University of Distance Education, Yangon regularly broadcast over the country's Intranet available in over 700 e-Learning Centers throughout the country. Distance education was pioneered in Myanmar by Yangon Institute of Education, which began offering a diploma in education by way of mail correspondence in 1973 and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program also by correspondence in 1981. Yangon University offered correspondence courses for arts, science, economics and law. Mandalay University began its own correspondence education in 1979. By 1981, all universities and degree colleges were allowed to offer correspondence courses. The University of Distance Education was established in July 1992, with Yangon and Mandalay as
Yangon universities in the country, highlighting the extreme shallowness of talent pool in the country. The wealthy bypass the state education system altogether, sending their children to private English language instruction schools such as YIEC or more widely known as ISM, or abroad (typically Singapore or Australia) for university education. In 2014, international schools in Yangon cost at least US$8,000 a year. There are over 20 universities and colleges in the city. While Yangon University remains the best known (its main campus is a part of popular Burmese culture e.g. literature, music, film, etc.), the nation's oldest university is now mostly