Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

by Hla Min

Updated : Mar 2026

Jubilees

• Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary)
• Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary)
• Diamond Jubilee (75th Anniversary, 60th for Coronation)
• Centennial (100th Anniversary)
• Sesquicentennial (150th Anniversary)
• Bicentennial (200th Anniversary)
• Tricentennial (300th Anniversary)

Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT)

• The Faculty of Engineering was briefly known as Burma Institute of Technology (BIT) after moving to the Gyogone Campus.
• In 1964, under the then new Education System, BIT was renamed as RIT.
• RIT became an autonomous institute with its own Rector.
  

SPZP and Alumni Activities

• Saya Pu Zaw Pwe is a noble tradition.
• I am honored to be a core organizer of the First RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in San Francisco, California, USA in October 2000.
• I have supported the subsequent SPZPs and several RIT-related projects and activities.
  

Last Journeys

• I am honored to have been a Master of Ceremonies for the Last Journeys of Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo and Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa.
• I was also requested to give eulogies.

Jubilees

Rangoon University

• It was established in December 1920 with two constituent colleges : Rangoon College and Judson College.
• Saya U Pe Maung Tin served as the first native Principal of Rangoon College.
• Saya Dr. Htin Aung served as the first native Rector of Rangoon University.

RU Golden Jubilee

• The RU Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 1970.
• Saya Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Thet Lwin are among the core organizers of the RU GJ Celebrations.
• I had a minor role as a volunteer for the “Zay Committee”.
• RIT Ah Nu Pyinnyashins took part in the Entertainment Program. The “Htee Yein” and “Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint” were attractions. The term “Swel Daw Yiek” became synonymous with RIT and the engineering schools which preceded RIT.
• The Commemorative Magazine reprinted Bogyoke Aung San’s translation of “Invictus”. The Magazine also had an account of U Hla Maung, who graduated with B.Sc. (Engg) degree in 1928.

RU Centennial

• It was celebrated in 2020.
• Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War) and fellow authors (e.g. Shwe Ku May Hnin) have published “Collections of Poems and Articles” to commemorate RU Centennial.

Myanmar Engineering Education

• Engineering Education in Burma started in 1924.
• The History of Myanmar Engineering Education Project compiled and published HMEE-2012 in time for SPZP-2012. Saya U Aung Hla Tun was the Team Leader.
  U Ohn Khine (M70) and I compiled the CD Supplement for the book.
• HMEE-2018 is a follow up Project to revise the HMEE-2012 book and publish new material (e.g. History of the Engineering Departments). However, after Saya’s demise, the project is in limbo.
• The 90th Anniversary was celebrated in 2014.
• The Centennial was celebrated in 2024.

Rangoon Institute of Technology

• The New Education System which made RIT an autonomous Institute with was established in November 1964.
• Saya U Yone Moe served as the first Rector of RIT. He was succeeded by Saya Dr. Aung Gyi in 1971.
• In 1964, there were eight Engineering Departments : (1) Architecture (2) Chemical (3) Civil (4) Electrical (5) Mechanical (6) Metallurgy (7) Mining (8) Textile.
• Supporting Departments were established at RIT. They include (1) Burmese (2) Chemistry (3) English (4) Geology (5) Physics.
• For some time, there were Visiting Lecturers from USSR and selected Departments of other Universities and Institutes.
• RIT was renamed as YIT (Yangon Institute of Technology). YIT in turn became YTU (Yangon Technological University).
• The Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 2014.
• The 60th Annivrrsary was celebrated in 2024.

RIT Spirit

• The sayas and alumni are known for the “RIT Spirit” which survived the brutal crushing in the Adhamma Era.
• RIT was considered a Dying Breed. The school was branded as “Thabone Kyaung”. The Swel Daw Bins were banished from the Gyongone Campus. Several equipment were taken away to set up a Military Engineering school at DSA.
• The alumni wanted to pay back the metta and cetana of their mentors.
• The First RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe was held in California, USA in October 2000. I wrote the “SAYA PU ZAW PWE” poem. It has been reprinted in several RIT-related publications.
• The subsequent World Wide SPZPs were held in Singapore (in December 2002, April 2007 and December) and in Yangon (in December 2004, December 2012 and December 2016).
• Swel Daw Yeik Foundation was established in 2013.
• The Shwe YaDu Celebrations were held in 2014.
• RITAA is helping YTU in several ways. It is helping to raise the fund for YTU Library Modernization Project (which is a requirement to get YTU accredited at the Regional level and beyond).

Stories to illustrate the RIT Spirit

• I am an amateur historian and a folklorist.
• I have a dream to compile stories to illustrate the friendly and indomitable RIT Spirit.
• I will use the articles that were contributed to the RIT Alumni Newsletter and Updates.
• Sayas and alumni could provide new and old stories (e.g. published in the various Magazines, Sar Saungs, Thadin Zin, Wall Posters, Cartoon Box, Exhibitions).
• While we have reasonably good health and memory, we plan to pay back to our alma mater.

