Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

  • RU 15

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    Some posts

    Thann Htutt Aung wrote some posts (e.g. landmarks including buildings and roads) and shared several posts (including the Hostels and their notable occupants, victorious RU soccer team from the prewar days, memories of former Soccer Selection U Aung Khin, logo from the RU Golden Jubilee).

    Some remembered their classmates who were denied admission to the professional institutes because of the 3-NRC rule.

    Several took three more years to complete their studies. The schools were closed following the 8-8-88. There were no convocations for 1988, 1989 and 1990.

    Some remembered attending Thabawa Theikpan (Natural Science) Campus in Thamaing. The name fell out of use. It was later known as RC(2), one of the three Regional Colleges in Yangon.

    The admission procedures change with the several “New Education System”. The controversial ILA (Intelligence Level Aggregate) was used to admit matriculates in 1964. The three year performance (Matriculation and Two years in Regional College) was used to decide the study of the students.

    “Special” Honors courses took five years (Intermediate followed by three years of specialization in a subject).

    “General” Honors courses took four years (Intermediate followed by two years of specialization in a subject).

    General Honors (Options : Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)

    Physics Honors

    Saya Mehm Than Thoung was top in 1960 – 61.

    Sayama Daw May Than Nwe was top in 1961 – 62. Her classmates include Sayama Daw Khin Swe Aye, Sayama Daw Khin Than Nwe, Saya Dr. Sein Tun and Robert Sein.

    Dr. Hla Ngwe Tin (Frankie Ohn, First in Burma in the Matriculation of 1959), Dr. Tun Than, Dr. Soe Yin and U Kyaw Kyaw Shein were from the final batch 1962 – 63.

    Mathematics Honors

    Need info for 1960 – 61.

    Saya Dr. Kyaw Thein was top in 1961 – 62.

    Sayama Daw Myint Myint Khaing (daughter of Arzani Mahn Ba Khaing), Sayama Daw Kyi Kyi Aung, Saya Dr. Sein Win and U Oo Tha were from the final batch 1962 – 63.

    Chemistry Honors

    Need info for 1960 – 61.

    Saya Dr. Soe Win was top in 1961 – 62.

    Need info for 1962 – 63.

    Sein YaDu (Diamond Jubilee in 1995)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is diamond-jubilee.jpg
    Aung Mon, Saya Dr. Soe Win, Sayama May Saw Lwin, Nyi Thet Lwin

    At that time, the four family members were affiliated with different Universities and Institutes.

    • Saya Dr. Soe Win (YUFL)
    • Sayama Daw May Saw Lwin (Chemistry, RASU)
    • Ko Aung Mon (EC, YTU)
    • Ko Nyi Thet Lwin (IM 1)

    At present, Saya and Sayama are retired. They will celebrate their Golden Jubilee soon. Ko Aung Mon did graduate studies in IT and works in Singapore. Ko Nyi Thet Lwin is a surgeon in UK.

  • Architects

    • Saya U Khin Maung Thint (Jimmy Tin) taught the early batches.
      
    • The first batch of Architects including Saya U Myo Myint Sein graduated in 1958.
      Saya did Masters postgraduate studies in the US.
      U Myo Myint Sein (Raymond) succeeded Saya U Tha Tun as Head of the Architecture Department.
      After retirement from RIT as Professor, he moved to the USA.
    • The second batch including Saya Dr. Lwin Aung and U Bo Gyi graduated in 1959.
      Dr. Lwin Aung worked in the industry for several years before joining the Faculty.
      Saya Dr. Lwin Aung (A59) served as Professor of Architecture, and Pro-Rector of YTU (Yangon Technological University). After retirement, he became a monk.
      
    • The third batch including Koon Yin Chu (Phillip), U Tin Htoon, U Aung Kyee Myint and U Kin Maung Yin graduated in 1960.
      
    • Koon Yin Chu (Phillip Chu, SPHS54) stood First in Burma in the Matriculation of 1954. He stood First again in the graduating class of Architects in 1960.
      
