Blog

  • U Khin Mg Win / Sargalay (EP69)

    He was a Top Student.

    He would finish Drawing classes / exams early and still receive Grade 5.

    He became tall and lanky and renamed himself as La Da & Galon.

    He was a Training Partner for Sai Kham Pan (Burma Selected in Badminton) and represented his Township.

    He posted requests to pray for him for a successful operation and recovery.

    Sadly, he passed away.

    * Than Win wrote :

    သံသရာမှာ ရွှင်လန်းချမ်းေ မြ့ပါစေ

    တရားထူးများလည်းရရှိပါစေ

    * Eddie Shein wrote :

    ကိုခင်မောင်ဝင်း ရဲ့ လက္ခဏာ မှာ ညဏ်လမ်းကြောင်းက ဘောပင် နှင့် ဆွဲထားသလို အလွန်ထူးခြား ထင်ရှား ပြတ်သား လှပါသည်။

    ညဏ်ကောင်းလွန်းလှပါသည်။

    * David Myint Thein wrote :

    Gone But Not Forgotten , Sargalay. May your soul rest in peace.

    * Jamal Hasan wrote :

    We pray for Paradise Nirvana

  • U Wynn Htain Oo (M72)

    Brief Bio

    • Matriculated from Central High School
    • Worked in Burma and overseas

    Activities & Achievements

    • M72 Group

    Reunion & Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe for two decades (invited all sayas who have taught them & classmates from other disciplines)

    Helped with the production of “Thamudaya Kyaung”

    • Patron, Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
    • Patron, Alumni Association

    * Organizer & Fundraiser

    SPZP

    Shwe YaDu

    YTU Library Modernization

    Flood relief & other disasters

    Eradication of Starvation

    Notes

    • Attended PBRS and U Khin Maung Latt Tuition
    • Had hip replacement surgery
    • Diabetes (under control for a long time)
    • Loves to cook for his Myees
    • Short & short-tempered, but gentle & kind
    • Boss of Hna Pyi, but has four Bosses in his family
    • Blogs (e.g grand uncle, parents, Bosses, friends, demonetization, visits, food, health)
    • Has five or more nicknames

    Photos

    Mg Mar Ga
    Membership Card
    Alumni Association
    Saya U Moe Aung
    Article

    Family

    Wedding
    Myees
    Extended Family
    Small Boss
    Dr. Myo Khin (Donor)
    Saya U Tin Htut (Donor)
    Sayama Daw Khin Saw Tint (Donor)
    Daw Myint Myint (Donor)
    James Shwe (Donor)
    Donors
    Sayama Daw Thida
    Fighting Friends
    Win Myint, Kyone Sein, Mg Mar Ga, Khin Maung Toe
    Friends
    71 Lunch Gathering
    Student Volunteers
    Alumni Gathering

    Feedback

    • U Kyaw Myint (T72, President of MARB) wrote :

    ဆရာကြီး ဆရာကြီး

    တို့တတွေရဲ့ ဆရာကြီး

    • Mg Mar Ga wrote :

    You have left out one of my prominent designations.

    HaHa.

    G S, general servant of class mech72.

    * My reply :

    We had to study “Servant Leadership”.

    * U Aung Myaing wrote :

    Once, I wondered how Mg Mar Ga managed his time to do various kinds of voluntary works without neglecting his household chores. Then I got an answer. It is his heart that makes sharing his time for the good of others possible.

  • Hiking & Mountaineering

    In our younger days, Bohmugyi Hla Oung was the President of “Chay Lyin and Taung Tet Ah Thin”.

    Ko Henry Wan (SPHS, eldest of nine brothers) was an evangelist for Hiking and Mountaineering. His younger brother Ko Than Soe played volleyball for Burma.

    Some Hiking and Mountaineering enthusiasts from RIT include

    • Ko Win Lwin (M69)
    • Ko Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70)
    • Ko Cho Aye (M70, GBNF)
    • Ma Kyi Kyi Sein (“Bei Oo”)

    U Win Lwin (M69) served as Secretary of the RIT Hiking & Mountaineering Association.
    He, U Cho Aye (M70, GBNF) and 13 RIT students took part in the All Universities and Institutes Team to climb Mount Victoria (Nat Ma Taung, Chin Hills) in March 1969.
    He posted some photos from the trip.

    * Daw Kyi Kyi Sein (Bae Oo) took part in Hiking contests. She also played Badminton for RIT.

    ** Notes

    * There were nine Wan brothers. Most if not all attended SPHS.

    The eldest was a proponent of Hiking & Mountaineering.

    The third (Than Soe) played Volleyball for Burma.

    * Colonel Hla Oung headed the Burma Hiking & Mountaineering Association.

    His nephews and niece : Phillip, William and Elizabeth Smythe represented Burma in Swimming and Diving.

