Acting President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Chairman of State Security and Peace Commission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attends centennial of Mandalay University

The Senior General and party arrived at the venue, and were warmly welcomed by officials, faculty members and students.

SSPC Secretary Joint Executive Chief General Ye Win Oo, SSPC member Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, Minister at the President’s Office 1 U Tin Aung San, Minister for Education Dr Chaw Chaw Sein, Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Myo Aung, formally opened the first part of the ceremony.

Acting President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Chairman of State Security and Peace Commission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing unveiled the plaque commemorating the centennial of Mandalay University and sprinkled scented water on it. The SSPC Secretary Joint Executive Chief and attendees followed suit.

The Senior General, distinguished guests attending the ceremony and rectors posed for group documentary photos in front of the main hall of the university.

The Senior General then observed the progress in renovating the main hall, hit by the Mandalay earthquake, and documentaries of the successive chancellors and rectors of the university and notable persons appeared over the ages.

The second part of the ceremony took place at the Convocation Hall with the theme song “Centennial celebrations of Mandalay University” staged by students of the university.

The Senior General then delivered an address. He said the Mandalay University is filled with honours, such as high prestige, splendor, impressive historical achievements, fame, and the university where a large number of alumni were born, and it has been standing firmly as a knowledge distributing centre for 100 years till now. It is an honour for the university that has lived for two golden jubilees. Hence, the centennial ceremony is held on a grand scale.

As Mandalay was the royal capital of ancient Myanmar monarchs it is a city immersed itself in royal traditions and historical artworks as well as a city, which has a shining historical glory as a place protecting and relaying the Myanmar characteristics, unique culture and cultural heritage. Mandalay University is also one of the prides of Mandalay that are glorifying the city’s prestige.

In its initial stage, the Mandalay University was born as the Myanmar Intermediate College, an affiliated college of Yangon University, in 1925. It was upgraded to Mandalay University College in 1947, and became an independent university on 1 June 1958. Mandalay University was formed with four major departments: agricultural major department, medical major department, science major department and arts major department. The university also opened honors classes and master’s degree courses and a number of its affiliated colleges were also set up.

According to the 1964 University Act, institutions of higher learning were divided into two categories – Arts and Science Universities and vocational universities, and the four major departments of Mandalay University, the medical science major department became the Mandalay Institute of Medicine and the agricultural major department, Mandalay Agriculture University. The remaining two major departments were combined and the university became the “Mandalay Arts and Science University” also widely known as MASU. Its name was changed to Mandalay University, which is its original name, in 1981. It is still standing with dignity till today.

Because of its honorable achievements, firm educational foundation, fine qualifications, good resources, the university had produced 2,960 doctorate degree holders, 11,139 master’s degree holders, 1,607 master’s degree holders in research field, 9,172 honors degree holders, 239 master’s degree holders in philosophy, 96,012 bachelor degree holders and 7,060 diploma certificate holders in a century. It is an honor for the university that arts degree and science degree holders brought out by the university are now serving the country as literary scholars, intellectuals and intelligentsia, famous entrepreneurs and experts in various fields of the country.

The Senior General stated that a university is the fertile ground  for producing  high-quality human resources and the starting point for implementing innovative, technology-based research. The state is currently focused on the continuous improvement of the people’s socio-economic life through the development of the agriculture, farming, and industrial sectors, in which universities, colleges, and institutes play a vital role by producing these essential high-quality resources.

 He stressed that it is insufficient for universities to merely include arts, sciences, and modern subjects in their curricula; they must also carry out “research,” which is the lifeblood of a university. Furthermore, he urged that efforts should be made to strengthen library-based study in both the conducting of research and in the general teaching and learning processes.

He emphasized that a university’s long-term success depends on factors across the board, including the rectors’ good management, the teachers’ expertise and quality of instruction, the students’ maturity and value for their alma mater, and the staff’s dedication and high performance. Because of continuous efforts in these areas, Mandalay University has proudly marked its centennial (100 years) as a great, nationally honored institution.

In celebration, a grand ‘Homage to Noble Teachers’ ceremony will be held for former educators, and the jubilee will also feature a historical photo exhibition, research paper reading sessions, and research poster exhibitions.

 He concluded by stating that for universities to pass on their legacy of knowledge through successive eras, the responsibility rests not only with the government but also with all concerned parties and every individual citizen. The main prerequisite, he stressed, is that the country must be stable and peaceful, as only then can education be pursued free from sabotage. Further-more, he emphasized that only with knowledge and skill can the people build peace with national love and patriotism. Therefore, the entire populace must be both educated and politically aware.

The government has given priority to the importance of education and health sectors and one of the objectives of the SSPC is “to prioritize the promotion of the national education and health sectors for the continuous development of the country” while the education sector is being promoted by making multi-faceted investment in the sector under the motto, “ Let us ensure education sector for the development of the Nation.” To achieve high education standards of the country, the government has placed emphasis on the policy to enable all citizens to complete middle school level education (KG+9).

With the technology development today, AI technology is widely used in various fields. Scholars are solemnly urged to exert efforts to widely utilize technologies and AI in teaching and learning activities in universities in Myanmar and to contri-bute to the development of the country by nurturing human resources, intellectuals, the intelligentsia, technicians, experts and doctors of philosophy, who can keep abreast of the interna-tional community.

Fulfillment of responsibilities and fine traditions of Mandalay University to continuously cultivate educated human resources for 100 years are warmly put into honorary record. The university is urged to continue to nurture outstanding youths instilled with five strengths, who can contribute to national peace and development and can cooperate with international organizations, for future millenniums and to cooperate in various sectors for successfully holding the upcoming elections and building the more developed Myanmar.

Then,  a video clip commemorate  the centenary of Mandalay was screened. Afterward, the Union Minister for Education went to the Senior General and presented a commemorative gift for the centenary of the university.

Then, students from Mandalay Education Degree College and Meiktila Education Degree College performed dances to “Historic Mandalay University” and “ From the Centenary to the End of the World” songs respectively.

Afterward, the Senior General presented honorary cash awards for the centenary of the university to the Union Minister for Education.

Then, the Senior General presented an honorary flower basket to the students who took part in entertainment programs and warmly greeted attendees.

Afterward, the Senior General and party  the centenary exhibition booths and posters of academic research papers displayed in the convocation hall of the university one by one attentively.

Then, the Senior General and party enjoyed the music of Myo Ma Music Band in Mandalay. The centenary ceremony of Mandalay University was held on a grand scale under the theme, “Let’s enhance innovational and intellectual power of the magnificent century, and shape the future.”