January
21, 2018
The
Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) has awarded its 21st blue plaque to B.E.H.S No. (1)
Dagon in Dagon Township, which is over a hundred years old.
The
school used to be a Methodist school, and as of 2018, is more than 100 years
old. The plaque was installed during a ceremony at the school yesterday. The
ceremony was opened by Union Minister for Education Dr. Myo Thein Gyi, Yangon
Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein and Speaker of Yangon Region Hluttaw U
Tin Maung Htun.
Daw
Moe Moe Lwin, a member of YHT, spoke at the ceremony. She hoped the
installation of the plaques would raise awareness about heritage buildings and
encourage people to take measures to conserve them. She said there are plans to
collect historical information and install plaques near the heritage buildings.
Dagon (1) was formerly an all-girls Methodist school, which first opened on
Lewis Street (Seik Kan Thar Street) in 1882. Then in 1894, the school moved to
its current location at the corner of Lancaster Street (Nawaday Street) and
Alanpya pagoda Street.
The
three-storey main building of the school is constructed in Victorian
architectural style and is spread over 3.03 acres. The school was closed for
six years following the Second World War, and during the Japanese colonisation,
the school served as the office of the Burmese Independence Army. After the
war, the school underwent renovation under the leadership of then Headmistress
Mrs. Doreen A. Logie and reopened in 1947. On 20 February, 1952, President Sao
Shwe Thaik renamed the school as Methodist English High School (M.E.H.S).
In
April 1965, missionary schools in the country were appropriated as public
property and placed under the Ministry of Education. The school’s name was
again changed to B.E.H.S No. (1) Dagon. Additional buildings were constructed
in the school’s compound between 1986 and 1998. The school now has 61
classrooms and regularly accepts more than 7,000 students.
Pwint
Thitsar
Ref;
The Global New Light of Myanmar
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