    • U Bo Gyi (A59), U Tin Htoon (A60) and U Aung Kyee Myint (A60) founded Architects Incorporated.
      
    • U Bo Gyi was an accomplished pianist and modeller (e.g. sculpture) and was the senior of the three partners.
      He designed the Daw Khin Kyi Mausoleum., and was “set aside” by higher authorities for his work.
      After retirement, he become a monk.
      
    • U Tin Htoon (Past Captain and Gold of RUBC) is an ARAE Champion. He and Dr. Harry Saing won the Venables Bowl for coxless pairs at the 1958 ARAE Regatta in Calcutta. He, Dr. Harry Saing, Victor Htun Shein, Sunny Teng and U Sein Htoon won the Willingdon Trophy for coxed fours at the 1960 ARAE Regatta in Colombo. He and U Hla Khin (Navy / Defense) won Silver medal for Yatching at the SEAP Games.
      U Tin Htoon retired after working in Myanmar, Singapore and USA.
      
    • A few years later, the company was folded. The three Amigos joined PWD (Public Works Department).
      
    • U Aung Kyee Myint retired as Chief Architect of PWD.
      
    • U Kin Maung Yin (Modern Art, Director of “Hna Ma Let Shor Nay Lay Dawt”), Paw Oo Thet, Director Win Pe and several artists frequented Architects Incorporated.
      
    • U Kin Maung Yin used Black and White imagery, Classical Music and minimal dialog in his movie “Hna Ma Let Shawt Ney Lay Dawt” (which attracted some Westerners), but it was the first occurrence where the “First Day First Show” did not sell out.
      

    Cartoonists

    Table Tennis

    • Badminton
    • Botany
    • Burmese / Myanmar Sar
    • Cartoonists
    • Chancellor
    • Chemistry
    • Engineering
    • Graduation
    • Landmarks and Symbols
    • Library
    • Literary Clubs and RU Magazines
    • Ma Chit Swe’s Autograph
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Poems
    • Rangoon University Boat Club / RUBC
    • Rectors and Registrars
    • SEAP Games
    • Table Tennis
    • UCC, DCS, ICST
    • Zoology
  • U Win Latt

    • Win Latt was one of my students at UCC.
    • Under the supervision of U Myint Sein (BARB, GBNF) and me, he implemented Win Horo.
    • He [co]founded CCC and SysMagic.
    • He worked in Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore and Thailand.
  • Business Application Division

    • U Mya Thein (GBNF)
    • U Thein Oo
    • U Soe Thein (GBNF)
    • U Aung Hlaing
    • Daw Nwe Nwe Win / Judy
    • Daw Nge Ma Ma Than / Ma Nge (GBNF)

    U Mya Thein

    Grapevine says that U Mya Thein (GBNF) earned the nickname “Bo Shoke” at the Institute of Economics (IE). His first nickname was supposedly “Bo Gyoke” because he had his hair cut like Bogyoke Aung San. He was a brilliant and talented student. He would “explain” the lectures in a room to his fellow students. Grapevine says that the turn out to his “free tuition” was larger than that at the regular classes given by the sayas.

    He had a vast array of General Knowledge. He read books on religion, medicine, and engineering. He would get involved in lots of activities thereby earning the name “Bo Shoke” (One who gets his hands wet in things that are of no concern to him).

    He joined the Commerce Department at the IE as a tutor. When UCC was formed, it needed people with diverse skills. Bo Shoke, Ah Thay Lay (U Thein Oo), Htaw Kyin (U Htin Kyaw) and Saya Maung (U Tun Shwe) transferred to UCC from IE. The first two majored in Commerce. The last two majored in Statistics. They all became Application Programmers, and went for further studies to the United Kingdom.

    Bo Shoke was outspoken. During a visit to UCC, VIPs (ministers and deputy ministers) were standing and waiting for U San Yu. Bo Shoke entered the room and shouted, “Sit down”. All complied. (What a surprise!)

    Bo Shoke not only taught at UCC, but he also lectured to the monks at ITBMU (International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University).