  • Thaing

    RIT

    • Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M60) : President
    • U Tin Tun (M69) : Secretary
    • U Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69) : Joint Secretary
    • U Min Din : Invited Thaing Sayas for exhibition

    ** Notes

    * There are several Thaing groups

    * Conventional Thaing consists of Bando and Banshay

    U Pye Thein, U Chit Than, U Khin Maung, U San Maung, U Po Kyaw Myint, U Tun Sar, U Mya Thein, U Aung Thein, U Myint Thein, … Dr. Maung Maung Gyi

    * Variants include

    Mon Thaing

    Kayin Thaing

    Thaing Byaung Byan

  • U Aung Myaing (ChE72)

    Brief Bio

    • Matriculated from Okpo High School
    • Joined Chemical Engineering Department after graduation
    • Received Masters from RIT and Melbourne University
    • Taught at RIT for 18 years
    • Taught as full-time Lecturer at Rengsit University (Thailand) for 3 years
    • Taught Metallurgical students solid-gas reactions for two semesters at Chulalongkorn University of Thailand as part-time lecturer
    • Worked for a refinery and petrochemical complex in Thailand as a refinery technology manager/advisor for 26 years
    • Presented a number of papers about refinery at various international conferences
    • Retired but un-retired for a lucrative offer as Consultant

    Activities and Achievements

    • Member, RIT U70 Group
      Vocalist
      Producer, Music Videos
    • Organizer, Poetic Art Series
      Poet : Okpo Maung Yin Maung
    • Won the heart of Myeik Thu
      Ma Gyn Yu (ChE72) was the second youngest in the Class of 72
      She said to others, “Don’t you have Na Ma?”

    Notes

    • Split time between Thailand and California.
    • Read naming conventions
      Finally decided to use “Yu Aung” in their children’s names
    • Min Yu Aung (son)
      alumni of Assumption University
      worked in Telecommunications
    • Hnin Yu Aung (daughter)
      BS and MS from USA
      worked as Software Engineer
    • RIT Ambassadors in Thailand
      Helped sayas and alumni during their trips to Thailand (some for medical check up and treatment)
    • Recently hosted a BBQ lunch gathering at Hnin’s house
      Attendees :
      Saya George (U Maung Maung, ChE66) & spouse,
      Trixie Tan (ChE72),
      Saya U Thein Aung (Met72, Mr. RIT68) and Sandra (M76),
      me and my spouse

    Photos

    Pon Tu by Bagyee Myat Myo Myint
    U Aung Myaing
    Daw Gyn Yu
    ChE Gathering hosted by Saya George
    Class of 72
    Micro-gathering
    Paying respect to Dr. Maung Maung Win
    ChE Gathering
    Poem
    Translation of Poem
    Alumni Gathering hosted by U Aung Myaing & Daw Gyn Yu

    Feedback

    • Mg Mar Ga wrote :

    လက်တွဲညီသောစုံတွဲကျောင်းတုန်းကမဂင်ယုတို့နေ့လည်ထမင်းစားဆင်းလာရင် ဂင်ယုနင့်ကိုငါချစ်တယ် လို့ A Block ကနေစခဲ့နောက်ခဲ့တာအားနာလိုက်တာအခုတော့မောင်နှမတွေဖြစ်နေပြီ​ေအောင်မြိုင်ကတော့အစထဲကညီအကိုဖြစ်နေတာ ကျန်တော်လုပ်တဲ့အများအကျိုးမှန်သမျှသူတို့မပါတာတခုမှမရှိ တကယ်သာနတ်ဖြစ်ကြေးဆိုရင်neighbour ဖြစ်မှာသေချာ အကိုလှမင်းလဲအိမ်နီးချင်းဖြစ်မှာ

    Micro-gathering in Thailand in November 2022

    • U Aung Myaing & Daw Gyn Yu
    • U Khin Maung & Daw Khin Mu Mu
  • U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76)

    • Matriculated from No. 6 Botathaung SHS in 1970.
      When he joined the school was St. Paul’s High School (SPHS)
    • Graduated from RIT with BE (Electronics) in March 1977.
      Due to school closures, the Class of 76 graduated several months later.
      The discipline was earlier called EC (Electrical Communication).
    • UCC Alumni
    • Worked in Singapore and USA
    • Designed and implemented the first RIT website.
      Promised Version 2 of the website at SPZP-2000, but had to take a very long break
      from RIT-related activities after joining Microsoft
    • Most Eligible Bachelor found his soul mate (a charming young doctor) and raised a son

    Photos

    Mostly with RIT and UCC sayas and alumni

    • SPZP-2000
    • SF Bay Area Gatherings
    • Seattle, Washington
    • With Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo (EP74, GBNF)
    • Grading Certificate
    • Singapore
    • Yangon
    • With Wynn Myint Aung (EC76)

