BEHS 6 Botataung
Encyclopedia
Basic Education High School (BEHS) No. 6 Botataung , located a few miles east of downtown Yangon
in Botataung township, is a public high school
, and one of the oldest high schools in Myanmar
. The all-boys school offers classes from kindergarten
to Tenth Standard (or Grade 1 through Grade 11 in the new nomenclature).
Known during the British colonial days
as St. Paul's English High School, the Roman Catholic parochial school
was the top school of choice for the children of the elite. Many of the country's who's who in those days were alumni of St. Paul's. The school was nationalized in 1965. While it is no longer the leading high school it once was, the school continues to be among the better (certainly among the better known) high schools in Yangon, serving mostly the children of middle class families from downtown Yangon and vicinity.
The school's main three-story red brick colonial era building is a landmark
protected by the city.
had seized Yangon and all of Lower Myanmar. It was the second LaSallian high school in the country. (St. Patrick's High School was founded in Mawlamyaing in April 1860.) The all boys school was among the few early schools that educated the children of the country's British officers, the Anglo-Burmese
, the Anglo-Indian
s and the wealthy Burmese. Naturally, many of the notable colonial era names were St. Paul's alumni. The language of instruction was mainly English
in the early days, and bi-lingual for some classes in the later days. Latin, science and higher mathematics were taught in the senior classes. Special interest classes such as Painting, and Carpentry and Woodcarving were also offered. The highlights of the school year were the annual sports and school concerts.
In April 1965, when Gen. Ne Win
's military government nationalized private schools, the school was renamed to "Basic Education High School (BEHS) No. 6 Botataung". The primary language of instruction became Burmese
. The school, which used to have a "Roll of Honor" for its outstanding students, steadily lost significance partly due to the new requirement to attend nearby schools as much as possible. Nevertheless, the school is still considered among the top high schools in Myanmar. Many well-to-do and wealthy families prefer to send their children to TTC
and Dagon 1 High School. The elite do not hesitate to send their kids to English language private schools that cost US$8000 or more annually. Today, Botataung 6 attracts mostly the children of middle class families from downtown Yangon.
The school has produced two top-ranked students, who finished first in the country's highly competitive college matriculation exams, one in 1974 and another in 1984.
, north of the school, takes up the other 25% of the block. The school is bounded by Theinbyu Road to the east, Anawrahta Road to the south and Aung Kyaw Road to the west. The former Secretariat Compound, where Gen. Aung San
was assassinated, is located across Anawrahta Road. The all-girls Botataung 4 High School (formerly, St. Mary's Convent School) and co-ed Botataung 5 High School are located in the vicinity of the school.
The gated campus consists of some of the best facilities available in Myanmar:
The school which produced notable scholars in the past has succumbed to the provant teaching style based mainly on memorization and rote learning. Due to severe lack of funding, the school's library and labs are rarely used. Teachers teach for and students study for the exams. Most students attend specialized private classes (locally called tuition classes) on specific subject matters. In a world where teachers must supplement their abysmally low salaries, many of the private classes are given by the teachers (ignoring the conflict of interest) with the primary focus on exam-specific topics. The incestuous practice is typically an academic death knell for those not able to afford these special classes.
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
in Botataung township, is a public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and one of the oldest high schools in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
. The all-boys school offers classes from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to Tenth Standard (or Grade 1 through Grade 11 in the new nomenclature).
Known during the British colonial days
British rule in Burma
British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence...
as St. Paul's English High School, the Roman Catholic parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
was the top school of choice for the children of the elite. Many of the country's who's who in those days were alumni of St. Paul's. The school was nationalized in 1965. While it is no longer the leading high school it once was, the school continues to be among the better (certainly among the better known) high schools in Yangon, serving mostly the children of middle class families from downtown Yangon and vicinity.
The school's main three-story red brick colonial era building is a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
protected by the city.
History
The school was founded as St. Paul's English High School by the De La Salle Brothers, a Roman Catholic order in August 1860, eight years after the BritishBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
had seized Yangon and all of Lower Myanmar. It was the second LaSallian high school in the country. (St. Patrick's High School was founded in Mawlamyaing in April 1860.) The all boys school was among the few early schools that educated the children of the country's British officers, the Anglo-Burmese
Anglo-Burmese
The Anglo-Burmese, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent, and emerged as a distinct community through mixed relations between the British and other European settlers and the indigenous peoples of Burma from 1826 until 1948 when Burma gained...
, the Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
s and the wealthy Burmese. Naturally, many of the notable colonial era names were St. Paul's alumni. The language of instruction was mainly English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in the early days, and bi-lingual for some classes in the later days. Latin, science and higher mathematics were taught in the senior classes. Special interest classes such as Painting, and Carpentry and Woodcarving were also offered. The highlights of the school year were the annual sports and school concerts.
In April 1965, when Gen. Ne Win
Ne Win
Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...
