by Hla Min

Updated : July 2025

Private Primary Boundary Road School

Founder

• PPBRS was founded by Daw Tin Tin Aye.
• Her sisters Daw Yi Yi & Daw Khin Khin Aye assisted her.
• Daw Khin Khin Aye later became Principal. She also added middle and high school classes so that her children do not have to attend other schools.
• PPBRS was renamed as PBRS.

Classes

• The lowest classes were Infant (C), (B) & (A). They correspond to Lower, Middle & Higher Kindergarten.

Memories

• I was not keen to go to school.
• Had to get up early.

• Had to use slates, paper and pencil (unlike gizmos available to present day kids).

• Teacher Kywe (a motherly Karen Christian) transformed me into a Lifelong Learner.
• After passing High School, my mom asked me to visit Teacher Kywe. Teacher Kywe proudly introduced me to her students. That was my Micro-SPZP.

Note about SPZP

Saya Gadaw Pwe has a religious connotation. Saya Pu Zaw Pwe transcends religions. Several organizers & Golden Sponsors of SPZP-2000 do not profess Buddhism, but they all want to pay back to their mentors for their metta, karuna and cetana.

Classmates include

• Nay Win (MEHS63, M69, GBNF)
• Elizabeth Kyaw Tun (Ph.D in English)
• Han Tun (SPHS63 & DSA)
• Kenneth San & Margaret San
• Several from Film Community (A1 Than Htut, A1 Thein Htut, Toe Nyunt, Thamankyar Ko Myint, Myat Hla Sein …)

Seniors include

• Flora Aye
• Tin Maung Thant (son of U Thant)
• Francis Ohn Maung
• Bonzo Kun Lone
• Bonnie Kun Lone

Prizes

• Thermos Flask for reciting “Mingalar Kabyar”
• Fairy Tales
• Translation of Aesop’s Fables by Min Yu Way & Ngwe Tar Yi

St. Paul’s High School

Preferences for Admission

• Those aspiring to become Brother or Father (Priest)
• Catholic
• Those having a Paulian in the family
• Those wishing to be a Boarder
• Those willing to start from Lower KG
• For Transfer students (a) Must be a Top student (b) Preferably attended an allied school (c) If not, willing to start at a lower class

Standard IV(D)

• I was accepted by SPHS because I stood Second in 3rd Std at PPBRS & my brother was a Paulian.
• However, I was assigned to IV(D) taught by Ms. A Benjamin. See Dr. TOKM’s post about “Section D”
• Tin Tun (M69, GBNF) was my classmate. His mum would come & feed him at lunch break.
• Norman Thant Zin’s mother (Mrs. Stiles) taught a different section.

• Sections A & B were considered good sections for the class.

De La Salle Schools

• St. Patrick’s HS (Moulmein) was the first school founded by De La Salle Brothers in Burma

• St. Paul’s HS (Rangoon) was the second school.

• St. Peter’s HS (Mandalay), St. Albert’s HS (Maymyo), St. Joseph’s HS (Loikaw), St. Columban’s (Bhamo), and Twante School (Orphanage) followed.
• Brother Superior is in charge over-all.
• Each school is managed by a Brother Director.
• Some schools have a Juniorate and/or a seminary to groom aspiring Brothers and Clergies. Edwin David (SPHS63) became a Priest at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Bernard Taylor (SPHS63) did missionary work in the Philippines before moving back to Burma.

Other schools in Rangoon

• Methodist (English, Burmese, Chinese)
• Convent (St. John’s, St. Philomena’s, …)
• Diocesan (St. John’s, St. Mary’s, …)
• ABM
• Cushing
• Central
• Myoma
• TTC
• Chinese (Nang Yan, Hwa Kyone).

My Class Teachers

• Ms A Benjamin (IVD)
• Ms V Boudville (VD)
• U Pe Tin (VID)
• U Nge (VIID)
• Brother Anthony (VIIIA)
• Brother Xavier (IXA)
• Brother Austin (XA)

Most of my teachers (class, subject and relieving) are GBNF.

Learning English

How did I learn English? Not so easily.

Ms Hong Kong (Amelia Kyi)

She taught us English in VI and VII standards using the carrot & the stick.

My daily pocket money was 25 pyas. I would be fined 50 pyas if I failed in a weekly English test, but I would be rewarded 50 pyas if my scores are super.

Brother Xavier

He taught us English in VIII and IX standards mostly using red ink & the stick.

He would give 100 marks (perfect score) for any paper or test & then subtract 10 marks for each error (spelling, grammar …).

One of my classmates received -230 (minus 230) written in red in his report card.

He would ask a student to stand on the chair or kneel in front for blatant violations of Grammar.

According to Ko Zaw Min (St. Albert’s 64), Brother Xavier stopped using the brute-force techniques at St. Albert’s HS.

Brother Austin

He taught us English and “Morals and Manners” in X standard mostly using the carrot.

He was a Librarian for SPHS Library.

He said, “Don’t copy from your friends. You’ll waste your time and my time.”

He reminded me not to write very small. He would reduce score for writing small.

He would reward students who could recite verses from “Morals and Manners” by letting them “time off” for the rest of the period and handing out surprise gifts (e.g. a UK or European soccer match played with his 8mm camera). I won a ticket to see “1960 Summer Olympics at Rome” at the Thamada (President) Cinema.

I am not sure if these kind of incentives will be effective in the present time.

Support

from parents

They bought books, magazines, cartoons, and comics in Burmese and English. Most of them cost less than two kyats.

We had two typewriters : a new Olympia typewriter for Burmese, and an old Remington typewriter for English.

They and my uncles maintain private libraries.

Matriculation

Roll of Honor

SPHS had a Roll of Honor for the outstanding Matriculates from 1951 – 1963.

SPHS63

In the Matric exam of 1963, SPHS had five students in the Top Five, seven in the Top Ten, and ten in the Top Twenty.

• Khin Maung U — 1st in Burma
• Min Oo — 2nd
• Myo San (Freddie) — 3rd
• Nyunt Wai (Victor) — 4th
• Thein Wai — 5th
• Hla Min — 7th
• Aung Kyaw Zaw (Johnny) — 9th
• Maung Maung Kyi — 11th
• Aung Thu Yein (Brownie) — 13th
• Khin Maung Zaw (Frank) — 17th

OPA (Old Paulian Association) invited the Collegiate Scholarship Winners to the Annual Dinner.

Nationalization

The schools were nationalized on April 1, 1965.

SPHS was renamed as No. (6) State High School, Botathaung.

Updates

• Several PPBRS alumni are GBNF. They include Nay Win, Myint Sein, Myat Hla Sein & Khin Maung San.

• Several SPHS alumni are GBNF. They include Myo San, Aung Thu Yein, Maung Maung Kyi, Willie Soe Maung, Tin Tun, Aung Kyi (Arthur) & Khin Maung Bo (Allan).

• Most of my teachers are GBNF. The exception is Uzin Beatson.