    Notes

    • Last defender on the All Universities and Institute Hockey Team
    • Represented RIT in Rowing|
    • Helped Maung Maung Hnyut and brothers with taking photos at the Convocations
    • Brought a spoon and fork to UCC. Ah Ma Gyis and Nyi Ma Lays shared their lunch with KMZ
    • ”Lost” his middle name and became known as Khin Zaw. Grapevine says that he received emails meant for Khin Zaw (UCC) from a young doctor and …
    • Many years back, he hosted us and showed us around (including a day trip to Vancouver).
    • He is a Moderator for the RIT Updates FB Group.
    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    EE Group at SPZP-2000
    SF Bay Area Gathering
    SF Bay Area Gathering
    SF Bay Area Gathering
    SF Bay Area Gathering
    Seattle, Washington
    Seattle, Washington
    With Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo (EP74, GBNF)
    Grading Certificate
    Singapore
    Singapore
    Yangon
    With Wynn Myint Aung (EC76)
  • SPHS (5)

    • SPHS stands for St. Paul’s High School, Rangoon.
    • It was the second school founded in Burma by the De La Salle Brothers.
      The other schools are :
      St. Patrick’s (in Moulmein),
      St. Peter’s (in Mandalay)
      St. Albert’s (in Maymyo)
      St. Joseph’s (in Loikaw)
      St. Columban’s (in Bhamo)
      De La Salle School [for the orphanage] (in Twante)
    • De La Salle Brothers is an Order in the Roman Catholic Church.
    • The Brothers take three Vows : Loyalty, Chasity and Celibacy.
      They help run the De La Salle Schools.
    • SPHS produced outstanding students.
      They were mostly Top in the Matriculation examination.
      An Honor Roll lists the names of the top students from 1951 – 1963.
    • SPHS was nationalized in 1964 – 65.
      It was renamed No. (6) Botathaung State High School.
    • The alumni are known as Old Paulians.
      Some are active in the Old Paulians’ Association (OPA).
    • I attended Private Primary Boundary Road School (PPBRS) from Infant (C) / Lower KG to 3rd Standard.
    • I transferred to SPHS where my elder brother was studying and was about to matriculate.
    • SPHS prefers students to join from KG, or transfer from affiliated Catholic schools.
      SPHS gives preference to applicants whose father, uncle(s) or brother(s) are Old Paulians.
    • SPHS has an unwritten rule for grooming students.
      Most transfer students (including Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint and me) were placed in Section (D).
      They have to “prove their worth” before being placed in Section (A) in High School.

    Brother Directors and Class Teachers

    I studied at SPHS from 1956 to 1963.

    I was in the Top Three for all the class examinations, but I only scored Seventh in the Matriculation. I was awarded Collegiate scholarship along with nine classmates.

    • Std IV D (1956 – 57)
      Brother Director : Hubert
      Class Teacher : Ms. A Benjamin
      
    • Std. V D (1957 – 58)
      Brother Director : Edmund
      Class Teacher : Mrs. Violet Boudville
      
    • Std. VI D (1958 – 59)
      Brother Director : ? (Peter)
      Class Teacher : U Pe Tin
      
    • Std. VII D (1959 – 60)
      Brother Director : ? (Peter)
      Class Teacher : U Nge
      
    • Std. VIII A (1960 – 61)
      Brother Director : ? (Felix)
      Class Teacher : Brother Anthony
      
    • Std. IX A (1961 – 62)
      Brother Director : ? (Felix)
      Class Teacher : Brother Xavier
      
    • Std. X A (1962 – 63)
      Brother Director : Hubert
      Class Teacher : Brother Austin
    • Brother Hubert was Director in 1956 – 57 (my first year)
      He moved to another De La Salle school in the following year
      He was back again as Director in 1962 – 63 (my last year)
    • Brother Edmund was Director in 1957 – 58.
      He was killed (knowingly or mistakenly) by Wilfred Boudville.
      The Brothers pardoned Wilfred Boudville.
    • Brother Felix and Brother Urban were Director and Sub-Director around 1960 – 62.
    • There may be more Directors (may be Brother Peter) in our days.
    • Brother Clementian retired as Brother Director
      (probably from St. Peter’s High School)
      He continued teaching Mathematics.
      He was our Mathematics teacher in Std, X A.

    Class Teachers and Subject Teachers

    The Class Teachers have administrative tasks (e.g. preparation of report cards). They also teach selected subjects.

