Terms & Concepts

by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Academic Year

• Usually spans two calendar years e.g. 1968 – 69

• We will say Class of 69 (or just 69) instead of Class of 1968 – 69
  e.g. M69 stands for Mechanical 1968 – 69

Alumni

• Student
• Need not be a graduate
• In the old days, there were four Latin terms — alumnus, alumna, alumni, alumnae — to distinguish the Gender (male, female) and Number (singular, plural).
• Nowadays, alumni is a generic term to cover all four cases.
• Universities usually have Alumni Association, Alumni Building, Alumni Office / Department for Alumni Affairs

BIT

• BIT stands for Burma Institute of Technology
• The engineering school moved to the Gyogone Campus in 1961.
• BIT was still under the aegis of Rangoon University.
• U Yone Mo was Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Rangoon University. He became Rector of RIT.

Class

• Class refers to the expected year of graduation.
• The Class of 69 refers to the alumni from the academic year 1968 – 69. Most graduated in 1969.
• The Class of 69 includes those who took sabbatical and graduated later.

Faculty

• Rangoon University had Faculties and Deans
• U Ba Hla was the first native Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Rangoon University.
• Other Faculties include Arts, Science, Social Science, Law & Medicine.

GBNF

• Gone But Not Forgotten

• GBNF for 69ers is maintained by U Aung Min & team

HCF (Health Care Fund)

There are several Health Care Funds. They include :

• Steeve and Helen Kay Heath Care Fund for RIT Sayas and Sayamas

• U Khin Maung Tun’s Family’s Eye-care for RIT Sayas and Sayamas

• Swel Daw Yeik Foundation (SDYF)
  which now also handles the two funds described above

• Class-wide HCFs
  Example :
  Class of 69 (69er HCF, EE69er HCF)
  Class of 70 & 71
  Class of 72
  Class of 75
  Intake of 83

There may be changes to the Health Care of Sayas and Sayamas.

• Hospitalization has the highest priority.
• Case-by-case consideration for sayas & sayamas who have to visit clinics many times
• Eligible sayas and sayamas (age 60+) can have medical check ups
• If funds are available, spouses of eligible sayas and sayamas can also have medical check ups.

Intake

• Intake refers to the year when the group was admitted to RIT, YIT, or YTU.
• Intake usually means “1st BE Intake“.
• Most from the 1st BE Intake of 64 graduated in 1970.
  Most from the 1st BE Intake of 65 graduated in 1971.
  The Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65 has held Reunion and Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe for nearly two decades.
• There were three Intakes in November 2964.
  460+ students were admitted to 1st BE
  320+ students were admitted to 2nd BE
  Aout 200 students were admitted to 3rd BE
• Some Intakes unfortunately lost three years of their schooling, since the institute was closed for three years (from 1988 – 1990).
  Example : Intake of 1983 graduated in 1992 (instead of 1989).

RIT

• BIT was renamed as Rangoon Institute of Technology in 1964.
• Under the then New Education System, RIT became an independent Institute with its own Rector and Registrar.
  U Yone Moe was the first Rector.
  U Soe Thein was the first Registrar.
• Not sure why it was not named as BIT (Rangoon Campus)

RITAA

• Alumni Association of RIT/YIT/YTU
• Helped host SPZP-2016
• Provides “Saya’s Corner“
  Tea and coffee are served
  Wheel chairs are stored for use by needy sayas
• Coordinated the “Library Modernization Project”

SPZP

• Saya Pu Zaw Pwe
• Preferred to “Saya Gadawt Pwe” which has religious connotation
• Allows alumni with different religious beliefs to pay back the Metta and Cetana of their mentors

Swel Daw / Swel Daw Yeik

• Synonym for RIT and the engineering schools preceding and succeeding it.
• The term became established at the RU Golden Jubilee
  Celebrations in 1970, when the RIT Ah Nu Pyinnyar Shins of performed as “Swel Daw Yeik Troupe”.
  “Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint“, “Htee Yein” and “Ta Bin Daing Ah Ka” were hits.
• During the Adhamma Era, Swel Daw Bins were razed from the compound.
• With the dawning of the Pwint Linn Era, 50 Swel Daw Bins were planted to commemorate the Shwe YaDu (in 2014).
• There are many artifacts with “Swel Daw Yeik” in their name. They include :
  Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint
  Swel Daw Yeik Foundation (SDYF)
  Swel Daw Yeik Magazine
  Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung

Thabon Kyaung

• Disparaging term used by authorities in the Adhamma Era

Thamudaya Kyaung

• Poem by Maung Sein Win (Padeegone)
• Music Video by Khin Maung Toe (Vocalist) and Myizzima Hlaing

TU

• Technological University
• Opened indiscriminately during the Adhamma Era

YIT

• RIT was renamed as Yangon Institute of Technology
• Name change per the Naming Policy (to refrain from using names from the Colonial Era).
• Note: The Naming Policy did not have a grandfather clause. Some classic books could not be re-published without the name change. For example, “Trials in Burma” by Maurice Collis was forced to be re-titled “Trials in Myanmar”.

YTU

• Yangon Technological University
• Name change to sound similar to NTU (in Singapore, which was earlier called NTI)

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