Convocation Hall, Yangon University

Key notionmore than higher education

It was established in 1887 as an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta, where the British Colony directed the administration. Later, in 1904, it was renamed College of Government; in 1920, it was renamed Rangoon University. Today, the University is the oldest in Myanmar’s modern education system and the best-known in Myanmar. The University and its associated facilities faced many sanctions for its political legacy, such as the periodical shutdowns after students’ protests. Yangon University’s national and political significance The military authorities ended the University’s autonomy in 1962, placing it under central government control. The language of instruction was changed from English to Burmese. The 1964 University Education Act separated several professional departments from the University, establishing them as separate universities: the University of Medicine, the University of Economics, the University of Technology, and the University of Education. At that point, the University was renamed the Rangoon Arts and Sciences University, concerned only with liberal arts, sciences, and law. Yangon University is one of the most contested spaces in Yangon, one of immeasurable political importance for the city’s history. It is the origin of all political changes of the 20th century and the place of rallies for the protestors. It was the nest of successive generations of the country’s brightest minds to stratify and discuss the liberation of the oppressive reigning elitist, whether the British colonists or the Military Regime. In a series of changes, the names of public institutions that were established and its name were given by the British to symbolize independence. Rangoon University was then 1989 changed to the University of Yangon.