Mya Sein

In this Burmese name, Daw is an honorific, not a given name.

In this Burmese name, the given name is Mya Sein. There is no family name.

Daw Mya Sein
ဒေါ်မြစိန်
Born	May 13 October 1904 Moulmein, British Burma
Died	10 November 1988 (1988-11-11) (aged 84)
Nationality	Burmese/ Mon
Alma mater	Rangoon University Oxford University (B. Litt.)
Occupation(s)	Historian, educator, writer
Known for	Burmese writer
Spouse	Shwe Baw ​ (m. 1933⁠–⁠1937)​
Children	Mya Baw Mya Thandar
Parent(s)	May Oung Thein Mya
Relatives	Tha Doe Oung (brother) Tun Hla Oung (brother) Htaw Lay (great-great-grandfather)

Daw Mya Sein (Burmese: ဒေါ်မြစိန်; 13 October 1904 – 10 November 1988) was a Burmese writer, educator and historian. She led the Burma Women's Council, served as a representative of Asia for the League of Nations in 1931, and as a representative at the Geneva Women's Conference; she was recommended for roundtable attendance by the British government and by several international women's organizations.

Early life and education

Mya Sein was born in Moulmein (present-day Mawlamyine), British Burma. She is the youngest child of three of May Oung, a legal scholar who served Minister of Home Affairs of British Burma, and his wife Thein Mya, a great-granddaughter of Htaw Lay, Governor of Dala. She attended Diocesan Girl's High School and St. Mary's SPG High School. She was ranked as the fifth best high school student in the whole country in 1919. She continuing educated at Rangoon College, she got ranking first and was awarded Jardin Prize. She graduated from Rangoon University in 1927 and continuing educated in Oxford University in 1928.

Career and works

Daw Mya Sein at Burma Round Table Conference London in 1931

Mya Sein was the first Burmese woman to graduate from Oxford University in the late 1930. From 1931 to 1933, She served as a representative of Asia for the League of Nations, representative of Geneva Women Conference and representative to the Burma Round Table Conference in London. From 1939 to 1942, She served as a representative member of the Burmese-Chinese Peace and chairwoman of the Yangon Education Board. From 1950 to 1960, Mya Sein was a lecturer of history and political science at Rangoon University. After her retirement, she became a visiting professor of Burmese history and culture at Columbia University in New York. As a prolific writer, Mya Sein penned many articles on Burma in international publications, notably penning the "Administration of Burma" in 1938, "Burma" in 1944 and "The Future of Burma" also in 1944.

Books

• Administration of Burma (1938)
• Burma (1944)
• The Future of Burma (1944)

Personal life

Mya Sein was married to ICS U Shwe Baw in 1933 and divorce in 1954, she had one son and one daughter, Mya Baw and Mya Thandar. She died on 10 November 1988 at the age of 84.