    Like Father, Like Son

    One day Bo Shoke’s father came to UCC. He carried a bunch of bananas to UCC. He asked U Tun Kywe, an army veteran serving as security, the office of Saya Myo (Bo Shoke’s manager). When he found out Saya Myo was not much older than Bo Shoke, he went downstairs and then handed the bunch of bananas to the elderly U Tun Kywe. Like father, like son.

    Remarks

    • I succeeded Saya Myo (U Myo Min) as Business Applications Manager. 
    • Bo Shoke succeeded me.
    • Fortunately or unfortunately, one who could “contest” Bo Shoke appeared. It was his sister-in-law.

    U Thein Oo

    U Thein Oo was an entrepreneur in his school days. He supposedly paid his school fees from his winnings from “Ta Chut Hmok” (and similar games). With great control and having excellent strategies, he was never victimized like other over-emotional card players.

    He was also good in sports : as a “lifter” in volleyball and as a “smasher” in table tennis.

    He joined the Department of Commerce and later transferred to UCC. His mentors include Saya Dr. Khin Mg Kyi (who attended the University as a monk and is known for his debating style). He is equally good as his mentor and may be even better.

    He found his soul mate Daw Than Than Tint at UCC. They and their family members (son, daughter-in-law) operate ACE and its subsidiaries.

    He co-founded MCI (training and services) company with a fellow alumni/saya U Tin Win Aung from the Institute of Economics.

    He has served in various capacities (e.g. President) in MCF and similar organizations.

    He is fondly known as “Ah Thay Lay”. He is a nice example of the saying “Great men are short”.

    U Soe Thein

    U Soe Thein (also known as Joe Thein) had a disability, but that did not prevent him to have a good life and career. He completed training courses from ICL (including COBOL programming).

    He joined UCC as an “off-line” operator. He transferred to the Application Division. He became one of the COBOL teachers.

    U Aung Hlaing

    U Aung Hlaing is fondly known as Japan Sayagyi. His wife worked for the Foreign Ministry and was assigned to Japan. JS accompanied her and worked as a COBOL programmer.

    Saya Paing met him during his training (sponsored by JICA [Japan International Cooperating Agency] and implemented by Fujitsu and other Japanese computer companies. Saya Paing asked him if he would like to join UCC upon his return to Burma.

    He became one of the COBOL teachers.

    Daw Nwe Nwe Win

    Daw Nwe Nwe Win is fondly known as Judy.

    She was a star athlete at RASU. She also played volley with the males (UCC employees and students).

    She used to hang around a lot with Ma Nge (Daw Nge Ma Ma Than).

    One day, some one approached Judy and Ma Nge with two envelopes. He said, “It’s for both of you”. Guess what? Inside each envelope was a “Yee Zar Sar”.

    They remained “twins” until U Myint Swe managed to get the favor of Ma Nge.

    It would take some more time before Judy would tie the knot.

    Daw Nge Ma Ma Than (Ma Nge)

    See other posts about Ma Nge (GBNF).

  • In Memory of U Aung Zaw

    The family of Saya U Aung Zaw (Sydney, Australia) — Daw Kyawt, San Tint Tint Zaw, Ant Bwe Zaw, Nyan Htet Zaw, Grandchildren — thanks all those around the world who sent messages and donations during the recent bereavement.

    In Saya Zaw’s memory, the family donated AUD5000 to the Metta Foundation (which provides health care to the elderly and the needy).

    The family also offered requisites to the Sangha in Sydney.

    The dhamma friends at the Yennora Burmese Monastery helped with the Soon Kwyay.

    U Myint Lwin (Charles) coordinated the three Ah Hlu in Thanatpin, Myanmar :

    • Two nights offering Lights
    • Two days offering drinking water
    • Soon Kyway

    Daw Pyone Yee (Saya Zaw’s older sister in Myanmar) and family performed dana for Saya Zaw.

    U Zaw Tun (UCC), family and friends in Singapore hosted Soon Kyway for Saya Zaw.

    U Ngwe Soe (UCC, Singapore) earlier donated Saya Zaw’s books to a library (in a monastery) for public access.

