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 spacious parks and lakes and mix of modern buildings and traditional wooden architecture, was known as "the garden city of the East." By the early 20th century, Yangon had public services and infrastructure on par with London. Before World War II, about 55% of Yangon's population of 500,000 was Indian or South Asian, and only about a third was Bamar (Burman). Karens, the Chinese, the Anglo-Burmese and others made up the rest. After World War I, Yangon became the epicentre of Burmese independence movement, with leftist Rangoon University students leading the way. Three nationwide strikes against the British Empire in