Professor Chaw Chaw Sein (PhD), University of Yangon

THE University of Yangon, established in 1920, was once the most outstanding university in Myanmar and has been recognized all over Southeast Asia for its high standards of graduate education. Known as Rangoon University in the days of the independence period, the University is also known for its historic political movements led by students such as the independence movement, the U Thant (former United Nations Secretary-General) movement, 1962 coup and democracy movement that led to the 1988 uprising. However, under military administration, it was closed for undergraduate programmes from 1995 to 2012 due to political reasons. It was only after Myanmar’s historic transition in 2011 with a semi-civilian government installed that the reopening of University became a wish of stakeholders in Myanmar. The new government introduced series of reforms and efforts for reopening the University of Yangon were considered. From the side of Parliament, the proposal of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to upgrade the University was passed in November 2012. The University has been under reform since then and many stakeholders paid thoughtful attention to it becoming a Flagship University of Myanmar with autonomy.

Reform period

The reform period has been in place for eight-years and opportunities as well as challenges have emerged. Many opportunities have risen by bringing back to the University its momentum in collaboration with regional and international universities. Many faculty members and students have been joining overseas scholarship programmes, receiving training on teaching and research and attending leadership and management programmes offered by external partner universities and external institutions. Some academic freedoms are granted but with out financial and administrative autonomy. The challenge for achieving autonomy during Myanmar’s transition has several important characteristics such as the centralized culture that has been embedded for many years. The freedom for the formation of student unions as well as teacher associations has seen different opinions ex pressed about the future University structure as has the involvement of strong alumni who wish to see the golden image of their university restored.

A public university

The University of Yangon is a public university and all the University leaderships, teachers and admin staff are civil servants. So, the reform process is a top-down reform process and several actors play important roles in this process. Key actors who play important roles in this process are State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Ministry of Education, the National Education Policy Commission (NEPC), the Parliament, student unions, teacher association, University alumni and various external actors such as foreign funding agencies and universities. Various enthusiastic efforts by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to revitalize and upgrade the University can be considered as a key actor. At the first Pyithu Hluttaw fifth regular meeting, the proposal to renovate and upgrade the University of Yangon was submitted by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a member of Parliament. Together with the proposal and wish of many, it became necessary to implement major renovations and to improve its educational quality to reach the international standard. After the proposal was accepted and approved, the Committee on Revitalization and Upgrading the University of Yangon was established in December 2012. The Committee, chaired by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was formed with four sub-committees in order to implement programmes for revitalizing and upgrading the university. They are (1) the sub-committee for Fund Raising, (2) the sub-committee for Management and Allocation of Fund, (3) the sub-committee for Renovation and (4) the sub-committee for Promotion of Educational Quality. These sub-committees continuously discuss the follow-up activities in order to transform the University of Yangon into an excellent academic institution, where people can have access to a world-class education. Several meetings were held at I-12 building of the Parliament to implement the revitalization process.

In this context, external actors such as the Australian government, AusAID, the UK government, the British Council and the Central European University came to support the University’s reform. As mentioned above, to support the work of the Revitalization Committee, two overseas study tours were conducted at the direct request of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her capacity as chair of the Revitalization of University of Yangon. In May 2013, Dr Myo Myint, Deputy Minister of Education headed the study tour to UK. Another study tour to Australia was led by Dr Soe Yin former Rector of University of Yangon and Member of Parliament in October 2013. These study tours were to learn about the well-developed university system in the UK and Australia. To support the reform process, SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat) analysis was conducted with the support of Australian Aid. The SWOT analysis was implemented by faculty members of UY in collaboration with education experts from Australia. The report highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats of the University. It analyzed the needs for autonomy such as autonomy over academic programme - degrees, curricula, assessments, autonomy over research programmes and publications, autonomy over budgets, autonomy to select its own staff and students based on ability, autonomy to identify, develop and participate interna tional collaborations and the immediate need of a Master Plan for the University. These programmes were initiated by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and have been supported by external actors since her tenure as a member of Parliament.

