Value of syncretic education

I am honoured and humbled to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from this most prestigious institution University of Peradeniya.

- ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY PROF. N.A.DE S. AMARATUNGA BDS, FDSRCS, PHD, DSC DLITT ON THE OCCASION OF BEING AWARDED HONORARY DLITT

I am grateful to the University, the Faculty of Dental Science and all others involved in the procedure. University of Peradeniya with its breathtaking beauty and rich culture, is one of the greatest centres of learning. It was a privilege, indeed, to be a student of this University and then to serve it as a teacher. I will never be able to repay what I owe this University, however much I may serve it.

A university, above all, must be, a centre of training, a centre of research and a centre of culture, integrated into one conglomerate. Training, research and culture are the vital ingredients that make a university great. University of Peradeniya, by and large, fulfil these requirements to a significant degree, despite financial constraints. We owe our gratitude to its Vice Chancellor and the management for this achievement.