    Due to relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, Saya Zaw’s last journey was allowed 45 minutes (instead of 15 minutes) and 60 attendees.

  • U Aung Zaw

    Sad News

    Saya U Aung Zaw (Aung Daing, Yebaw Gyi, AZ, Saya Zaw) passed away in Sydney, Australia on November 16, 2021.

    Three Books

    He wrote about his life and philosophy in two books “Dhamma and Bawa” and “Cetana thi thar Kan”.

    I had the honor and privilege to edit the books, and to contribute a section “Advice to Grandchildren” (based on his draft writing).

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is az-14.jpg

    Both books were published by his elder sister Daw Pyone Yee in Yangon. They were mailed to Saya Zaw’s friends, colleagues and former students (in Myanmar, Singapore, USA …) by Saya’s niece Cho Zin Win.

    A third book did not get published in time (partly due to pandemic).

    Life Long Teacher

    Saya Zaw joined the Department of Mathematics at RASU.

    He transferred to UCC as Systems Programmer.

    He received M.Sc. (Computer Science) from Southampton University.

    He also had training at UCSC (University of California at Santa Cruz).

    Saya Zaw and his mentor Saya U Soe Paing (UCC co-founder) studied at Southampton University in the UK. The Chair of the Computer Science Department (Professor D. W. Barron) earlier worked at Cambridge University Mathematical Laboratory under Computer Pioneer Maurice V. Wilkes who built EDSAC and also wrote about Microprogramming.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is az-15.jpg

    He taught Computer courses at UCC and later at CSO, Assumption University (in Bangkok) and at a University (in Sydney).

    Saya U Soe Paing (co-founder of UCC) allowed Saya Zaw and me to co-author User Manuals & Guides and Texts (on Programming and Computers).

    Multiple Talents

    Saya Zaw wrote Kabyars, articles and Thingyan Sar. A sample of his witty writings can be found in my web site hlamin.com

    Saya Zaw completed the Thingyo (Abhidhamma) examination. He organized Dhamma discussions with Saya Chit (Dr. Chit Swe) and selected seniors. Some of the discussions can be found in his book (which was published by his elder sister and mailed to us by his niece).

    True Love

    True Love Story saw Ma Kywat donating her Kidney to Saya Zaw several years back. The donated kidney was still strong and healthy at the time of demise.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is az-18.jpg

    Three Children and Four Grandchildren

    Saya Zaw’s children are fondly known as

    • Mi San (San Tint Tint Zaw)
    • Ant Bwe Zaw
    • Nyan Htet Zaw (Steven).
    • Mi San and her children moved to Saya Zaw’s house.
    • Ant Bwe moved to Mi San’s former house (adjoining to Saya Zaw’s house).
    • Nyan Htet and family would occasionally visit the parents and siblings.

    Saya Zaw was an early sponsor / supporter of

    • Panditarama Sydney Meditation Center
    • Yenora Monastery
    • Metta Foundation

    He helped conduct retreats at the monasteries / meditation centers.

    The Metta Foundation in Sydney aids needy people with sickness and disabilities. The Foundation also sent volunteers to help Saya Zaw (during his medical treatment).

    Saya Zaw also participated in the Community events by Burmese Doctors (e.g Dr. Kyaw Myint Malia), Engineers (MEAA members — mostly RIT Alumni) and Seniors.

    UCC Gatherings

    He organized several UCC Gatherings at his house with delicious food provided by Ma Kyawt.

    In 2006, I attended a gathering (organized by Saya Zaw) to pay respect to Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe (UCC Founder) and Sayagyi Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (UCC Advisor).

    Sad to note that they are GBNF.

    Last Journey

    Saya Zaw was cool and calm to the very end. He told Mi San not to play dhamma CDs, and that he can concentrate / meditate better with silence.

    He wrote his Obituary.

    In lieu of wreaths, donations should be made to Organizations offering support to the needy, sick and disabled.

    The monasteries / meditation centers plan to perform kusala and share merits for Saya Zaw.

