MYANMAR celebrated National Day last Tuesday, marking the date in 1920 when students launched protests against the education system under British colonial rule.

"The national education movement opposing and challenging the colonial education system, with slogans including ‘love thy race’, ‘foster patriotism’ and ‘never let ourselves be downtrodden’ based on the national spirit to safeguard the race, language, religion and education, was launched, and so dynamic and stalwart was the movement that it had the power to consolidate the entire Myanmar people,” Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe said in a message published in state-owned newspapers.

The 1920 student protests resulted in the establishment of schools outside the British colonial system to promote nationalism and traditional values.

One of the first such institutions was the Myoma National School, established in 1921 on Myoma Kyaung Street in Dagon township in Yangon. It is now the Education High School Dagon (2).

The school celebrated this year’s National Day with a ceremony at which the message from Senior General Than Shwe was read by Deputy Minister for Education U Myo Nyunt.