My Facebook Pages and Web sites

I have three kinds of Facebook Pages :

• One for my acquaintances
• One for family members, relatives and close friends
• One for knowledge sharing (e.g. Life Long Learning) and/or archiving my posts

Not all postings are of equal importance. They can be grouped as follows:

• News & Updates
• SPZP-2012 : Count down and Event
• Shwe YaDu Golden Jubilee Celebrations
• SPZP-2016
• Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
• Alumni Associations in Myanmar & California
• History of Myanmar Engineering Education
• Memoirs (e.g by U Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70) & U Ohn Khine (M70))
• Golden Jubilee (GJ) Magazine published by the Class of 70 & 71
• 69ers
• Class Photos
• Brief History of the RIT Departments by Sayagyis
• Excerpts from the archives of SPZP-2000
• Successors of RIT (e.g. YIT, YTU)
• Where are they now?
• GBNF : Sayas and alums

Hope the postings will be of interest to historians — professional or amateurs.

I have two web sites.

• http://myanmar2021.wordpress.com is a free web site. I have archived most of my posts in the web site.
• http://hlamin.com is a paid web site. I have revised many of my posts. Some posts have been merged and enhanced.

SPZP and Alumni Activities

Paying respect to Sayas for their metta and cetana is a tradition that is unique to Burma/Myanmar.

The tradition is alive and well.

There have been SEVEN world wide SPZPs :

• SPZP-2000 (US)
• SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007, SPZP-2010 (Singapore)
• SPZP-2004, SPZP-2012, SPZP-2016 (Yangon)
• SPZP-2020 (scheduled for December 26, 2020 in Yangon) was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Many alumni are active in the following:

• SDYF (Swel Daw Yeik Foundation)
• RITAA (RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association)
• MES (Myanmar Engineering Society)
• MEC (Myanmar Engineering Council)

HMEE Projects

• “History of Myanmar Engineering Education” was published in time for SPZP-2012.
• The project’s initiators included Saya U Soe Paing, Sayagyi U Ba Than and several sayas and alumni. See Acknowledgement in the Book.
• Saya U Aung Hla Tun (GBNF) and team (including me) compiled the book.
• The draft for the first two sections were prepared by Saya U Soe Paing & team.
• U Ohn Khine (M70) translated Section 1 and summarized Section 2. His work have been revised by Saya U Soe Paing.

Saya U Aung Hla Tun suggested that the Book should be revised/updated (e.g. every five years or so).

YTU Library Modernization Project

• The project was established as a requirement for the Accreditation of YTU.
• Donations — large and small — came in. An alumnus had made monthly donation of One Lakh kyats for over two years.

• U Khin Maung Tun (T78), Daw Myint Myint (C69), Saya Dr. Myo Khin (C70) and Daw Mya Nwe (Winsome, C73) and Saya U Tin Htut (M60) donated K100 Lakhs (or more) for the Project.

• Thanks to Ma Nan Khin Nwe (83 Intake) and the fund raising team. The team had periodically published the list of donors.

Health Care

• There were several HCF (Health Care Funds).
• The balance of “Steeve and Helen Kay Health Care Fund for RIT sayas and sayamas” has been handed over to Swel Daw Yeik Foundation.
• The balance of “U Khin Maung Tun’s family for providing Vision Care to eligible sayas and sayamas” have been handed over to Swel Daw Yeik Foundation.
• SDYF provides limited financial assistance to eligible RIT sayas & sayamas for health care (e.g. hospitalization, frequent visits to clinics).
• SDYF also provides Annual Medical and Vision Checkup for eligible sayas & sayamas.

RIT related Facebook pages and web sites

• RIT Updates
• Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
• RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association

• Google Group for Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65
• Google Group for RIT Updates

• hlamin.com
• lmyanmar2021.wordpress.com

Last Journeys

• I had the opportunity to serve as Master of Ceremonies at two last journeys.
• The first was for Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo (EP 74), part time Professor at San Jose State University. Ko Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) set up the commemorative web pages on http://www.ex-rit.org. I have excerpted some in my Trivia posts.
• The second was for Sayadaw U Silanandbhivamsa, Rector of the International Theravada Buddhist University.
• I volunteered as Book Committee member and Contributing Editor for “Paying Homage to Saya U Silanananda.
• There is a 2-set DVD of Saydaw’s last journey and can be found as a supplement for the Commemorative book.

Simple Joys of Living and Paying Back

• We are deeply honored to the sponsors, donors,volunteers, and well-wishers for the soon kyway on August 20, 2016 at Half Moon Bay monastery.
• Special thanks to sayas and alumni near and far who took special time to express their appreciation to the messenger turned amateur historian.
• We are simply following the practice of our beloved philanthropic ancestors who donated for the construction and maintenance of hospitals, schools, pagodas, zayats, free dispensaries.
• I have donated thousands of hours trying to get the sayas and alumni get connected electronically and physically, and also share my experience as a Life Long Learner.
• Ko Thaung Sein (Steeve Kay, EC70, Multiple Golden Sponsor of SPZPs) said, “Do not retire. Re-tire.” He mentioned that if we can serve the sayas and alums for two decades, we should be satisfied since RIT is a dying breed.
• I have completed 26 years as a founder and editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter.