Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

Even in his 80s, Saya has an active mind. He was still supervising Burmese students in Australia with their research and theses.

He studied at Mandalay University. His contemporaries include Saya Dr. Maung Di and Tekkatho Phone Naing (U Khin Maung Tint, who supposedly based his characters on his friends).

He did his studies in the UK. When he attended Imperial College, London University, Saya U Ba Than (Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering, RIT) was his room mate.

He later received his Masters from Glasgow University and Doctorate from University of Liverpool.

He was Lecturer and Head of Mathematics Department at the Institute of Economics when he proposed to the Ministry of Education to acquire a computer for research and teaching. Dr. Nyi Nyi requested Saya to extend the scope of his proposal to cover selected universities and institutes. The UCC project was born.

It would take several years before UNDP would approve to fund the UCC project. UNESCO would act as the Executing Agency.

When Saya U Ba Toke was promoted to Rector of MASU (Mandalay Arts and Science University), Saya Chit became Professor and Head of Mathematics Department at RASU (Rangoon Arts and Science University).

He recruited volunteers to help plan for the implementation of UCC. He received permission to use Mandalay Hall as the temporary home for UCC.

Saya Chit organized computer courses. U Soe Paing, U Myo Min, U Ko Ko Lay, U Shwe Hlaing, Dr Kyaw Nyunt several others helped run the courses. They taught Computer Systems, Programming Languages, Systems Analysis & Design, Numerical Methods …

UCC moved over to Thamaing College Campus as a neighbor to RC2 (Regional College Two). Saya Chit became the Founder and Director. U Soe Paing, U Myo Min and Ko Ko Lay became Managers in charge of Systems Division, Applications Division, and Operations Division.

Saya’s Vision

He was a Computing Pioneer in Burma. He is an advocate of

• Lifelong Learning
• Technology Transfer
• Leapfrogging Technology
• Personnel Development
• Knowledge Sharing
• TOSS (Team of System Specialists).

He included a Component in the UCC Project Plan to invite elite Computer Scientists and Practitioners.

UCC was privileged to have the expertise of two Past Presidents of the prestigious ACM (Association Of Computing Machinery): Professor Harry D Huskey (UCSC) and Professor Anthony Ralston (SUNY Buffalo),

Professor Michael Stonebraker (UC Berkeley) gave lectures on Ingres (an early Relational Database System). In the past few years, he won the ACM Turing Award Winner (considered as the Nobel Prize for Computing) :

The computer experts helped UCC to establish courses in Computer Science and Applications.

Saya’s Modesty

Saya is modest. During a trip to Chauk Htat Yone (Six Storey Office), a staff member would “ignore” Saya Chit and pay respect to U Myint Oo (his student and volunteer assistant), who was well dressed and was carrying a suitcase.

Saya’s Projects

Saya thought that I had served as an Editor for a newspaper. So, he assigned me as a writer / editor for several of his numerous projects: High School Mathematics Curriculum Development, CTK (Children’s Treasury of Knowledge), Planning for computerization of Government Departments, and TOSS (Team of System Specialists).

I had written articles, poems and translations for Guardian and Working People’s Daily (WPD) newspapers and Forward Magazine.
Maung Thaw Ka (Bohmu Ba Thaw, Chief Editor of Forward Magazine, GBNF) suggested that I should join his staff (upon learning that I was an RIT alumni volunteering for the UCC Project).
In my 3rd BE, editors from NAB (News Agency Burma) headed by Tet Toe (U Ohn Pe, Chief Editor) invited me to join their staff.
My parents supported my hobbies, but they wanted to make sure that I have a good education and a decent job.

Life After UCC

After UCC, Saya served as Rector of RASU, but his passion for his Dream Child and his care for his former students never diminished.

After retirement, Saya taught at ABAC / Assumption University in Thailand. He also worked for UNHCR.

He relocated to Sydney, Australia. Several Burmese there completed their doctorates under his supervision.

Saya visited Singapore and Myanmar and shared his wisdom, knowledge and experience.

Reunion With Saya In Australia

In June 2006, I visited Sydney, Australia to attend several gatherings:

• RIT alumni gathering headed by Saya U Hla Myint (M65) and Saya U Myo Win (M/Ag65, GBNF)
• UCC alumni gathering at SayaU Aung Zaw’s house where we paid homage to Saya Chit and Saya Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (National Planning Adviser & Board Member of UCC)
• (Old Paulians gathering at Olympic Park organized by Dr. Thann Naing (SPHS, Geology)

Saya asked me to give a lecture or seminar to interested young people in Sydney. He then presented me with his hat. I hope that Saya’s hat can help transfer his brilliant thinking into my head.