The key actor

The key actor from the government is the Ministry of Education. From 2011-2014, Dr Mya Aye, former Rector of Mandalay University was appointed as Minister for Education. After his death in 2014, Dr Khin San Yee, former Rector of Yangon Economic University, was appointed as Minister. The Ministry also supports the programmes initiated by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi concerning budget allocation. For the infrastructural development of the University, the priority is given for the renovation of the Bago Hall (men’s hostel) where national hero General Aung San stayed during his student life. The Ministry has decentralized in the area of international cooperation to some extent, giving the University the ability to sign MoUs with foreign universities, allowing the faculties to participate in international seminars abroad, and awarding President’s scholarships to the students. All these efforts support the University to become centre of excellence among other universities in Myanmar.

PHOTO: PHOE KHWAR

(To be continued)

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A relief flight of All Nippon Airways, organized by the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo, landed at Yangon International Airport with 65 Myanmar citizens from Japan, yesterday afternoon.

The Myanmar Embassy in Seoul and the Myanmar Seamen’s Federation organized a relief flight of Myanmar National Airlines in repatriating 136 Myanmar seamen who were stranded in the Republic of Korea after their employment contracts with their shipping companies have expired. They arrived at Yangon International Airport yesterday evening.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Yangon Region government arranged 7-day quarantine at specific places or designated hotels, followed by the 7-day home quarantine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the relevant ministries, Myanmar embassies from respective countries, shipping companies and seamen organizations to bring back the Myanmar citizens and seamen in accordance with the instructions from National-Level Central Committee on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

MNA

PHOTO: MNA

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(CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY)

The spread of COVID-19 has spiked since the second wave hit Yangon Region and the Ministry of Health and Sports has set action plans to mitigate the spread of the disease.

Myanmar News Agency has interviewed Dr Tun Myint, Deputy Director-General of Yangon Region Public Health and Medical Services Department, and Dr Myint Myint Aye, Medical Superintendent of Yangon General Hospital, on the situation.

[Dr Tun Myint]

Question: Why has the number of cases and deaths increased in Yangon Region?

Answer: The number of cases started increasing after 17 August. We were able to handle the situation in the first wave because of the low infection rate. The majority of cases there were imported from returnees.

In the second wave, the infection rate went up after positive case no.375 on 17 August. We can estimate this is because of an influx of people from other states and regions, especially from the west, entering Yangon. We can guess how many people travelled to Yangon after a month and most of them live in Yangon Region as well.

There are also people passing through Yangon Region to get to other states and regions. We can see a rising number of cases there too, but the Yangon Region still has the highest infection rate due to its dense population. In here you have the situation with migrant workers, factories and markets which are particularly linked to different regions with Yangon. Since Yangon is accepting of everyone, it has the most number of COVID cases as well.

We also have to increase awareness among the public and have them maintain distance, wear masks, wash hands and prevent large gatherings. COVID-19 cases will likely go down when everyone follows the health guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Question: Can you tell us more about the social movement for COVID-19?

Answer: We can’t put a stop to COVID by only giving medical treatments in hospitals. This is where public health services and action plans have to be increased. They need to be carried out in the frontlines, and so we have drawn up a campaign for social activities in Yangon Region.

There are three categories. The first is the mandatory wearing of masks and face shields in dense public locations such as markets, shopping malls, highway terminals, jetties and airports. We are starting this in the markets and starting from 15 November; we’ve distributed face masks and shields to 120 markets of the 176 in Yangon. Both vendors and buyers have to wear them, and we will provide for them if they are not wearing any. MoHS has supplied us with 1 million face masks and 100,000 face shields, and we will distribute them at the markets.

The second category is incorporating educational activities during the distribution. We’re using megaphones to spread information five times a day in the markets and wards. We provide daily updates, health guidelines and some famous artists will be entertaining with informative music. The third category is giving out pamphlets and we have printed 500,000 already. In addition to health guidelines, we are adding the do’s and don’ts for vendors and buyers of Yangon Region’s markets into the pamphlets this time.

