CEPC students watching with Daw Ma Ma Gyi
Fluency in English is a gateway to jobs with international companies and for advancement in the academic world. Cetana has been teaching English to youth in Myanmar for more than a decade. We are now broadening our course offerings to respond to the new and growing career opportunities within the country. We keep tuition modest so that financial constraints will not preclude students from attending.
Cetana English Proficiency Center (CEPC) 1999
The Center is Cetana’s flagship English Center in Yangon. It provides English language instruction and it is supported by a library and a computer center. It also serves as a gathering place for our alumni from the Scholarship Abroad program who have been generous with their time and skills in supporting the Center’s students with their experiences from study abroad and their work in Myanmar.
Cetana’s Career Advancement Academy (CAA) 2015
The Academy offers a series of courses directed to building a skills base for students who want to participate in the global opportunities provided with the opening of Myanmar to the West. The Academy also offers courses that prepare students who seek to study abroad. The Academy occupies new space at our Yangon flagship school. Courses are held in the afternoon and evening and on Saturday. Upon request, the Academy will hold classes for employees at the offices of a business or NGO.
Cetana’s well-regarded Teacher Training courses are included in the schedule of course offerings. Designed to boost teachers’ skills in teaching English, the full course has individual segments that focus on enhancing a teacher’s skills in presenting Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. In the last two years the course has been given by Amy Kaufman, Cetana’s first American teacher. The 180-hour course spans 12 weeks. Participation comes from English teachers at both public and private schools.
On the career advancement side, we offer Business English that prepares employees for higher level positions in their companies or NGOs. We have presented this course for bank employees and for staff at a UN agency and we are preparing for our first class for the Myanmar staff of an international oil company. We also conduct Writing Workshops that help employees master the art of writing memos and other documents standard in the business environment.
For students preparing to study abroad, English Enrichment helps college-bound youth gain a mastery of English that will make them comfortable in classes abroad that teach in English. A Writing Workshop helps students complete the often complex and confusing college application process. The Enrichment course also includes a ETS/TOEFL component specifically designed for students who want to study abroad and need to pass the English language competence exam.
Kyaing Tong Learning Center (2011)
Our first Regional Learning Center is in Shan State in the North of Myanmar/Burma. We are proud that this center was conceived and is being led by a Cetana alumnus, Cynthia Paul, near her home village. The initial funding has been provided by a generous contribution from one of our long term donors, Ms Emily Fisher who has subsequently provided additional funds for its expansion.
