When principal U Nayaka was a young monk, he went outside everyday to collect food around the city. Each time he went, he passed a big school run by Christian monks. At that time a thought came to his mind: If Christian monks can give free education to people, why can’t Buddhist monks do the same? Deep in his heart, he decided to open a monastic school one day.
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In 1970, he and his brother, U Jotika, moved to Mandalay from their native town in southern Myanmar to study. In 1980 they both graduated with degrees in Chemistry. At that time, they started to teach some students who could not afford private tuition. Their lessons were completely free of charge. As a result, more and more students came to learn from them, and the students were very happy. Finally U Nayaka’s dream came true when, in 1993, they opened a monastic school. Initially, it was called Phaung Daw Oo Monastery, but the name was soon changed to Phaung Daw Oo Monastic Education School. At primary level, there were 450 students and 17 volunteer teachers. In 1995, they opened a middle level school and at last, in 2000, they opened the High School. The school was finally named Phaung Daw Oo Monastic Education High School and is generally called PDO High School.