Last Journey

In November 2019, Saya passed away in Sydney, Australia. He was 88.

In memory of Saya, soon kwyay was offered in Sydney, Australia and Pyinmana, Myanmar.

Hundreds expressed their sadness for the loss of Sayagyi in the newspapers and in the Facebook pages. The following is a sampling.

UCSY Facebook page remembers Saya as the pioneer Saya for Computer Education in Burma / Myanmar.

Saya Dr. Khin Maung Win wrote about Sayagyi in moemaka

U Ba Than (M.A., Retired Director General, Thuwanna), Saya Chit’s classmate in 1947 at the first I.Sc.(A) class offered at Mandalay University and was a fellow teacher, is saddened by the loss of “Ko Chit Swe”.

Thin Char Mi Thar Su of the University of Yangon is indebted to Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe for his dedication to the dissemination of Mathematics

Myanmar Naing Gan Thin Char Ah Thinn offers condolences to the family members of Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe (Retired Rector) and Sayagyi U Aung Sein (Retired Associate Professor)

ex-UCC Mi Tha Su (UCC Alumni) expresses their sorrow to the Founder of Computers and Computer Education in Burma. Members from Myanmar and beyond (e.g. Singapore, USA, Australia) can never forget Sayagyi and his passion for transforming his students from good to better and great professionals, educators, researchers, and socially responsible citizens of the world.

U Win Thein (Padamyar Winhtein) has updated Wikipedia to include Saya’s pioneering work.

Saya U Aung Zaw (AZ) spent five decades or so under the tutelage of Saya Chit. He organized mini-PZPs for Saya Chit. He wrote about Sayagyi in his Facebook page

Sayama Daw Si Si also wrote about Sayagyi.

To help speed up the computerization in Burma, Saya Chit (Dr. Chit Swe) mandated the “training & knowledge transfer” component in the UCC project.

The component was awarded to Professor Harry D. Huskey (Past ACM President), who taught at University of California Berkeley (UCB) and University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Dr, Huskey is a computer pioneer, ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) Fellow, and CHM (Computer History Museum) Fellow.

Dr. Huskey persuaded several top Computer Scientists and Educators to transfer their knowledge and expertise.

The following is a partial list of the experts provided by Dr. Huskey.

• Professor Anthony Ralston (SUNY Buffalo & Past President of ACM)
• Professor Peter Wegner (Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island)
• Professor Michael Stonebraker (UC Berkely)
• Dr. Malcolm P. Atkinson (Cambridge University Mathematics & Computer Lab)
• Professor Foreman Acton

At UCB, Michael Stonebraker, Eugene Wong and Gerald Held designed and implemented INGRES (Relational Database Management System). They went on to found INGRES and several other DB companies.
He also is an adjunct Professor at MIT.
A few years back, Stonebraker won the prestigious ACM Turing Award (“Nobel Prize” for Computer Professionals).

Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo (GBNF), Sai Aung Thurein (GBNF), Ko Kyaw Zwar Than, Ko Sein Myint, … implemented projects (based on INGRES and other Databases) on ICL under the supervision of Saya Paing and several other sayas.

U Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ) wrote :

In my line of work, prior to my retirement, Knowledge Transfer is one of the several criteria for the success of the Organization/Company. The others are “Documentation” and some mechanism to transfer/document “Tribal Knowledge”.

It was a major challenge for all of us, it was, and still is, a thankless catch up process in the very fast changing Internet. When someone from the management and/or product wanted some new features, the timeline always was ‘yesterday’. They almost always wanted it done ‘yesterday’ as we jokingly called it.

There are innumerable projects/processes we spent so much time could get shelved due to whatever reasons. Documentation and Knowledge Transfer became after thought. And when the key people moved on to other projects it became a nightmare for people who took over.

KMZ added :

There was a story told by Dr. Stonebraker where he learnt of the amazement on our faces when we saw his gigantic shoe. It was about the tough drill sergeant Stone and a small recruit called Stonebraker at the boot-camp. Since I was not a good story teller, I googled/binged Internet but none came up yet.

I believe Rafiul went to work for Stonebraker at Ingres when he moved to California. Htay Lwin Nyo told me about it when I met him. Ingres was eventually sold to CA, Computer Associates.

Editor’s Note :

One of my assignments at TDI (Technology Deployment International) was to work with developers from Fujitsu and some subsidiaries, Computer Associates and some subsidiaries (including Ingres).