Cetana is committed to helping people in Myanmar access educational opportunities they could not otherwise afford. We continue to strive to fulfill the ever-present need for English language instruction and critical thinking skills. At present, our primary contribution to education in Myanmar is the Cetana Dickason-Young Family Scholarship, which supports two outstanding scholars in their pursuit of a Masters in Second Language Acquisition in Thailand.
Students in Cetana English Proficiency Center with teacher Chaw Su.
Previous Accomplishments in Myanmar
• Cetana learning centers in Yangon reached more than 5,400 students;
• Cetana’s learning center in Kyaing Tong, along with the two centers in Yangon, are helping youth in Myanmar/Burma to obtain the skills necessary to compete in the new international environment;
• Cetana Scholarship Program for Study Abroad has provided more than 80 scholarships for study abroad for some of Burma’s most promising students;
• Cetana Career Advancement Program was directed to helping Myanmar overcome its shortage of English teachers who possess up-to-date skills to teach the language;
• Cetana has distributed 10,000 books to 75 libraries in Burma;
• Cetana distributed Scholarly Journals to schools and libraries;
• Cetana has published and distributed more than 5,000 tri-lingual illustrated children’s dictionaries.
Cetana Academic Program for English opening assembly Fall, 2014
Learning Centers
Cetana’s in-country programs included five popular learning centers, two in Yangon, one in Kyaing Tong in the northeast Shan State,, one in Pathein, in the Ayeyrwady Region, and one in Dawei, on the Myanmar peninsula. Our teachers used the latest methods in teaching English, professional writing, and research skills. Classes focused on spoken and written English, and included the development of critical thinking and analytic skills, which are particularly important in a country where the state’s pedagogy emphasizes rote and memorization.
In 2015, Cetana opened the Career Advancement Academy that offered 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 offered courses that prepared students who seek to study abroad.
The Academy occupied space at our flagship school in downtown Yangon. In addition, the Academy offered courses for employees at the offices of a business or NGO.
Cetana envisioned establishing learning centers throughout Myanmar/Burma, with emphasis on representation in areas where the ethnic minority Shan, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Mon and Karen people reside.