    • Std. IV D : Ms. A Benjamin
      Taught all subjects except Burmese
    • Std. V D : Mrs. Violet Boudville
      Taught all subjects except Burmese
      U Pe Tin taught Burmese
    • Std. VI D : U Pe Tin
      Taught all subjects except English
      Ms. Hong Kong taught English
    • Std. VII D : U Nge
      Taught all subjects except English
      Ms. Hong Kong taught English
    • Std. VIII A : Brother Anthony
      Taught Mathematics
      Brother Xavier taught English
      There were other subject teachers
    • Std. IX A : Brother Xavier
      Taught English
      There were other subject teachers
    • Std X A : Brother Austin
      Taught English
      Also Librarian of SPHS Library
      There were other subject teachers

    Subject Teachers

    • English
      Ms. Amelia Kyi (Miss Hong Kong) for Std. VI D and Std. VII D
      Brother Xavier for Std. VIII A and Std. IX A
      Brother Austin for Std. X A
      Relieving sayas : Mr. Lewis, Mr. Tims, Mr. Chapman
    • Burmese
      U Sein
      U Nyunt Maung
      Relieving sayas : U Kyaw Sein
    • Mathematics
      U Pe Tin in V D and VI D
      U Nge in VII D
      Brother Anthony in VIII A and IX A (?)
      Brother Clementian in X A
      Relieving sayas : U Johnny Myo, U Kyaw Khin, U M. Hla Min
    • Mr. Beatson
      Relieving sayas : U Hla Myint
    • Chemistry
      Mr. Cecil D’Cruz
      Lab : Brother Joseph
    • History & Geography
      U Htay Myint
      U Htwe
      Relieving : U Nyunt Maung

    Notes

    • Some sayas taught at other schools.
      U Nyunt Maung taught at Sacred Heart High School (which is close to SPHS).
      U Htay Myint has his own Tuition classes named “Padetha”.
      U Kyaw Khin taught Mathematics for GCE classes.
      
    • Over the years, SPHS reassigned some sayas to teach higher classes and/or teach newer subjects.
      
    • Some sayas taught the same subject (e.g. English) for two sections and may be two standards.
      
    • Some sayas published books for use as supplementary texts.
      Saya G Chapman published notes for English texts.
      Saya U Htay Myint published notes for History.

    Group photos of SPHS Sayas

    • The photos were taken at different times.
      
    • I do not know the names of several sayas and sayamas (especially those who did not teach us).
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-teachers.jpg
    The group picture shows several Brothers (including Brother Hubert, Brother Peter, Brother Gerald, Brother Felix, Brother Charles), Sayas (including U Sein, Ah Mann, Johnny Myo) and Sayamas (Amelia Kyi, Ms. Benjamin, Mrs. V Boudville).

    

    Sayas who taught Std VIII and above

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-sayas.jpg
    • Saya U Ba Yee (Burmese) did not teach us.
      
    • Saya U Sein (Burmese),
      Brother Austin (English and Class teacher for Std. X A),
      Brother Clementian (Mathematics),
      Saya Cecil D’Cruz (Chemistry) and
      Saya Beatson (Physics)
      were our main teachers for Std. X A.
      
    • Saya U Kyaw Khin (Mathematics),
      Saya Johnny Myo (Mathematics),
      Saya M. Hla Min (Mathematics and/or Physics),
      Saya U Hla Myint (Physics),
      Saya Lewis (English),
      Saya Tims (English)
      were the relieving teachers.
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-sayas-2-e1554782907913.jpg
    • Mr. C. D’Cruz (Chemistry)
      Taught us in X (A)
      
    • Mr. G. Chapman (English)
      Wrote Lecture Guides
      
    • U Htwe (Geography)
      
    • U Htay Myint (History)
      Had his private tuition school
      Wrote Lecture Guides
      
    • Brother Anthony (Class teacher for Std VIII A)
      Taught Mathematics
      
    • Saya Johnny Myo (Mathematics)
      Relieving teacher
      
    • U Nyunt Maung (Burmese)
      Also taught some other subjects (e.g. Geography)
      
    • U Kyaw Sein (Class teacher for Std. VII A)
      Brother-in-law : Saya Sein
      
    • Saya Beatson (Physics)
      Taught in X A

    Sayas who taught Std VII

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-1.jpeg
    • Brother Henry Peter and U Tun Shein did not teach us.
      
    • Mr. Tims was a relieving teacher for our English classes. His son Lawrence Tims and his friends Myo Nyunt and Kyaw Win (Robin Ban, second in Burma in 1961) rowed for IM(1) are old crocodiles.
      
    • U Kyaw Sein, U Aye, U San Thein and U Kyaw Oo were class teachers of Std. VII (A), (B), (C) and (E).
      
    • U Nge was our class teacher in Std. VII(D).
      Had to be carried by his former students in an early Acarayi Pu Zaw Pwe that was held by the Old Paulian Association (with Patrons from the Class of 58 and most EC members from the Class of 63).
      
    • U Pe Tin was our Burmese teacher in Std. V (D) and our class teacher in Std. VI (D).
      In the picture, U Pe Tin had became a class teacher of Std. VII.