's military government nationalized private schools, the school was renamed to "Basic Education High School (BEHS) No. 6 Botataung". The primary language of instruction became Burmese
Burmese language
The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
. The school, which used to have a "Roll of Honor" for its outstanding students, steadily lost significance partly due to the new requirement to attend nearby schools as much as possible. Nevertheless, the school is still considered among the top high schools in Myanmar. Many well-to-do and wealthy families prefer to send their children to TTC
TTC Yangon
The Practising High School Yangon Institute of Education is a high school in Yangon, Myanmar. TTC stands for Teachers' Training College, which is now Institute of Education...
and Dagon 1 High School. The elite do not hesitate to send their kids to English language private schools that cost US$8000 or more annually. Today, Botataung 6 attracts mostly the children of middle class families from downtown Yangon.
The school has produced two top-ranked students, who finished first in the country's highly competitive college matriculation exams, one in 1974 and another in 1984.
Campus
Botataung 6 is one of the few high schools in Myanmar with a sizable campus, covering perhaps 75% of the entire city square block. The compound of St. Mary's CathedralSaint Mary's Cathedral, Yangon
Saint Mary's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located on Bo Aung Kyaw Street in Botahtaung Township, Yangon, Burma. The cathedral's exterior, of red brick, consists of spires and a belltower. It was designed by Dutch architect Jos Cuypers, son of Pierre Cuypers.The cathedral is the largest in Burma...
, north of the school, takes up the other 25% of the block. The school is bounded by Theinbyu Road to the east, Anawrahta Road to the south and Aung Kyaw Road to the west. The former Secretariat Compound, where Gen. Aung San
Aung San
Bogyoke Aung San ; 13 February 1915 – 19 July 1947) was a Burmese revolutionary, nationalist, and founder of the modern Burmese army, the Tatmadaw....
was assassinated, is located across Anawrahta Road. The all-girls Botataung 4 High School (formerly, St. Mary's Convent School) and co-ed Botataung 5 High School are located in the vicinity of the school.
The gated campus consists of some of the best facilities available in Myanmar:
- Landmark U-shaped three-story main building -- East and West wings house ten classrooms each, labeled A through J; also a PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
laboratory and a ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
laboratory - Aung Kyaw Hall, two-story annex building; houses school's main auditoriumAuditoriumAn auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
and school libraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services... - Aung San Hall, two-story annex building
- Regulation size football pitch
- Smaller practice football pitch; also used as an outdoor volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
court - One indoor basketball/volleyball court
- Two tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts; also double as basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
courts - Cafeteria
Programs
The school offers classes from K through 10 in two daily shifts. (The Burmese education system is based on the colonial 11-year secondary school curriculum although most other countries are on a 13-year curriculum.) The early shift handles K through 4 and the second shift does 5 through 10. Due to the use of two shifts and the availability of a large number of classrooms, the class size at Botataung 6 is around 40 to 50, much lower than 70-80 students in a typical Burmese classroom.The school which produced notable scholars in the past has succumbed to the provant teaching style based mainly on memorization and rote learning. Due to severe lack of funding, the school's library and labs are rarely used. Teachers teach for and students study for the exams. Most students attend specialized private classes (locally called tuition classes) on specific subject matters. In a world where teachers must supplement their abysmally low salaries, many of the private classes are given by the teachers (ignoring the conflict of interest) with the primary focus on exam-specific topics. The incestuous practice is typically an academic death knell for those not able to afford these special classes.
Cost
Although the schools are nominally free in Myanmar, in reality, parents still have to pay for school maintenance, donations and registration fees as well as books and uniforms. The overall costs quickly become considerable, even for middle class parents when the cost for evening tuition classes are factored in.Alumni
- Ba ChoBa ChoBa Cho was a Burmese newspaper publisher and politician who served as the Minister of Information in Myanmar's pre-independence government. Ba Cho and six other cabinet ministers were assassinated on 19 July 1947 in Yangon...
: Publisher of Deedok newspaper; Minister of Information in Aung SanAung SanBogyoke Aung San ; 13 February 1915 – 19 July 1947) was a Burmese revolutionary, nationalist, and founder of the modern Burmese army, the Tatmadaw....
's pre-independence interim government; one of nine senior government officials assassinated on 19 July 1947 - Ba Khin: Leading Theravada Buddhist philosopher and propagator of VipassanāVipassanaVipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
meditationMeditationMeditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
in the LediLedi SayadawThe Venerable Ledi Sayadaw U Ñanadhaja was an influential Theravada Buddhist monk. He was recognized from a young age as being developed in both the theory and practice of Buddhism and so was revered as being both scholarly and saintly...
tradition; First Accountant General of Union of Burma - Dr. Ba Han: Preeminent lexicographer and author; Author of bestselling the University English–Burmese Dictionary
- Dr. Ba MawBa MawDr. Ba Maw was a Burmese political leader, active during the interwar and World War II period.-Early life and education:Ba Maw was born in Maubin. Ba Maw came from a distinguished family of mixed Mon-Burmese parentage which bred many scholars and lawyers...