    Memories

    Visit by Ma Ma Mi and Dr. Kyaw Myint

    Ma Ma Mi (Daw Khin Khin Latt, spouse of Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe) visited Saya Zaw the day before his demise. Dr. Kyaw Myint (one of Saya Zaw’s physicians) was also present at the time.

    Obituary

    Saya Zaw typed his Obituary and handed it to his family. Mi San posted it in her Facebook Page.

    Saya Zaw — Then and Now

    Last Journey

    Per Saya Zaw’s request, only a short service (about 45 minutes) was held.

    There were also restrictions due to the pandemic.

    Ma San posted a streaming of the service for those who could not attend the service in person.

    Dana in Thanatpin

    Soon Kyway

    Water Ah Hlu / Dana

    Up to date 23 – 11 – 2021ကျောက်ပန်းတောင်းမြို့နယ် 🌿 သနပ်ပင်ကျေးရွာအများပြည်သူအတွက်သောက်ရေများကို အလှူရှင်များက နေ့စဉ်ပေးလှူလျက်ရှိရာ ယနေ့အတွက်တစ်နေ့တာ သောက်ရေများကို 🙏 ရတနာမြတ်သုံးပါးကိုဦးထိပ်ထား၍👉 2021 ခုှနှစ်၊ November ၊ (16)ရက်နေ့တွင် ကွယ်လွန်သွားသော👉 ဘိုကလေးမြို့ (ဦးလှဖေ + ဒေါ်ခင်စိန်) တုိ့၏သား👉#ဦးအောင်ဇော် အသက်(၇၅)နှစ်အားရည်စူး၍👉 ကျန်ရစ်သူ Australia,Sidney နေဇနီး ဒေါ်နန်းကြော့(ခ)ဒေါ်တင့်တင့်ဝေနှင့်👉 မိတ်ဆွေ ဦးထွန်းအောင်ကျော်နှင့် မခင်မော် ၊ CHARLES နှင့် ANN MARIEမိသားစုများ က ရေလှူရသည့်အကျိုးရေအကျိုး (၁၀)ပါး ရရှိပါစေခြင်းအကျိုးငှာ သောက်ရေများ ပေးလှူပါသည်။

    ရေအကျိုး(၁၀)ပါးပြည့်ဝပါစေ။ကျန်းမာချမ်းသာပါကြပါစေ။

    Wishing you all the best.

    #မတောင်းပဲပြည့်သောဆု ( သို့ )#ရေလှူရသောအကျိုးတရား(၁၀)ပါး

    ( ၁ ) သန့်ရှင်းကြည်လင်ခြင်း( ၂ ) ကျော်စောထင်ရှားခြင်း( ၃ ) အခြံအရံ ပေါများခြင်း( ၄ ) လျင်မြန်ဖျတ်လတ် သွက်လက်ပေါ့ပါးခြင်း( ၅ ) ရေငတ်မွတ်သိပ်မှု ကင်းဝေးခြင်း( ၆ ) အသက်ရှည်ခြင်း( ၇ ) အဆင်းလှခြင်း( ၈ ) ကြီးပွားချမ်းသာခြင်း( ၉ ) ခွန်အားကြီးမားခြင်း( ၁၀ ) ပညာဥာဏ်ကြီးမားခြင်း

    #ရေလှူဆုတောင်း

    ကြည်လင်အေးမြ ရေလှူရ၍ ဘဝတိုင်းဝယ် အသိဥာဏ်ပညာကြွယ်လျက်ကိုယ်ဝယ်တွင်းပြင် ညစ်ကြေးစင်ကြည်လင်အေးမြလို၏ အရှင်ဘုရား။

  • UCC Alumni

    1. U Win Hlaing
    2. Mr. Henry Maung Maung (Census, GBNF)
    3. Daw Kyu Kyu Lwin (GBNF)
    4. Daw Khin Si Thoung (USA)
    5. Daw Khin Khin Win (Five Star Line – USA)
    6. Daw Phyu Phyu Win (Singapore)
    7. Daw Win May Thaung (GBNF)
    8. Daw Tin Tin Yi (Port Authority)
    9. Daw Hla Hla Win (GBNF)
    10. U Aung Myint
    11. U Soe Myint (Sunlun, M72, GBNF)