We have made the clearest notice to the public, and we hope these three categories will help cut the spread of COVID-19 and reduce related deaths.

[Dr Myint Myint Aye]

Question: Can you tell us the preparations Yangon General Hospital has made to treat COVID-19 patients.

Answer: The hospital was not treating COVID patients at first. We simply accepted people suspected to have COVID and transferred the positive patients to designated hospitals. But there are more cases in the second wave, so we had to prepare the red ward to treat positive patients. We made preparations starting from the emergency ward to the waiting rooms and even near the entrance.

The emergency surgical ward was prepared for operating on COVID positive patients, and we had to make a new ward in case more patients arrived. The entire main red building was prepared for COVID patients with suspected patients put at the ground floor, and the orthopaedic ward now has ICUs and HDUs for 30 patients.

We can now monitor those 30 patients from our control room. We’ve made preparations to accept more patients and we’ve prepared four kidney cleansing machines for positive patients with kidney ailments.

Those were the initial preparations. Later, we have positive patients coming to the hospital and they want treatment from Yangon General Hospital. More patients came in after we assembled more medical equipment and now we’re building a new ward in front of the main building. It’s still in progress but it will house up to 80 patients once it’s done.

We are using full medicine and equipment we have to treat our patients. We’ve installed a machine that produces liquid oxygen since it’s the main necessity for these patients. We didn’t have oxygen pipelines at each bed, but now we are doing our best to supply oxygen to everyone.

About 40 patients passed away per day before, and we’ve opened a special ward with 30 beds at the Yangon General Hospital and a 20-bedded ward in North Okkalapa Hospital. This has reduced the fatality rate and, it’s also thanks to the physicians and anesthetists.

It’s been tiring, but thanks to the professionalism and compassion of our medical personnel, we’ve had positive patients over 70 and 80 years of age discharged on the complete recovery. Our hospital is accepting patients with the most severe cases, so we are experiencing both recoveries and deaths.

Interviewed by Min Thit (MNA)

Photos: Zaw Min Latt (MNA)/ Kyaw Zeya Win

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THE World Food Programme (WFP) donated food rations consisting of rice, cooking oil, salt and beans to Thabarwa Centre located in Phayar Gone Village of Thanlyin Township, Yangon Region on 20 November.

Thabarwa Centre Patron Sayadaw Uttamasara, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein and party and the officials of WFP attended the donation ceremony.

Then, the Chief Minister donated the offertories of WFP to the Sayadaw while another four kinds of food aids (rice, cooking oil, salt, bean) to the elderly people at the centre.

The Chief Minister and Secretary U Win Myint of Centre presented a certificate of honour to a representative of WFP.

The Thabarwa Centre is not only a place for meditation and it also cares for abandoned elderly, physically and mentally disabled and older people.

The WFP donated K44,845,000 worth of food rations for a total of 4,300 persons including monks, nuns, Yawgis (meditaters) and the people with disabilities residing at the centre.

San Kyaw Oo (IPRD)

PHOTO: SAN KYAW OO (IPRD)

(Translated by Khine Thazin Han)

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CONSTRUCTION works in Yangon Region will be allowed to continue if they follow the guidelines of the COVID-19 disease prevention and control (Version 4.0) issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports and the 18-point examination form of the Yangon Region Construction Supervision Committee, according to Deputy Director-General for the committee and the Department of Urban and Housing Development.

The responsible person of the construction project needs to submit the photographs of compliance with the committee’s 18 inspection rules and a declaration of compliance with the version 4.0 issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports to the Yangon Region Construction Supervision Committee in order to resume the project.

Joint secretary of the Committee U Myo Myint said the project would be allowed to resume as soon as the submission is completed. He added the important rules must be followed, and if there is no compliance with the set rules or if it is found due to a complaint or an unexpected inspection, the project will be temporarily closed.

The Yangon Region Construction Supervision Committee was formedon 4 May with the aim of ensuring that the construction works continue, that the people in the construction sector are protected from the pandemic and timely treatment in the situation of an outbreak of COVID-19.

