Mandalay National High School
Encyclopedia
Britain
made Burma a province
of India
in 1886 with the capital at Rangoon. While the Burmese economy
grew, all the power and wealth remained in the hands of several British firms and migrants from India. The civil service
was largely staffed by Anglo-Burmese
and India
ns, and Burmese were excluded almost entirely from military service
, which was staffed primarily with India
ns, Anglo-Burmese
, Karen
s and other Burmese minority groups. Though the country prospered, the Burmese people failed to reap the rewards By the turn of the century, a nationalist movement began to take shape in the form of Young Men's Buddhist Association
(YMBA), modeled after the YMCA
, as religious associations were allowed by the colonial authorities. They were later superseded by the General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA) which was linked with Wunthanu athin or National Associations that sprang up in villages throughout Burma Proper. In 1920 the first university students' strike
in history
broke out in protest
against the new University
Act
which the student
s believed would only benefit
the elite
and perpetuate colonial rule. National Schools sprang up across the country in protest against the colonial
education system, and the strike came to be commemorated as 'National Day
'. Mandalay
(Central) National
High School
was one of the four National Schools setup at that time.
Four National Schools were established in Mandalay. Central National High School was situated in Aung Nan Yeik Thar, block 582, between (30th /31st) ) streets and (80th./81st. ), Ahtetsin win, at the place of old library.
Green Longgyi (Paso), Black Tike Pone was the male uniform and the female uniform was Blue Htami and white shirt.
About another five years British government announced the Education
Allocations
for National Schools. There was the difference of opinion amongst the Voluntary teachers, Parents and Doners leading to mass resignation of teachers and most of the National schools around Burma were closed. In Mandalay this Central National High School managed by U Razak
was the only one managed to survive. Since then, as that school was situated at the centre of all four National Schools and the sole surviving one, the school name was officially changed to Central National High School.
In 1937, 18 year old Former Prime Minister of India
Indira Gandhi
, who followed the PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
was blessed in the main hall.
The statue of a lion was placed in front of that main hall in 1955. The picture of that lion was later chosen as the school emblem. The motto of the school is “Atta-Hei-Atta Naw-Nar-Htaw” (in Pali language) and means, “ I am the (only) one (that) I can (respect) and count on, is written below the emblem.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
made Burma a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1886 with the capital at Rangoon. While the Burmese economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
grew, all the power and wealth remained in the hands of several British firms and migrants from India. The civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
was largely staffed by Anglo-Burmese
Anglo-Burmese
The Anglo-Burmese, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent, and emerged as a distinct community through mixed relations between the British and other European settlers and the indigenous peoples of Burma from 1826 until 1948 when Burma gained...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, and Burmese were excluded almost entirely from military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
, which was staffed primarily with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, Anglo-Burmese
Anglo-Burmese
The Anglo-Burmese, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent, and emerged as a distinct community through mixed relations between the British and other European settlers and the indigenous peoples of Burma from 1826 until 1948 when Burma gained...
, Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
s and other Burmese minority groups. Though the country prospered, the Burmese people failed to reap the rewards By the turn of the century, a nationalist movement began to take shape in the form of Young Men's Buddhist Association
Young Men's Buddhist Association
The YMBA, or Young Men's Buddhist Association, was first created in Sri Lanka as part of a bid to provide Buddhist institutions as an alternative to the Young Men's Christian Association, otherwise known as the YMCA. It has had many famous presidents such as the Cambridge-educated Philanthropist...
(YMBA), modeled after the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, as religious associations were allowed by the colonial authorities. They were later superseded by the General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA) which was linked with Wunthanu athin or National Associations that sprang up in villages throughout Burma Proper. In 1920 the first university students' strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
broke out in protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
against the new University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
Act
Act
Act may mean:* Act/Power is a philosophical notion defined by Aristotle and known as entelechy* Act , a British band* Act , a document recording the legality of a transaction or contract...
which the student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s believed would only benefit
Benefit
Benefit or Benefits may refer to:* Benefit concert, any activity performed for a charitable purpose* Benefit , an album by Jethro Tull* "Benefits" , a 2009 episode of the show How I Met Your Mother...
the elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
and perpetuate colonial rule. National Schools sprang up across the country in protest against the colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
education system, and the strike came to be commemorated as 'National Day
National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...
'. Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
(Central) National
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
was one of the four National Schools setup at that time.
Mandalay (Central) National High School or No. 2 BEHS Mandalay
After the Rangoon University Students Boycott on 5th. December 1920, (Burmese Calendar year 1282, 10th. wane moon of Tazaungmone), National Colleges and National Schools were set up in various town of Burma.Four National Schools were established in Mandalay. Central National High School was situated in Aung Nan Yeik Thar, block 582, between (30th /31st) ) streets and (80th./81st. ), Ahtetsin win, at the place of old library.