    Five of the eleven in the photo are GBNF (Gone But Not Forgotten)

    Annotation by U Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ), U Aung Myint (AM), Daw Nwe Nwe Win (Judy) and Daw Tin Moe We (Sweety)

    Dr. Soe Thein (C75) wrote :

    • I can say that I am also Part of UCC.
    • I attended MSc (Computer) at UCC for 3 months from Dec 1975 to Mar 1976 until Hmaing Yar Pyae Demonstration.
    • U Shwe Hlaing started my FORTRAN in 5th Year RIT and U TAG (U Tun Aung Gyaw) completed it in my first 3 months in MSc (Computer).
    • I used FORTRAN in both my MEng Thesis at AIT and PhD Thesis at National University of Singapore.
    • Without mastering FORTRAN, I cannot complete my thesis.
    • Thanks to Sayar U Shwe Hlaing, U TAG and other UCC Lecturers and Staff who helped me during my study and usage at UCC from 1977 to 1982.
  • Systems Division

    • U Aung Zaw
    • Dr. Maung Maung Htay
    • Dr. Rafil Ahad
    • U Soe Myint
    • U Than Lwin

    U Aung Zaw

    U Aung Zaw was born in Bogale. He is also known as Yebaw Gyi and Saya Zaw.

    He is a nephew of Bogale U Kywe (a renowned palmist, GBNF), who both predicted the successful careers of Saya Chit (Dr. Chit Swe), and Bo Htay (Dr. Maung Maung Htay).

    He met his soul mate Daw Nan Tint Tint We (Ma Kyawt) at Pathein [Bassein] College. He joined the Department of Mathematics, RASU.

    One day, Saya Chit asked him if he would like to join UCC. If Saya Zaw remained in the Mathematics Department, he would have a chance to do Ph.D. As for UCC, Saya Zaw would learn new technology, but a Ph.D is not guaranteed.

    Saya Zaw studied Masters in Computer Science at Southampton University along with Saya Paing (U Soe Paing) who would do double-duty as a mentor. The Department Head was Professor D. W. Barron, who worked for the Computer Pioneer Maurice V. Wilkes at CUML (Cambridge University Mathematical Laboratory, later CU Computing Lab) and also wrote a CS monograph.

    Upon return to Burma, Saya Zaw taught M.Sc . and DAC courses. He is one of the “sayas of UCC sayas”.

    He led the Systems Programming team (managed by Saya Paing).

    He had training at UCSC to have an in-depth knowledge of Unix.

    Saya Paing, Saya Zaw and I wrote several Guide books and Publications used at UCC.

    Life After UCC

    He transferred to CSO Department (which had installed an IBM computer). He went for IBM Training in Thailand.

    After retirement from CSO, he tried to find a new career and life overseas. He cared a lot about his children and their future.

    He was met in Bangkok by U Myint Oo (DAC, Co-op), who took him to ABAC (also known as Assumption University). U Myint Oo requested the Brother Director (Principal) and his staff to interview Saya Zaw. To Saya Zaw’s surprise, he was offered a job to start that very day.

    His first assignment was to teach Pascal (a language designed by Nicklaus Wirth ). He mentioned that he used the “Pascal Programming Guide” prepared by me at UCC.

    His next stop was Sydney, Australia. He continued teaching at a University until his health conditions “worsened”.

    True Love Story

    Saya Zaw experienced a “True Love Story” about five years ago. He found out that both his kidneys were not good, but one was bad enough to need a transplant.

    Saya tried to get a donor for kidney. His beloved spouse offered to donate her kidney as a sign of unwavering love, companionship and trust. Tears of joy fell from Saya’s eyes.

    The kidney transplant was successful, but he still have to face some side effects

    The details are provide in his first book “Bawa and Dhamma”.

