Joseph Education University: The Campus Construction of The First Catholic Private University in Myanmar was completed

The campus construction of Joseph Education University which is the first Catholic private university in Myanmar was satisfactorily completed on 15 August 2021 after taking (3) years, started in 2019. The campus was dedicated to God with the blessing of Rev. Fr. Eddie Win Phe, the parish priest of St. Lazarus Catholic Church, Mingaladon township of Yangon.

 

The campus construction of Joseph Education University which is the first Catholic private university in Myanmar was satisfactorily completed on 15 August 2021 after taking (3) years, started in 2019. The campus was dedicated to God with the blessing of Rev. Fr. Eddie Win Phe, the parish priest of St. Lazarus Catholic Church, Mingaladon township of Yangon.

 

The university was founded by Joseph Win Hlaing Oo @ Kung Za Hmung, who is a Catholic layman, in 2015, with the capital of US$ 1000 by hiring an apartment in Yangon. He started his university academic program by offering its certificate program on Canon Law in 2015. After receiving request of expanding more undergraduate programs by former students, it has begun diploma program on Catholic Theological Studies with correspondent learning system (using postal services) in Myanmar.

 

At the beginning in 2015, the university provided Diploma Degree Program on Catholic theological studies of (18) months course for Catholic laypeople and for other religions by correspondent learning system. JEU is the only and first institute which has ever never offered a diploma and bachelor degree on Catholic Theological Studies to Laypeople in Myanmar by a layman (Joseph Win Hlaing Oo) under distant education system.

 

While the name JEU has been becoming more and more reputable within the context of theological education established in Yangon, most of the success in finding students comes from word-of-mouth and advertisement from monthly journal recommendations of the old students. During the last (5) years, the graduated students numbered (582) students. Out of them, (2%) of our graduated students were Protestants and Buddhists.

 

 

1. Canonical Approval in Archdiocese of Yangon

 

Having carefully considered this association would be useful to the lay faithful of Yangon Archdiocese and to provide suitably for the care of the Souls, Cardinal Charles Bo, who is the archbishop of Yangon, hereby canonically approved and accepted this university as a private association of the Christian faithful in the Archdiocese of Yangon on 11^th February 2020 for the pastoral needs of the people of God and the purposes defined in its Statutes.

 

 

 

2. Background of JEU Founder

 

Kung Za Hmung @ Win Hlaing Oo (Joseph) is an entrepreneur, humanitarian worker and educator with an active interest in promoting the role and responsibility of business organizations in Myanmar’s development. He holds L.L.B. from Yadarnapon University. He finished Christian Philosophy in the Catholic Institute of Philosophy in 2000 and he studied Sacred Theology in 2001 in the Catholic Major Seminary, Yangon. In 2010, he studied political science in the University of York, UK. Now he is doing a Master degree of Business Administration, Assumption University of Thailand in Yangon Campus, Myanmar.

 

 

He is the founder of Community Agency for Rural Development) which is Myanmar based Non-Governmental Organization since 2004. Under his leadership, there are about 50 staffs who are spearheading community development programs (agriculture, farmers’ capacity building, community drinking water, weir construction, irrigation facilities, vocational trainings for women and girls, community health education, road and bridge construction, school construction, seed and farming tools support to farmers, researchers, civic education and community based nursery schools) across the remote country where neither UN agency nor International NGO is existent at all. To add, he is also a publisher and chief-editor of Gloria News Journal in Burmese since 2013. This media is a monthly journal, streamlining on Global Catholic news and teachings on moral, social and spiritual issues, educating civil and religious laws to readers.

Finally, he is also the founding president of Joseph Education Institute (JEI) since 2015. This institute is providing theological education to lay people in Myanmar and management trainings to people who are also builders of the societies in Myanmar. During these two years, there are already 154 students who are doing a distant theological studies. The final plan is to open a residential program of Joseph University in 20 years.

 

3. Change of Institutional Name to University

 

 

Having a thorough evaluation of our current resources and capabilities, The School Administrative Committee of Joseph Education Institute – JEI, the first private Catholic Institute in Myanmar, held (No. 1/2020 Meeting) and made the historic decision to change institute’s name to the “Joseph Education University” on 29^th May 2020. The Committee also directed the reorganization of the undergraduate program’s academic structure, creating the Arts and Sciences to honor this name in the history of the institution. The Board’s decision follows adoption of 15 Years’ Vision since 2015, the institution’s new strategic plan and capitalizes on the institution’s status and ranking as a university.

 

 

 

The change envisages expanding our academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate level recognizes the institutional purposeful, constructive growth over the past 5 years, including the increase in academic programs at the undergraduate level. The new name more accurately reflects the institution’s status as a regional university prepared to serve students from throughout the country and around the world with programs ranging from baccalaureate to doctoral degrees. Guided by 15 Year’s Vision by 2035, the strategic plan adopted in 2015, Joseph Education University will strive for national leadership in student engagement.

We have adapted to the needs of students and the realities of the higher education landscape, allowing our community to thrive for more than 100 years. Claiming our status as a university continues this tradition, reflects our academic offerings, and will help us attract students from more parts of the nation and the world in future.”

Founded in 2015 as Joseph Education Institute, the College began offering certificate programs and undertook fundraising and building campaigns that expanded our apartment to campus in (5) years.  The change reflects the alignment of the institution’s identity and academic offerings with international standards in an increasingly global economy. Claiming our status as a university will align our name with our academic offerings and enable us to attract and recruit more students, deepening our educational programming. A cornerstone of 15 Year’s Vision by 2035 is to be recognized nationally as a leader in student engagement. We will maintain a student-first environment focused on deep and meaningful academic and co-curricular engagement.”

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