There are over 400 construction projects submitted to the committee, and over 100 of these were granted the permission to resume.

The set 18 inspection rules and the Version 4.0 to be followed at the construction sites can be checked on the Yangon City Gallery Facebook Page, Yangon Regional government website, the Ministry of Health and Sports’ website, Ministry of Construction’s websites, Department of Yangon Region Urban and Housing Development’s Facebook Page and Construction Business Associations’ websites.

Min Thit (MNA)

PHOTO: NAY LINN

(Translated by Ei Phyu Phyu Aung)

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A total of 176 Myanmar citizens – 56 stranded in India and 120 in Australia and New Zealand – because of the suspension of commercial flights returned home by relief flights yesterday.

Myanmar Embassy in New Delhi organized the relief flight of Air India to repatriate 56 Myanmar nationals from India, and Myanmar Embassy in Canberra arranged the relief flight of Myanmar National Airlines to bring back the Myanmar citizens in Australia and New Zealand. The two flights landed at Yangon International Airport.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Yangon Region government provided them with proper medical tests and arranged 7-day quarantine at specific places or designated hotels, followed by the 7-day home quarantine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been working with Myanmar embassies in foreign countries, local ministries and shipping companies/organizations to bring back citizens stranded abroad under the guidance of the National-Level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19.

MNA

PHOTO: MNA

(Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)

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A total of 165 Myanmar citizens stranded in Malaysia because of suspension of commercial flights returned home by relief flight yesterday.

The relief flight of Myanmar Airways International arranged by Myanmar Embassy in Kula Lumpur landed at Yangon International Airport at 5 pm bringing back the returnees home.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Yangon Region government provided them with proper medical tests and arranged 7-day quarantine at specific places or designated hotels, followed by the 7-day home quarantine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been working with Myanmar embassies in foreign countries and local ministries concerned to bring back citizens stranded abroad due to the suspension of international commercial flights, under the guidance of the National-Level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19.

Until now, Myanmar has managed to repatriate a total of 31 batches of its citizens from Malaysia.

MNA

PHOTO: MNA

(Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)

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A total of 151 Myanmar citizens arrived back home from Singapore by the 25th relief flight of Myanmar National Airways, organized by the Myanmar embassy in the city-state, yesterday afternoon.

The relief flight of Myanmar Airways International brought back 127 seamen with the help of Myanmar embassy in Singapore and the Myanmar Seamen’s Federation in the evening.

On arrival at the Yangon International Airport, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Yangon Region government provided them with proper medical tests and arranged 7-day quarantine, followed by 7-day home quarantine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been working with Myanmar embassies in foreign countries and local ministries concerned to bring back Myanmar seamen stranded abroad due to the suspension of commercial flights.

MNA

PHOTO: MNA

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Medical equipment for COVID-19 prevention imported from China and to be used in the 2020 General Election arrived at Yangon and Mandalay international airports by special flights yesterday.

Six flights carrying the materials for COVID-19 protection landed at the Yangon International Airport, while five flights landed at the Mandalay International Airport.

The COVID-19 protective items include KN95 masks, protective face masks, boots and PPE medical protective clothing.

MNA (Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)

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A cargo flight of China Airlines, organized by Myanmar Consulate-General in Hong Kong, landed at Yangon International Airport with 140 citizens, including 123 seamen stranded in Taiwan (China-Tapei) yesterday morning. Another relief flight of Malaysia Airlines, organized by Asahi Kosei Sdn Bhd Company and Myanmar Embassy in Malaysia also brought back 157 citizens in the same morning.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Yangon Region government arranged 7-day quarantine at specific places or designated hotels, followed by the 7-day home quarantine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been working with Myanmar embassies in foreign countries and local ministries concerned to bring back citizens and seamen stranded abroad due to the suspension of international commercial flights, in accordance with the guidance of the National-Level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19.

MNA

(Translated by Khine Thazin Han)

PHOTO: MNA

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