    Miscellaneous

    Other sayas (administrative & from “other sections”) include Saya U Ba Myaing (Registrar), Saya Si Bu (Physical Training), Brother Canice (who assigned me in IV Standard to help with the school library), Brother Gerald (Leader of SPHS Marching Band), Brother “Gya Bu” (who runs the SPHS Book shop), Saya U Kyaw Sein, Saya U San Thein, Saya U Aye, Saya Ah Man, Sayama Mrs. Thant Zin (mother of Norman), and Sayama Perera.

    Some teachers who taught before our days include Saya Dawson (Burma Chess Champion, who opened his Tuition School), and Saya Illife (who taught Physics and wrote Notes for Physics and English).

  • St. Paul’s High School

    • It was the second De La Salle School in Burma.
    • It produced outstanding students.
      They were mostly Top in the Matriculation examination.
      An Honor Roll lists the names of the top students from 1951 – 1963.
    • SPHS was nationalized in 1965.
    • It was renamed No. (6) Botathaung State High School.
    • Its alumni are known as Old Paulians.
      Some are active in the Old Paulians’ Association (OPA).

    De La Salle Brothers

    De La Salle Brothers is an Order in the Roman Catholic Church.

    The Brothers take three vows:

    • Loyalty
    • Chasity
    • Celibacy

    They help run the De La Schools.

    De La Salle Schools in Burma

    The De La Salle Brothers founded the following schools in Burma

    • St. Patrick’s High School (in Moulmein)
    • St. Paul’s High School (in Rangoon)
      Motto : Labor Omnia Vincit (Hardwork conquers everything)
    • St. Peter’s High School (in Mandalay)
    • St. Albert’s High School (in Maymyo)
    • St. Joseph’s High School (in Loikaw)
    • St. Columban’s High School (In Bhamo)
    • De La Salle School / Orphanage (in Twante)

    Brother Directors

    The De La Salle Schools had Directors and Sub-Directors.

    I studied at St. Paul’s High School (SPHS) from 1956 to 1963.

    • Std IV D (1956 – 57)
      Brother Director : Hubert
      Class Teacher : Ms. A Benjamin
    • Std. V D (1957 – 58)
      Brother Director : Edmund
      Class Teacher : Mrs. Violet Boudville
    • Std. VI D (1958 – 59)
      Brother Director : ? (Peter)
      Class Teacher : U Pe Tin
    • Std. VII D (1959 – 60)
      Brother Director : ? (Peter)
      Class Teacher : U Nge
    • Std. VIII A (1960 – 61)
      Brother Director : ? (Felix)
      Class Teacher : Brother Anthony
    • Std. IX A (1961 – 62)
      Brother Director : ? (Felix)
      Class Teacher : Brother Xavier
    • Std. X A (1962 – 63)
      Brother Director : Hubert
      Class Teacher : Brother Austin
    • Brother Hubert was Director in 1956 -57 (my first year)
      He moved to another De La Salle school in the following year
      He was back again as Director in 1962 – 63 (my last year)
    • Brother Edmund was Director in 1957 -58.
      He was killed (knowingly or mistakenly) by Wilfred Boudville.
      The Brothers pardoned Wilfred Boudville.
    • Brother Felix and Brother Urban were Director and Sub-Director around 1960 – 62.
    • There may be more Directors (may be Brother Peter) in our days.
    • Brother Clementian retired as Brother Director
      (probably from St. Peter’s High School)
      He continued teaching Mathematics.
      He was our Mathematics teacher in Std, X A.

    Class Teachers

    The Class Teachers have administrative tasks (e.g. preparation of report cards). They also teach selected subjects.

    • Std. IV D : Ms. A Benjamin
    • Std. V D : Mrs. Violet Boudville
      Son : Richard G Boudville (Australia)
    • Std. VI D : U Pe Tin
      Taught us Burmese in Std. V D
    • Std. VII D : U Nge
    • Std. VIII A : Brother Anthony
    • Std. IX A : Brother Xavier
      Taught us English in Std. VIII A
    • Std X A : Brother Austin
      Also Librarian of SPHS Library

    Subject Teachers

    • English
      Ms. Amelia Kyi (Miss Hong Kong) for Std. VI D and Std. VII D
      Brother Xavier for Std. VIII A and Std. IX A
      Brother Austin for Std. X A
    • Burmese
      U Sein
      U Nyunt Maung
    • Mathematics
      U Pe Tin in V D and VI D
      U Nge in VII D
      Brother Anthony in VIII A and IX A (?)
      Brother Clementian in X A
    • Physics
      Mr. Beatson
    • Chemistry
      Mr. Cecil D’Cruz
    • History & Geography
      U Htay Myint
      U Htwe

    Notes

    • Some sayas taught at other schools.
      U Nyunt Maung taught at Sacred Heart High School (which is close to SPHS).
      U Htay Myint has his own Tuition classes named “Padetha”.
      U Kyaw Khin taught Mathematics for GCE classes.
    • Over the years, SPHS reassigned some sayas to teach higher classes and/or teach newer subjects.
    • Some sayas taught the same subject (e.g. English) for two sections and may be two standards.
    • Some sayas published books for use as supplementary texts.
      Saya G Chapman published notes for English texts.
      Saya U Htay Myint published notes for History.