: "Adipati", Prime Minister of Burma during the British and Japanese colonial rule (1937–1940; 1942–1945) - Ba Pe: Founder of Thuriya (The Sun) newspaper; one of four Burmese signatories to the Aung San–Attlee Agreement
- Dr. Norman Hla: First surgeon to perform a liver transplant in Myanmar
- Dr. Htin AungHtin AungDr. Htin Aung was an important author and scholar of Burmese history and Burmese culture. Oxford and Cambridge educated Htin Aung wrote several books on Burmese history and culture in both Burmese and English. His English language works brought a much-needed Burmese perspective to the...
: Leading scholar and author of Burmese history and culture; Rector, University of YangonUniversity of YangonYangon University , located in Kamayut, Yangon, is the oldest and most well-known university in Myanmar. The university offers mainly graduate degree programs in liberal arts, sciences and law...
(1946–1958) - Sao Kawang Tai: 39th SaophaSaophaSaopha, Chaofa, or Sawbwa was a royal title used by the rulers of the Shan States of Myanmar . The word means "king" in the Shan and Tai languages...
of Kengtung (1937–1948?) - Sir Maung KhinMaung KhinSir Maung Khin was the first Burmese Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature during the British colonial era, and the first Burmese to be knighted...
: First Burmese Chief JusticeChief JusticeThe Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the High CourtHigh Court (Myanmar)The Supreme Court of Burma is the highest court in Burma . The former building, located between Maha Bandula Garden Street and Pansodan Street in Kyauktada Township, downtown Yangon, used to house the highest appeals court in Myanmar...
(1921–1924) during the British rule; first Burmese to be knightedOrder of the Indian EmpireThe Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion... - Kyaw Myint: Justice of High Court of Union of Burma
- Zinyaw Maung Maung: Two-time Myanmar Academy Award winning directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
- Maung Maung GyiMaung Maung Gyi (painter)Maung Maung Gyi was an early watercolor painter from Yangon and the first Burmese to travel abroad for studies in Western painting.-Early history and training:...
: Famous pre-war watercolorist; first Burmese to travel abroad for studies in Western painting - Colin McPhedran: author of White Butterflies, a memoir of the author's escape from Burma in the face of the Japanese occupation, in 1942.
- Min Latt: Burmese language linguist and writer
- Min Theinkha: Bestselling author of Sarpalin (Surveillant) Hnin Maung detective series
- Myint Thein: Third Chief Justice of High Court of Union of Burma (1957–1962)
- Nay Oke (St. Paul's): Successful private tutor of High School English in Yangon
- Dr. Than Nyun: Member, ASEAN Eminent Persons GroupASEAN Eminent Persons GroupThe ASEAN Eminent Persons Group ' is a group of prominent citizens from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries, tasked to create the charter of the ASEAN community....
; Rector, Yangon Institute of EconomicsYangon Institute of EconomicsThe Yangon Institute of Economics is the premier university of economics and business in Myanmar. Founded as the Department of Economics of Yangon University in 1924, the institute became an independent university of higher learning in 1964...
(1993); Deputy Minister of Education (1994–1999) - Thu MaungThu MaungThu Maung was a Myanmar Academy Award-winning film actor, singer as well as a distinguished writer and director. Throughout his film career, Thu Maung acted in over 40 films. He was born in Rangoon, Burma to parents U Thadu, a well-known author and director, and Daw Khin Nyo. Thu Maung was...
: Myanmar Academy Award winning actor, singer and writer - Tin TutTin TutTin Tut was the first Foreign Minister of the Union of Burma, and the Minister of Finance in Aung San's pre-independence government. Dulwich and Cambridge educated Tin Tut was the first Burmese to become an Indian Civil Service officer. He was Prime Minister Aung San's deputy in the government...
: First Burmese ICS officer; One of four Burmese signatories to the Aung San–Attlee Agreement; Finance Minister in Aung SanAung SanBogyoke Aung San ; 13 February 1915 – 19 July 1947) was a Burmese revolutionary, nationalist, and founder of the modern Burmese army, the Tatmadaw....
's interim government (1946–1947); First Foreign Minister of Union of Burma - Maung Wunna: Two-time Myanmar Academy Award winning directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
- Ye Lay: Popular Burmese hip hopBurmese hip hopThe Burmese hip hop is one of the most successful music genres in Myanmar today, and arguably the most popular form of music among the urban youth of Yangon and Mandalay.-First generation:Until 2000, rock and roll was the dominant music genre in Myanmar...
artist
List of headmasters
The following is a list of headmasters since nationalization in 1965.- Thant Gyi (1965)
- Captain Ba Hein (1965–69)
- Myat Htun (1969–79)
- Tun Aung (1980–81)
- Thein Kyi (1981)
- Tin Tun (1981–83)
- Min Maung (1983–90)
- Kyaw Myint (1990–95)
- Win Naing (1995–96)
- Kyi Than (1996–2003)
- Khin Maung Soe (2003–05)
- Maung Lone (2005–07)
- Dr. Win Min Latt (2007–10)
- Dr. Kyaw Soe Naing (2010–Present)