    Knowledge Sharing

    Saya Zaw wrote two books. He wanted to share his life experience, poems, satires & articles, and the Dhamma discussions (weekly discussions with seniors including Saya Chit). He compiled them into a book called ” Bawa And Dhamma “.

    Another book was written for his grandchildren and covers the culture and religious teachings. Saya said, “It does not matter if they choose to profess another religion or belief. It matters that they should know their heritage and culture before making life decisions”. The book contains some chapters written by me based on Saya Zaw’s ideas. It also contains poems and articles that were not printed in the first book, or written after Saya Zaw’s operation.

    Saya has also done DHAMMA DANA and donated several books.

    Smiles Despite Intense Pain

    Saya Zaw’s smiles, jokes and his THINGYAN SAR covered up the “physical” pain. In 2006, during my visit to Sydney, Saya said solemnly, “Only 30% of my kidney is working.”

    Saya Zaw has a noble nature

    I had first hand experience when I decided to move from “Hardware” to “Software”. Saya Zaw told the management that he would happily let me become the Senior Systems Programmer, even though it would be “blocking” his career advancement. I salute you, Saya Zaw.

    Dr. Maung Maung Htay

    • Bo Htay (Maung Maung Htay) studied at Imperial College in the United Kingdom and received his Ph.D from LSU (Louisiana State University), Baton Rouge in the United States.
    • He worked at VMI (Virginia Military Institute).
    • He is currently working at Radford University in Virginia.
    • He served as Chair of the Regional ACM Programming Contest.
    • He offered his expertise (for curriculum development …) at UCSY (University of Computer Science Yangon) for three months each in 2018 and 2019.

    Dr. Rafiul Ahad

    • Rafi (Rafiul Ahad) studied at UCC, AIT (Asian Institute of Technology) in Thailand and USC (University of Southern California) in the United States.
    • He worked at University of Maryland, Hewlett Packard, Ingres and Oracle USA.
    • He is currently Vice President managing Oracle Cloud Computing Project.
    • He gave Key Note speech at an AIT Commencement Ceremony.

    U Soe Myint

    Dr. Maung Thein (Professor, Geology) advised U Soe Myint to study M.Sc. (Computer Science) at UCC.

    He volunteered during his study days and joined UCC after graduation.

    He is known as KSM (short for Ko Soe Myint) to differentiate from U Soe Myint (Operator, also known as Sunlun Soe Myint or Soe Myint Gyi).

    After UCC, he was assigned to various UN projects. He retired from UNOPS.

    He is presently in New York, USA.

    U Than Lwin

    U Than Lwin has two Masters : one in Mathematics from RASU and one in Computer Science from the UK.

    He moved to CSO.

    After retirement, he and his spouse Daw Khin Swe Oo (EC74) relocated to Singapore.

  • Dr. Chit Swe (2)