    Group photos of SPHS Sayas

    • The photos were taken at different times.
    • I do not know the names of several sayas and sayamas (especially those who did not teach us).
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-teachers.jpg
    The group picture shows several Brothers (including Brother Hubert, Brother Peter, Brother Gerald, Brother Felix, Brother Charles), Sayas (including U Sein, Ah Mann, Johnny Myo) and Sayamas (Amelia Kyi, Ms. Benjamin, Mrs. V Boudville).

    

    Sayas who taught Std VIII and above

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-sayas.jpg
    • Saya U Ba Yee (Burmese) did not teach us.
    • Saya U Sein (Burmese),
      Brother Austin (English and Class teacher for Std. X A),
      Brother Clementian (Mathematics),
      Saya Cecil D’Cruz (Chemistry) and
      Saya Beatson (Physics)
      were our main teachers for Std. X A.
    • Saya U Kyaw Khin (Mathematics),
      Saya Johnny Myo (Mathematics),
      Saya M. Hla Min (Mathematics and/or Physics),
      Saya U Hla Myint (Physics),
      Saya Lewis (English),
      Saya Tims (English)
      were the relieving teachers.
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-sayas-2-e1554782907913.jpg
    • Mr. C. D’Cruz (Chemistry)
      Taught us in X (A)
    • Mr. G. Chapman (English)
      Wrote Lecture Guides
    • U Htwe (Geography)
    • U Htay Myint (History)
      Had his private tuition school
      Wrote Lecture Guides
    • Brother Anthony (Class teacher for Std VIII A)
      Taught Mathematics
    • Saya Johnny Myo (Mathematics)
      Relieving teacher
    • U Nyunt Maung (Burmese)
      Also taught some other subjects (e.g. Geography)
    • U Kyaw Sein (Class teacher for Std. VII A)
      Brother-in-law : Saya Sein
    • Saya Beatson (Physics)
      Taught in X A

    Sayas who taught Std VII

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sphs-1.jpeg
    • Brother Henry Peter and U Tun Shein did not teach us.
    • Mr. Tims was a relieving teacher for our English classes. His son Lawrence Tims and his friends Myo Nyunt and Kyaw Win (Robin Ban, second in Burma in 1961) rowed for IM(1) are old crocodiles.
    • U Kyaw Sein, U Aye, U San Thein and U Kyaw Oo were class teachers of Std. VII (A), (B), (C) and (E).
    • U Nge was our class teacher in Std. VII(D).
      Had to be carried by his former students in an early Acarayi Pu Zaw Pwe that was held by the Old Paulian Association (with Patrons from the Class of 58 and most EC members from the Class of 63).
    • U Pe Tin was our Burmese teacher in Std. V (D) and our class teacher in Std. VI (D).
      In the picture, U Pe Tin had became a class teacher of Std. VII.

    Miscellaneous

    Other sayas (administrative & from “other sections”) include Saya U Ba Myaing (registrar), Saya Si Bu (Physical Training), Brother Canice (who assigned me in IV Standard to help with the school library), Brother Gerald (Leader of SPHS Marching Band), Brother “Gya Bu” (who runs the SPHS Book shop), Saya U Kyaw Sein, Saya U San Thein, Saya U Aye, Saya Ah Man, Sayama Mrs. Thant Zin (mother of Norman), and Sayama Perera.

    Some teachers who taught before our days include Saya Dawson (Burma Chess Champion), and Saya Illife.

  • RU Notes 4

    Dr. Soe Win

    • Attended St. Paul’s High School (SPHS)
    • Stood First in the Matriculation of 1958.
    • Studied Chemistry at Rangoon University and Imperial College, University of London
    • Retired as Rector of Yangon University Foreign Languages (YUFL)
    • Earlier served as Principal of Pyay College (now Pyay University) and Administrator of Institute of Computer Science and Technology (ICST)
    • Spouse : Daw May Saw Lwin (Retired Professor of Chemistry)
      Married in 1970 around the RU Golden Jubilee
      They will celebrate their Golden Jubilee in 2020 around the RU Centennial
    • Father : Saya U Sein (SPHS)
    • Sons : U Aung Mon and Dr. Nyi Thet Lwin
    • Related Posts :
      Old Paulians
      Top Matriculates (1951 – 1965)
      Chemistry
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is dr.-soe-win-1.jpg

