Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon ( my, အခြေခံ ပညာ အထက်တန်း ကျောင်း အမှတ် (၁) ဒဂုံ; formerly, Methodist English High School; commonly known as ဒဂုံ ၁ ), located a few miles north of downtown
Yangon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
is considered one of the best
public high schools in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. Dagon 1 offers classes from kindergarten to tenth standard (recently renamed Grade 1 to Grade 11) to about 6500 students.
Attended almost exclusively by the children of the wealthy, Dagon 1 has some of the best educational facilities available in a Burmese private school. The school routinely sends a disproportionate share of outstanding students to the country's most selective universities each year. Its most famous alumna is the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...
.
Many of the Burmese entertainment industry's top stars are Dagon 1 alumni. Dagon 1 in recent year has lost some of its appeal as a top school as ultra-wealthy parents now send their children to expensive English language medium "international" private schools.
The school's main colonial era building is on the
Yangon City Heritage List The Yangon City Heritage List is a list of man-made landmarks in Yangon, Myanmar, so designated by the city government, Yangon City Development Committee. The list consists of 188 structures (as of 2001), and is largely made up of mostly religious ...
.
History
The school was founded in 1882 as Methodist Episcopal Girls School on Lewis Street (now Seikkantha Street). In 1894, the school was moved to its current campus on the corner of Lancaster Road (now Nawaday Road) and
Signal Pagoda Road, and was also renamed Methodist English Girls High School. The school consisted primarily of a three-story Victorian-era style building long and wide. At first, boys were accepted only in the elementary level (from K to 3). During the interwar period, boys were allowed from K to 4. Just before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the school had 55 students. The school was closed down for 6 years after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and later reopened in May, 1947. The principal, Mrs. Logie, repaired the school buildings that were destroyed during the war. At that time, the school began to prepare its students not only for the matriculation exam but also for the
GCE (General Certificate of Education) exam from the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
.
In 1951, the number of students increased to 850 and the four-story Kindergarten building (113'×51') with 15 rooms was built in 1952 to accommodate the students. The school's name was Methodist English High School (MEHS). On 14 April 1965, the institution was nationalized and became a
public school and has been operated by the government ever since. In 1986, a new three-story building (90'×34') was built to correspond to the increased number of students. The school is currently running under the Department of Basic Education which is directly controlled by the Ministry of Education.
During 1988 democracy uprising, Dagon1 was one of the first high schools in Burma to form student union and participate in the protest boycott marches. Throughout the uprising, members of Dagon1 student union lead their fellow students and teachers in various protest marches. Dagon1 protest column can be clearly distinguished amongst other columns by their Green Flag with White Fighting Peacock emblem, former official flag of All Burma Federation of Student Unions and the green and white represents the uniform colours of high school students. After September 1988 coup by the military, some of dagon1 students went to Thai-Burma border and joined
All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) to achieve democracy and human rights in Burma through armed struggle.
Student body
Dagon 1 has the largest student body in Yangon and in Myanmar, numbering near 6,600. A high student-to-teacher ratio exists, like most of the schools in Myanmar. The students are spread across eleven standards or grades, from Grade 1 (formerly Kindergarten) to Grade 11 (formerly Tenth Standard). Because an increasing demand for enrollment at the school, Dagon 1's student body is in the shape of a pyramid, with the number of younger students outnumbering that of older students. New classes are formed to handle the increased enrollment each year.
Uniform
Like all public schools in Myanmar, Dagon-1 requires that students wear the school uniform at all times. There are two sets of uniform, one for wear from Kindergarten to 5th Standard (Grades 1 to 6), and another, more traditional one for wear from the 6th Standard to 10th Standard (Grades 7 to 11). But all uniforms are of the same colour - a white shirt or blouse, with a green garment for the torso.
School badge
A circular badge, bearing an oil lamp (representing wisdom and education), with a circular cogwheel and a rice plant together with the school's name. Inside the cogwheel, there are 5 coloured sections: Orange, Yellow, Green, Red and Blue representing the school council team colors.
Boys uniform
* From Grade 1 to the Grade 6, male students are required to wear a white shirt (with or without the collar), tucked into a green long pants. Tee shirts and sports shirts are not acceptable. Shoes and the traditional slipper,
Hnyat-phanat are permitted as footwear.
* From the Grade 7 onwards, the students have to wear a white shirt (with or without the collar), and a green
paso. Only the Hnyat-phanat is permitted. Traditional Mandalay slippers, usually of velvet or other materials, are worn.
Girls uniform
* From Grade 1 to Grade 5, girls can wear either skirts or pants, with a white shirt. Girls usually wear slippers.
* For Grade 6 onwards, the uniform also becomes more traditional like its male counterpart. The girl must wear only the side opening (yin-phone) traditional Burmese blouse, with the
Htamein
A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...
as the lower garment.
Accomplishments
It ranks the highest overall in
Burmese High School in the
University Entrance Examination, conducted by the
Board of Examinations
The Myanmar Board of Examinations ( my, မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ စာစစ်အဖွဲ့ ဦးစီးဌာန) is a governmental body that administers national examinations and sets standardized qualifications. The Board ...
. Dagon-1's student body produces many high scoring students both in terms of collective subjects and individual subjects, making into the very competitive "nationwide outstanding top-ten students' list", colloquially known as the whole-Burma or top ten list quite often.