    • Saya Chit (Dr. Chit Swe) is a Computing Pioneer in Burma.
    • He is a proponent of Life Long Learning, Knowledge and Technology Transfer, Leapfrogging Technology, Team of System Specialists (TOSS) to name a few
    • Sadly, Saya passed away in Sydney, Australia in November 2019
    • He had medical problems in his late 80s, but still had an active mind.
    • Until a few years ago, Saya was still “supervising” Burmese students in Australia with their research and theses.
    • Saya is an Alumnus of Mandalay University, Imperial College (University of London), University of Glasgow and University of Liverpool.
    • His contemporaries include Dr. Maung Di and U Khin Maung Tint (Tekkatho Phone Naing , who supposedly based his characters on his friends).
    • Saya U Ba Than (Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering) was his room mate when he they were studying at Imperial College.
    • Saya was 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 Chit 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 (United Nations Development Program) approved to fund the project. UNESCO would act as the Executing Agency.
    • Saya Chit succeeded U Ba Toke as Professor of Mathematics Department.
      Saya U Ba Toke was promoted as Rector of MASU.
    • Saya recruited volunteers to help plan for the implementation of UCC.
    • Saya received permission to use an upper floor of Mandalay Hall as the “temporary home” for UCC.
    • Saya Chit, Saya Paing, Saya Myo, Saya Lay and several others (U Shwe Hlaing, Dr. Kyaw Nyunt) conducted courses on Computer Fundamentals & Programming, Systems Analysis and Design, …
    • UCC moved over to Thamaing College Campus as a neighbor to Regional College Two (RC2).
    • Saya Chit became the Founder/Director.
    • Saya Paing, Saya Myo and Saya Lay became Managers in charge of Computer Systems, Computer Applications, and Computer Operations.
    • Saya is modest.
      During a trip to Chauk Htut Yone, the admin would ignore Saya Chit and would pay respect to Ko Myint Oo (later Phaung Gyi), who was well dressed and carrying a suit case).
    • Sayagadaw inivited Ko Myint Oo and me to join Saya at the Yahan Khan in Sagaing Hills.
      The Preceptor took more than two hours exhorting the three Donlabas (after learning that Saya was a prominent Professor).
    • Saya Chit insisted a component to invite the elite Computer Scientists and Practitioners to UCC and jump start courses in Computer Science and Applications.
      The list includes :
      Harry D. Huskey and Anthony Ralston (two Past Presidents of the prestigious ACM),
      Peter Wegner (expert in Programming Languages and Systems),
      Michael Stonebraker (Expert in Relational Database Technology).
    • Saya thought that I had served as an Editor for a newspaper.
      I had written articles, poems and translations for Guardian, WPD (Working People’s Daily) and Forward Magazine.
      Maung Thaw Ka (Bohmu Ba Thaw) “suggested” me to join his staff (upon learning that I was then a volunteer (“Loke Arr Pay”) for the UCC Project).
      In my 3rd BE, editors from NAB (News Agency Burma) “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. I became a writer (real and ghost) for Saya’s numerous projects: High School Mathematics Curriculum Development, CTK (Children’s Treasury of Knowledge), PERT …
    • Saya served as Rector of RASU, but his passion for UCC and his care for his former students never dimmed.
    • Saya taught at ABAC before moving to Sydney, Australia.
      Several Burmese there completed their doctorates under his supervision.
    • In June 2006, I attended mini-gatherings in Sydney:
      (a) RIT Alumni Dinner Gathering (co-chaired by Saya U Myo Win (GBNF) and Saya U Hla Myint
      (b) UCC alumni gathering at Saya U Aung Zaw’s house
      (c) Old Paulians Lunch Gathering at Olympic Park (organized by Dr. Thann Naing / Bonnie Kywe)
    • We paid homage to Saya Chit and Saya Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (National Planning Adviser & Board Member of UCC).
    • Saya later asked me to give a lecture or seminar for interested youths.
      He then presented me with his hat.
      I hope that Saya’s hat can “transfer” his brilliant thinking into my head.
    • Saya visited Singapore and Myanmar and shared his wisdom, knowledge and experience.
    • I managed to call Saya Chit a few months before he passed away.
      He told me that in the early 70s, both UCC and most Australian Universities were using ICL Computers. He said Burma should make strides in Computer Science and Applications like other countries in general and Australia in particular.
    • Saya’s Biography (provided by his family)
    • Pioneers
    • Memories of UCC (series)
    • Articles by U Soe Paing, U Aung Zaw …
  • U Aung Zaw

    Brief Background

    • Joined Mathematics Department, RASU
    • Transferred to UCC as Systems Programmer
    • M.Sc. (Computer Science) from Southampton University in the UK.
    • Managed a team of System Programmers at UCC and CSO.
    • Taught Computer Science at UCC, ABAC and in Australia.
    • Co-authored Lecture Guides for use at UCC with Saya U Soe Paing and U Hla Min.
    • Wrote articles and poems.
    • His elder sister in Myanmar published them as two books.
    • I edited part of the first book “Dhamma and Bawa” and also wrote the Preface.
    • Based on his ideas, I wrote “A grandfather’s advice for a fruitful life & peace of mind” for a section of the second book “Cetana Thi Thar Kan“.

    Dhamma and Bawa (First Book)

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    Cetana Thi Thar Kan (Second Book)

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