    Daw May Saw Lwin

    • Attended Methodist English High School (MEHS)
    • Matriculated in 1957
    • Studied Chemistry at Rangoon University
    • Retired as Professor of Chemistry
    • Parents : U Saw Lwin and Daw Su
    • Siblings : Dr. Hazel Saw Lwin and Olive Saw Lwin
    • Spouse : Dr. Soe Win (Retired Rector of YUFL)
      Married in 1970 around the RU Golden Jubilee
      They will celebrate their Golden Jubilee in 2020 around the RU Centennial
    • Sons : U Aung Mon and Dr. Nyi Thet Lwin
    • Related Posts
      A Triumphant Return
      Top Matriculates
      (1951 – 1965
      )

    U Aung Mon

    • Founding member and Moderator of the Yar Pyay Group
    • Fondly known as “Aung
    • Elder son of Dr. Soe Win and Daw May Saw Lwin
    • Studied EcE (Electronics Engineering) at YTU and IT in Singapore
    • Works in Singapore.
    • Was an organizer for EcE (Electronics Engineering) Reunion and SPZP
    • Spouse : Dr. Lay May Yin
    • Related posts
      Dana for Saya Dr. San Tint

    Dr. Nyi Thet Lwin

    • Founding member and Admin of the Yar Pyay Group
    • Fondly known as “Nyi Nyi
    • He was brought up on the RU Main Campus.
    • He wanted to learn first hand accounts about the University of Rangoon and its descendants.
    • Works as a Surgeon in UK
    • Parents : Saya Dr. Soe Win and Sayama Daw May Saw Lwin
    • Spouse : Dr. Swe Khin Tun
    • Daughter : Ei Lwin achieved grade 9 in all of the nine subjects that she sat in the 2019 GCSE exams in the UK. Following grandpa’s footsteps almost sixty years later!
    • Related posts
      RU Diamond Jubilee

    Saya U Sein

    • Son : Dr. Soe Win
    • Taught Burmese at SPHS
    • He was our Burmese teacher in High School
    • He also taught Burmese to Saya U Thet Lwin (Ngwe Hlinne, Composer of “Mya Kyun Nyo Nyo Kun Yeik Kho”).
    • Related posts
      SPHS Sayas

    Saya U Kyaw Sein

    • Nephew : Dr. Soe Win
    • Taught several subjects (including Mathematics) in Middle School at SPHS
    • He was Class Teacher for a different section in Std. VII
    • He also taught us as a Relieving Teacher.
    • Win Myint (Myeik) mentioned that Saya is his father-in-law.
    • Related Posts
      SPHS Sayas

    Daw Su

    • First resident of Inya Hall
    • Performed several roles in the Fund raising Concert for Tekkatho Dhammyone
    • Honoree of the Thet Kyee Pu Zaw Pwes of Inya Hall and Tekkatho Dhammayone
    • Spouse : U Saw Lwin
    • Daughters : Dr. Hazel Saw Lwin, Olive Saw Lwin, and May Saw Lwin
    • Wanted her daughters to stay at Inya Hall.
      Olive Saw Lwin and May Saw Lwin spent a year at Inya Hall.
      Hazel Saw Lwin (medical student) had to stay at the specified hostel.
    • Related Posts
      Inya
      Dhammayone
  • Buddhist Councils

    Buddhist Councils

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2025

    U Silananda

    Tipitaka

    • Tipitaka is a Pali term.
    • It is commonly rendered as “Three Baskets”.
    • Tipitaka comprises of
      Vinaya / Monastic rules of conduct
      Sutta / Discourses
      Abhidhamma / Ultimate reality

    Buddhist Councils

    • According to the Theravada tradition, there are six Buddhist Councils.
    • The First, Second and Third Councils were held in India.
    • The Fourth Council (which recorded the teachings on palm leaves) was held in Ceylon.
    • The Fifth Council was held in Mandalay, Burma.
      U Khanti inscribed the Tipitaka on marble slabs.
      It was featured as the World’s Largest Book in Ripley’s “Believe it or not”.
    • The Sixth Council was held in Rangoon, Burma.
      Tipitaka was reconfirmed and published as printed texts.
      Selected Pali texts were also translated into Burmese.

    First Buddhist Council

    Source : U Silananda

    • Date : 3 months and 5 days (Sasana Era)
    • Place : Rajagaha (India)
    • King : Ajasattha
    • Leader : Mahakassapa Thera
    • Number of Monks : 500
    • Duration : 7 months
    • Accomplishment :
      Collected, examined, classified, and recorded orally the Buddha’s Teachings
    • Ashin Maha Kassapa acted as the Chief Questioner.
    • Ashin Upali recited Vinaya.
    • Ashin Ananda recited Sutta and Abhidhamma.
    • 500 Arahants confirmed Buddha’s teachings.

