journals in the world.”
News
Children should gain experience through activities such as aesthetics and sports from the primary education stage – PM
Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated that if Sri Lanka is to nurture the future leaders, children must be exposed from the primary education itself to the experiences and values gained through fields such as aesthetics and sports.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in the “Punchi Hapannu 2026” occasion to recognize and appreciate the winners of the Primary Literary Skills, held on Thursday [8 June]at Polpithigama National School during an educational inspection tour in the Kurunegala District.
The event was organized to recognize the winners of the “Punchi Hapannu 2026” Language and Literary Skills Competition, which was conducted with the participation of students from 49 primary schools in the Polpithigama Education Division, based on a concept initiated by the Divisional Director of Education. The occasion was further featured by aesthetic performances presented by students who had won across 17 different competition categories.
During the event, certificates were awarded to the winners by the Prime Minister.
Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister further stated:
“The initiative undertaken within the Polpithigama Education Division is an example for the entire country. Primary education is a broad and multifaceted field. The foundation provided through primary education is important in guiding a child along the right path. A child has only one opportunity in life to experience primary education, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this opportunity is provided in the most appropriate way.
Today, we witnessed how effectively the children of the Polpithigama Education Division utilized the opportunity given to them to creatively showcase their aesthetic talents. Likewise, we are striving to build an education system that provides opportunities for children across Sri Lanka to develop their hidden talents”.
Following the ceremony, the Prime Minister visited Makulpotha Maha Vidyalaya in the Polpithigama Education Division and layed the foundation-stone for a new two-storey school building.
The construction project, implemented with an investment of Rs. 45 million, is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and handed over for students in January 2027.
The event was graced by the presence of members of the Maha Sangha, and attended by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, Kurunegala District Member of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Geetha Herath, education officials of the North Western Province, parents, principals, and several other invitees.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
News
Inaugural session of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya Student Parliament held at the Presidential Secretariat
The inaugural session of the Student Parliament of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Colombo, was held on Friday (19) morning at the Old Parliament Chamber of the Presidential Secretariat.
The event was organised under the ‘Vision’ programme series, a joint initiative of the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Education and the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya was selected to participate in this programme as part of the initiative.
During the event, Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Hemali Weerasekara, addressed the students on leadership, personality development and parliamentary traditions.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage, explained the role of the President’s Fund and highlighted the programmes implemented for the benefit of school students.
Senior Presidential Adviser on Science and Technology, Professor Gomika Udugamasooriya, emphasised that life’s challenges can be overcome by critically examining every experience. He also highlighted the importance of encouraging children, from their school years onward, to explore diverse fields beyond a single subject area and to develop an innovative mindset through experimentation and discovery.
Among those present were Director General of Public Relations to the President, Dharmasiri Gamage, Director (Communications) of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Samantha Mallawarachchi, Deputy Director (Administration) of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Chintha Madhubhashini, Director of the Tri-Forces Coordination Unit at the Presidential Secretariat, Air Commodore Asiri Gallage; Assistant Director Lieutenant Colonel Nadeeka Dangolla; Principal of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Dr. Sumedha Jayaweera; Principal of Ananda College, Colombo, D. M. Lal Dissanayake; as well as teachers, parents and students.
(PMD)
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Jay Shah, Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), was held on Friday (19) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.
Children should gain experience through activities such as aesthetics and sports from the primary education stage – PM
Inaugural session of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya Student Parliament held at the Presidential Secretariat
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