The Kayan National University located at an undisclosed location in the revolutionary-held Kayan Region held its opening ceremony on 6 August 2024.
The exact location of the Kayan National Education Committee (KNEC) managed university was not revealed for security reasons.
It is in a revolutionary held area of the Kayan Region, which is loosely defined as the area where most Kayan people live. It includes the western side of Demoso Township in Karenni State, Pekon Township in Shan State, and Paunglaung Township in the Naypyidaw Region, though it has no precise, defined borders.
Dr. Thein Lwin, a consultant for KNEC said: "When young people in the Kayan Region finish high school, they need a university to continue their education. There is also a need for an institution that can teach the unique culture, literature, and history of the Kayan ethnic group, along with the geography, geology, and archaeology of the Kayan Region. The Kayan National University aims to meet these needs. We envision it as an educational hub where students from not only the Kayan region but from all over the country can come and study.”
The KNEC was established by the Kayan New Land Party (KNLP) in 2022. It oversees 145 basic education schools, which employ over 1,000 teaching staff and serve more than 13,000 students in the Kayan Region. The Kayan National University is the KNEC’s first higher education institution.
Initially, the university will offer programs in six major fields: Teacher Training, Agriculture, Healthcare, Development and Social Science, Computer Science, Kayan Literature and Languages. In the future, it plans to expand its curriculum to include additional disciplines such as Natural Sciences, Economics, Law, and Civil Engineering.
The Kayan National University also intends plans to enhance its capabilities by collaborating with partner ethnic universities, other educational institutions, and international universities.
KNEC has also invited ethnic Kayan members and scholars from different ethnicities, both in Myanmar and abroad, to collaborate and contribute to the Kayan National University.