    References :

    • Culavagga-Pali pp. 479 – 490
    • Dipavamsa 1.24; 5.4
    • Mahavamsa 3.26 – 41
    • Vinaya Atthakatha I 2 – 25
    • Digha-Attahakatha I 3-26

    Second Buddhist Council

    Source : U Silananda

    • Date : 100 (Sasana Era)
    • Place : Vesali (India)
    • King : Kalasoka
    • Leader : Yasa Thera (Vinaya Athakatths)
      Revata Thera (Mahavamsa)
    • Number of Monks : 700
    • Duration : 8 months
    • Accomplishment :
      Reaffirmed the Texts accepted at the 1st Council after a group of monks tried to relax the rules of discipline (oral)

    References :

    • Culavagga-Pali pp. 490 – 508
    • Dipavamsa 5.30
    • Mahavamsa 4.9 – 64
    • Vinaya Atthakatha I 25 – 29

    Third Buddhist Council

    Source : U Silananda

    • Date : 234 (Sasana Era)
      310 BC
    • Place : Pataliputta (India)
    • King : Asoka
    • Leader : Mogallaputta-Tissa Thera
    • Number of Monks : 1000
    • Duration : 9 months
    • Accomplishment :
      Reaffirmed the Texts accepted at the previous Councils. The Kattavatthu (5th book of Abdhidhamma) is added (oral)

    References :

    • Dipavamsa 7.34-43, 44-59
    • Mahavamsa 5.228-279
    • Vinaya Atthakatha I 29 – 78

    Fourth Buddhist Council

    Source : U Silananda

    • Date : 450 (Sasana Era)
      94 BC
    • Place : Alokavihara (Sri Lanka)
    • King : Vattagamani Abhaya
    • Number of Monks : 500
    • Accomplishment :
      Wrote the Buddha’s Teachings together with the Commentaries on palm leaves

    References :

    • Vajirabuddhitika 543
    • Mahavamsa 33.100-101

    Fifth Buddhist Council

    Source : U Silananda

    • Date : April 5, 1871 (*)
    • Place : Mandalay (Burma)
    • King : Mindon
    • Leader : Jagara Thera
    • Number of Monks : 2400
    • Duration : 5 months (recitation)
      Began on April 14, 1871
      Ended on September 9, 1871
    • Accomplishment :
      Reaffirmed the Texts accepted at the previous Councils and wrote them on 729 marble slabs.

    References :

    • Burmese Chronicles

    (*) 1853 – 59 Writing on palm leaves in gold-color ink, ink and stylus – over 200 volumes.

    Began writing on marble slabs on October 26, 1859.
    Ended writing on marble slabs on May 4, 1868 .
    Took 7 years, 6 months and 19 days.

    Seven books of Abidhamma on 208 slabs.

    Slab size : 5 feet high, 3 feet across, 5 inches thick and about 90 lines long

    Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” named it the “Largest Book in the World”.

    Sixth Buddhist Council

    Source : U Silananda

    • Date : May 1954 – 56
    • Place : Rangoon (Burma)
    • Prime Minister : U Nu
    • Leader : Revata Thera
    • Number of Monks : 2500
    • Duration : Two years for the Pali Texts
    • Accomplishment :
      Reaffirmed the Texts accepted at the previous Councils.
      Editions of Pali Texts, Commentaries and Sub-commentaries.

    References :

    • Sangayana Album

    Editor’s Notes :

    • The Sixth Buddhist Council held in Kaba Aye Pagaoda, Rangoon.
    • 2500 Sayadaws from Burma and neighboring Theravada Buddhist nations re-confirmed Buddha’s teachings.
    • Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana acted as the Chief Questioner.
    • Mingun Sayadaw Ashin Vicittacarabhimvamsa acted as the Chief Reciter.
    • Mingun Sayadaw’s memory feat was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records (in the mid-50s).

    Tipitaka Examination

    Background

    • Burma wanted to host the Sixth Buddhist Council.
    • The Sayadaws visited neighboring Theravada countries to seek advice and to solicit participation in the Council to celebrate 2500 years of Sasana.
    • The Theravada Sayadaws expressed the need for a Tipitaka Sayadaw.

    Burma invited interested Sayadawa to sit for Oral and Written Examination over four years (or more)

    • Vinaya
    • Sutta
    • Abhidhamma (Part One)
    • Abhidhamma (Part Two)

    Mingun Tipitaka Sayadaw

    • Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittacara served as an Examiner for the first Tipitaka examination.
    • One Sayadaw passed the Vinaya, but said that he would not take further examinations to concentrate on his Practice of the Dhamma.
    • Sir U Thwin requested Mingun Sayadaw to take the Tipitaka examination as preparation for the Sixth Buddhist Council.
    • Mingun Sayadaw passed with Distinction in all subjects, and was awarded “Tipitakadara Bandakarika”