Yangon University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Yangon University |
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| Motto | With truth and loyalty |
| Established | 1878 as Rangoon College |
| Type | Public |
| Rector | Dr. Soe Yin |
| Faculty | 1023 |
| Undergraduates | 13,500 |
| Postgraduates | 1,000 |
| Location | Kamayut Township, Yangon, Yangon Division,, Myanmar |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | ASEAN University Network (AUN), ASAIHL |
Yangon University (Burmese: 
) is a university located in Kamayut Township, Yangon, Myanmar. It is the most well-known university in the country.
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[edit] History
Established in 1878 as an affiliate of University of Calcutta, Rangoon College was operated and managed by the British. Rangoon College was opened by the Education Syndicate, which was established by the colonial government to manage educational institutions in Burma.[1] It was renamed Government College in 1904, and University College in 1920, when University College (secular) and Judson College (Baptist-affiliated) were merged. The American Baptist Mission decided to recognise Judson College (formerly Baptist College) as a separate institution within the University of Rangoon.[1] The University of Rangoon modelled itself after University of Cambridge and University of Oxford.[2] Throughout the 1940s to 1950s, Rangoon University was the most prestigious university in Southeast Asia and one of the top universities in Asia, attracting students from across the region.[3][2]
However following the ascent of the socialist government of Ne Win in 1962 under the Burmese Way to Socialism, Rangoon University was put directly under the control of the Directorate of Higher Education, a central government agency, whereas previously, the University was operated by a council of professors, scholars and government officials.[2] In addition, the medium of instruction of the University of Rangoon was changed to Burmese, a radical departure from English, which had been the University's medium of instruction since the founding of the University. Educational standards declined markedly and international bodies stopped recognizing degrees issued or obtained at the University.[2] The university was renamed the Rangoon Arts and Sciences University (ရန္ကုန္ဝိဇ္ဇာန္ဟင့္သိပ္ပံတက္ကသုိလ္; abbreviated RASU), after departments and faculties (medicine, economics, education, etc.) were separated from the University. In 1989, after the military junta had changed place names throughout Myanmar, the University was renamed Yangon University or University of Yangon. Yangon University was closed throughout the 1990s, because of fears of a repeat of the 8888 Uprising, in order to prevent student activists from assembling. To this day, the university is shut down at irregular intervals by the government. To prevent students from congregating, the government has separated the existing institutions and departments that make up Yangon University into separate learning institutions dispersed throughout Yangon. Today, only graduate courses, some professional courses and a few diploma courses are conducted at the University's main campus, with newer universities such as Dagon University, designated for undergraduates.
Yangon University celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in a week-long celebration, which began on 1 December 1995. The Diamond Jubilee marked the school's formal establishment of 75 years. For its commemoration, the government built the Diamond Jubilee Hall, a four-storied building on the University's compounds, which cost K 630,000,000. Once affiliated institutes and departments (eg. the Institute of Economics, which began as a department at Yangon University), which had already separated also celebrated.
[edit] Campus
Yangon University is located in the capital city of Yangon, Myanmar. The university itself is located along the southwestern bank of Inya Lake, the largest lake in Yangon. It is located on the corner of Pyay Road and University Avenue Road. The university is in Kamayut Township, north of downtown Yangon. The modern campus of Yangon University completed construction in 1920. There are two campuses namely, Main Campus and Hlaing Campus. The main campus is the most well-known. The Judson Church, inside the main campus of the University is a baptist church; the name Judson derives from that of Adoniram Judson, an American missionary who completed the first Burmese-English dictionary. There is also a convocation hall inside the university.
[edit] Faculty and schools
- School of Law
- School of History
- School of Science - Science Hall
- School of Mathematics - ULB
- School of Arts - Weik Zar Hall
- School of English
[edit] Accomodation
[edit] Main Campus
University accommodations in Myanmar are unisexual and limited. Female accommodation has limited rules while male are none.
- Sagaing Hall
- Innwa Hall
- Pinya Hall
- Shwebo Hall
- Taungoo Hall
- Bago Hall
- Bagan Hall
- Innya Hall (Female)
- Malar Hall (Female)
[edit] Programmes
Yangon University offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. The undergraduate programmes further subdivided into three categories: Arts (B.A.), Sciences (B.Sc.), and Law. The fields are chosen at upper secondary school, at which students choose particular subjects directed toward their tertiary educations. Postgraduate degrees are separated into three groups, Doctorates, Master's, and diplomas.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Aung San, Burmese revolutionary figure
- Ba Maw, Prime minister of Burma from 1937 - 1939
- Ba Gale, a Burmese cartoonist
- Khin Myo Chit, author and journalist
- Khin Nyunt, Prime minister of Myanmar from 2003 - 2004 (did not complete B.Sc. degree)
- Maung Maung, journalist
- Sir Maung Khin, Chief Judge of High Court in Yangon
- Min Thu Wun, Mon-Burmese scholar
- Nai Shwe Kyin, Mon civil rights revolutionary
- Ne Win, Dictator of Burma from 1962 - 1988 (did not complete pre-med. degree)
- Than Tun, Historian
- U Kyi Maung, former National League for Democracy leader
- U Nu, Prime minister of Burma from 1948 - 1956
- U Razak, Minister of education of Burma in 1948
- U Thant, UN Secretary-General from 1961 - 1971
- Thein Pei Myint, Writer and Politician
Than Tun is Burmese revolutionary figure as Aung San. and leader of 'Burma Communist Party'.
Ba Maw- Prime minister of Burma from 1937 - 1939
and 1943-1945(period of Japan occupation)
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b James, Helen (2005). Governance And Civil Society In Myanmar: Education, Health, and Environment. Routledge. ISBN 0-4153-5558-3.
- ^ a b c d Kyi, Khin Maung (2000). Economic Development of Burma: a Vision and a Strategy. SUP, 150. ISBN 9-1888-3616-9.
- ^ Rothenberg, Daniel (Fall 2002). Towards a New Modern Developed Nation. The Journal of the International Institute. Retrieved on 22 May, 2006.
[edit] External links