Green Longgyi (Paso), Black Tike Pone was the male uniform and the female uniform was Blue Htami and white shirt.
About another five years British government announced the Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
Allocations
Resource allocation
Resource allocation is used to assign the available resources in an economic way. It is part of resource management. In project management, resource allocation is the scheduling of activities and the resources required by those activities while taking into consideration both the resource...
for National Schools. There was the difference of opinion amongst the Voluntary teachers, Parents and Doners leading to mass resignation of teachers and most of the National schools around Burma were closed. In Mandalay this Central National High School managed by U Razak
U Razak
U Razak was a Burmese politician and an educationalist. He was a cabinet minister in Aung San's pre-independence interim government, and was assassinated on 19 July 1947 along with six other cabinet ministers. July 19th is commemorated each year as Martyrs' Day in Myanmar...
was the only one managed to survive. Since then, as that school was situated at the centre of all four National Schools and the sole surviving one, the school name was officially changed to Central National High School.
In 1937, 18 year old Former Prime Minister of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, who followed the PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
was blessed in the main hall.
The statue of a lion was placed in front of that main hall in 1955. The picture of that lion was later chosen as the school emblem. The motto of the school is “Atta-Hei-Atta Naw-Nar-Htaw” (in Pali language) and means, “ I am the (only) one (that) I can (respect) and count on, is written below the emblem.
U Razak pioneered the following things for the school
- Established the Voluntary Police Corps in the school and trained the students to have discipline and experience of working together for the public.
- Established the boxing club M.A.
- Established the basketball team
- Established the Performing Arts Club, teaching singing, dancing and playing musical instruments
- Held the Monthly Debate completion
- Hired the renowned Hindu Poet Mr Sundrum who could not speak Burmese to increase the standard of teaching English.
- U Razak organized his old students who were teaching in various Colleges and Universities to come back and help teaching the students during the university holidays
Notable alumni of Central National High School
- Ludu Daw AmarLudu Daw AmarLudu Daw Amar was a well known and respected leading dissident writer and journalist in Mandalay, Burma. She was married to fellow writer and journalist Ludu U Hla and was the mother of popular writer Nyi Pu Lay...
- Kyar Ba NyeinKyar Ba Nyein"Kyar" Ba Nyein was the Burmese boxer who participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics boxing and was a pioneer in modernizing the Lethwei, or Burmese traditional boxing. Ba Nyein started boxing at the age of 13, and fought about 50 matches in 20 years until retiring from fighting at the age of 33....
- Vice-Senior General Maung AyeMaung AyeVice-Senior General Maung Aye is the former Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council , which was until March 2011, the ruling military junta of Burma. Maung Aye was the second highest-ranking member of the SPDC....
. Vice-Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the ruling military junta of Burma. - M.A. Ma Ohn. She matriculated in 1930 from the Central National High School Mandalay, Professor of Pali in Mandalay University
- Dr Kaung Zan (Chief Agricultural research Officer of Burma later International Rice Research Institute of Philippines)
- Retd. Colonel Khin Nyo (Ne Win’s Caretaker Government in 1957 and Revolution Council Member in 1962)
- U Saw Hla. President of the Students’ Union of this school during the all Burma General Strike in 1938. Patron of the old student association of this school.
- Pinnie @ Rtd. Lt. Colonel Tin Aung , Chief of the Maintenance Dept . of Mingaladon Air force base.
- Thakhin Chan Tun. Revolutionist, awarded First Prize of Nainggan Gonyi.
- U Aung Kyi , Vice President of Mandalay Association in Yangon
- Thuriya Than Maung , President of the Rangoon University Student Union and All Burma Student Union. Journalist.
- U Maung Maung Mya, President of the Malun Rice Cherity Association Mandalay
- Colonel Wai Lin, Journalist and Deputy Director Armoured Division, Myanmar Military
- Theikpan Hmu Tin Ret. Majour. Journalist. Got the award from WHO for his writing against smoking.
External links
- Dr Nyi Nyi, BSC (Hons) Ph D (London) D.I.C. 1st. Edition July 2007, ISBN 978 974 433 092 5. OS Printing House Co Ltd. Bangkok, "U Razak of Burma, a Teacher, a Leader, a Martyr" Although the book is about U RazakU RazakU Razak was a Burmese politician and an educationalist. He was a cabinet minister in Aung San's pre-independence interim government, and was assassinated on 19 July 1947 along with six other cabinet ministers. July 19th is commemorated each year as Martyrs' Day in Myanmar...
, most of the facts are about Mandalay National High School, as he was the Head Master and all the short articles were written by his former students.