Although Myanmar's education system is extremely academic oriented, Dagon-1 has been able to produce some good athletes and artists. Dagon 1 has produced many nationally selected athletes, in the fields of swimming, football (soccer), sailing, wushu, and badminton, have won medals in both national and international competitions, such as
South East Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
.
Many students have also won medals in "Myanmar Traditional and Cultural Performing Arts Competition" (''So-Ka-Yay-Tee'') and win painting competitions.
In 2011, the top nine scorers of the 2011 Matriculation Exam came from Dagon 1. In 2015, the four of the top 10 scorers in the 2015 Matriculation Exam came from Dagon 1.
Renovations
Due to increasing number of students, a new seven-story building was built in front of the soccer field. To build this building, an old cafeteria building was demolished. With the rising use of the internet and government promotion of information technology, two IT labs have been added to the campus facilities. The Dagon Thiri hall, Chemistry Lab, Physics Lab and Biology Labs are renovated in 2004 for the practical classes. A new cafeteria building was also built and renovated year by year. Security cameras were also installed within the school campus. Some classrooms had been renovated and installed air-conditioners donated by students.
Facilities and buildings
* Three-storey Victorian-era style building (Main Building)
* Five-storey Building
* Three-storey Building
* Seven-storey Building
* Dagon Thiri Hall
* Computer Hall
* Gymnasium
* School Garden
* Band and orchestra practicing rooms
* The Library building at the ground floor of new seven-storey building.
* A Soccer field - Every rainy season, the football matches are held.
* Canteen
* Dagon Thiri Hall - used for religious ceremonies, school reunions and stage shows
* Biology, Physics and Chemistry Labs - On the 5th floor of five-storey building.
* Gymnasium - It also serves as a back-up assembly hall and basketball ground.
* Computer Training Hall - built beside the assembly hall under the government's policy to embrace information technology.
* Multimedia Teaching Lab - Also use as English Language training room.
* IT Lab
* Tennis Court - Inside the garden in front of the school.
List of principals
* Doreen Logie (1947–1965)
* Tun Tin (1965–1966)
* Aung Than (1966–1977)
* Tin Myint (1977–1983)
* Naing Aung (1983–1992)
* Than Swe (1992–1996)
* Kyaw Kyaw (1996–2007)
* Dr. Aung Ko Ko (2007–2012)
* Aung Ko Ko (2012–2015)
* Chit Tun (2016–2018)
* Daw Myint Myint Aye (2018–present)
Notable alumni
Academia
*
Thaw Kaung
Actors
*
Dwe
Dwe ( my, ဒွေး; also spelt Dway, born Htin Lin (ထင်လင်း) 7 May 1966 – 11 July 2007) was a Burmese film actor and singer. He has starred in hundreds of films, and was considered one of the most successful actors in Burmese c ...
*
Kyaw Thu
*
Soe Thu
*
Yaza Ne Win
*
Thu Riya
Actresses
*
Wah Wah Win Shwe
*
Eindra Kyaw Zin
Eaindra Kyaw Zin ( my, အိန္ဒြာကျော်ဇင်, ; born 24 April 1977) is a two-time Myanmar Academy Award-winning Burmese actress and model. She is Myanmar's third highest-paid actress and an amateur painter. Now, being ab ...
*
Hsu Eaint San
*
Poe Ei Ei Khant
*
A Nyein Phyu
Businessmen
*
Michael Moe Myint
Directors
* Thura (
Zarganar
Maung Thura "Zarganar" (also called Zaganar, my, ဇာဂနာ; also Zargana, ); born 27 January 1961) is a popular Burmese comedian, film actor, and a film director as well as a fierce critic and often political prisoner of the Burmese mili ...
)
*
Sin Yaw Mg Mg
Sin Yaw Mg Mg or Zinyaw Maung Maung is Burmese film director and film producer. His 2004 film Hlyo-hwat-thaw-hnin or Mystery of Snow was released internationally.
Biography
His real name is U Lyn Aung. He is son of U Kan Htoo and Daw Khi ...
Statesmen and politicians
*
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...
*
Htin Kyaw
Htin Kyaw ( my, ထင်ကျော်, or ; born 20 July 1946) is a Burmese politician, writer and scholar who served as the ninth president of Myanmar from 30 March 2016 to 21 March 2018. He was the first elected president to hold the off ...
Singers
*
Than E (Bilat Pyan Than, Ma Than E Fend, Dora)
*
Aung Yin
*
Hayma Ne Win
Hay Mar Nay Win ( my, ဟေမာနေဝင်း, ; commonly spelt Hayma Ne Win) is a Burmese singer who was popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is considered one of the most successful singers of her generation, releasing o ...
*
May Sweet
May Sweet ( my, မေဆွိ; ; born Swe Aye Myint ( ) on 13 February 1962) is a Burmese singer and actress, and considered one of the most commercially successful female singers in the history of Burmese pop music. She is most famous for he ...
*
Nay Win
*
Bobby Soxer
*
Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
*
Nan Su Yati Soe
Nan Su Yati Soe ( my, နန်းဆုရတီစိုး; also spelt Nansu Yati Soe, born 18 September 1987) is a Burmese actress, model, singer and TV host who has achieved fame and success as an actress and singer. Throughout her successf ...
References
External links
Official School alumni websiteM.E.H.S Methodist English High School alumni website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dagon
High schools in Yangon