In pursuit of excellence

Established as Rangoon College in 1878, more than 250,000 students have graduated from Yangon University. The 137-year-old institution, Myanmar’s oldest, remains the dream educational venue for students across the country.
The university has played a leading role in key political events that shook Myanmar in the past decades. Upgrading is now a crucial task to regain strength and return it to being one of the best universities in Southeast Asia.
In an exclusive interview, Rector Aung Thu said the university was currently in rehabilitation, as hard and soft infrastructure needed upgrading. He said the task of improving the quality of its lecturers and students was winning support from the government and other international universities.
“The change can be gradual but it must be progressive. I expect the corporatisation of Yangon University in the future. At that time, it will be like a private university that can stand on its own feet,” said the rector, who wants all students to have their own laptops.
He admitted that a factor fuelling changes in the education sector was economic development that the country had been facing. He noted that without economic progress, a country could not provide a good education and graduates would not find good jobs no matter how outstanding they were.
“There is no world-class university in any underdeveloped country,” he said.
“International researchers expect that Yangon University can become one of the best universities in Southeast Asia within 20 years. But I personally believe that we can reach the international level in 10 years if all the stakeholders work hard together,” said Aung Thu.
For the time being, he said it was too early to say that YU was the best university in Myanmar as it was still in the rehabilitation process and had not yet been granted full autonomy to handle its own administration. With infrastructural problems, it was also impossible for it to fully implement the system that international universities were practising.

Infrastructure and cooperation
Aung Thu said that YU was busy with upgrading tasks as well as securing cooperation with foreign universities. 
The lecture rooms needed an upgrade and every department needed more equipment and access to high-speed internet. Other universities received 4 mbps (megabytes per second), while YU enjoyed 30 mbps, he said.
The standards of canteens on the campus are being improved so that foreign visitors need not look elsewhere at mealtime. Cheap canteens are being maintained so that students can eat or take a coffee break for a reasonable price.
The upgrade comes at a time when YU has reached out to the world for the first time in decades to improve its software. As a result of extensive work in the past two years, YU has signed a memorandum of understanding with 26 universities, including Oxford, Cologne, Australia National (ANU) and Nagoya universities and the National University of Singapore. Thailand’s Thepsatri Rajabhat University signed an MoU with YU in April 2013, followed by similar MoUs with Srinakharinwirot and Chiang Mai universities this year. Last month, YU signed an MoU with Japan’s Waseda University.
The partnerships entail the exchange of staff and students as well as cooperation in international conferences and research work. Experts from Oxford University and ANU undertook a detailed analysis of YU and submitted a research paper on how to rehabilitate YU to become a world-class university.
Besides partnered universities, international organisations such as AusAid, USAid, the Korea International Cooperation Agency and Open Society Foundation were supporting YU, the rector said.
Aung Thu said cooperation with international institutions allowed YU students to use the partners’ facilities for their research. Cooperation usually results in improving opportunities, ranging from short-term visits to long-term studies and scholarship programmes.
He said he was convinced that international cooperation would help YU move up a level and administrative autonomy would lift its quality further.

Autonomy
The rector calls for academic, administrative and financial freedom. He is pressing for the enactment of a law to protect freedom of study and assure universities of their powers to handle their own matters.
“For the time being, it is out of the question that all universities in Myanmar should be granted autonomy … As we are in a transitional period, we cannot change all the universities at one sitting because our economy is not that strong, despite its bright potential.
“As the oldest and most well-known university in Myanmar, YU really deserves to win autonomy. In order to reach the next level, we need to change from bureaucracy to autonomy,” he said.
The rector said that financial autonomy would make it easier to attract talented lecturers. Due to a talent shortage, the Education Ministry now transfers some senior officials to universities. If assigned, these officials will also work for other universities.
“If there is too much centralisation, we cannot fly as high as we wish. There should be democratic competition,” said Aung Thu. “For a university to become internationally recognised, all the lecturers and graduates should be outstanding.”
He envisaged a day when staff, including the rector, would be recruited through a free system. YU should also have free access to all qualified lecturers across the country and tap the most outstanding, he said. Through a merit system, not seniority, staff would need to improve their performance to stay competitive, as promotion would no longer depend on the length of service. 

Courses
The university offers 8 science and 12 arts courses and has a total of 4,776 students.
Cancelled after the student protests of 1996, undergraduate courses were reintroduced in 2014 with 1,218 students.
YU has been the dream destination for all Myanmar students looking for a university place. Regarded as a centre of excellence, those applying for YU’s undergraduate courses need to get at least 400 out of 600 points from their Grade-11 examinations.
Those who won a distinction in English with more than 495 points are eligible to apply for an English major course.
International relations was the most popular specialisation at YU, said Aung Thu, followed by English and law with those graduates finding it easier to secure jobs.
“Popular universities can choose the most talented students,” he said.
According to the rector, specialisations like oriental studies and anthropology were less popular and received fewer applications from top students.
Each of the 21 undergraduate specialisations will accept only 50 students in each academic year.
Before, only students from Lower Myanmar were allowed to apply but recently Mandalay students with high scores have been able to file applications. Aung Thu hoped that this trend would continue.
YU is mulling offering seats to some students whose Grade-11 scores are below the requirement but are talented in other areas. For example, only students with the scores above 450 can apply for mathematics but the level might be lowered for students who are really interested in the subject.
“We focus on two things. First, we need talented students. Second, we need to take the requirements of the nation into serious consideration,” he said, adding that academic scores, interest and enthusiasm were equally important.

Students’ dream
Many students are eagerly awaiting their Grade-11 results which will be announced on June 6, hoping that their high scores would land them a seat at the prestigious university.
Planning to join the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Win Thura aims to win a place at the Department of International Relations.
“I’m convinced my points will be high enough to support my application to YU,” he said. “I believe that a degree from YU will help me win a place at the ministry and can also support my career development.”
Wanting to become a computer technician, Aung Myo Zaw from Yangon’s Sanchaung Township plans to apply for YU if he scores above 470 points. His next option is Yangon University of Computer Science.
Khin Pa Pa Htay, 16, from Taikkyi Township, dreams of studying English.
“My elders said YU’s English specialisation is the best in Myanmar as the National Centre for English Language is managed by the university’s English department. I believe an English degree will lead me towards greater access and better employment opportunities,” she said.
Her second choice is University of Foreign Languages, Yangon.