IT is said that today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. If so, questions immediately arise about the best time to start moulding their futures to help them reach their potentials, and the best methods to use to do so.“Research shows that of all periods of your child’s life, the years between three and five are the most important in your child’s growth and development,” says Mr Murat Kucukdugenci, the principal of Horizon International Kindergarten in Yangon.

A 17-year-old high school student is sitting at her desk, studying a pile of textbooks for her final matriculation exam at the Basic Education State High School (1) in Kyauktada township in Yangon.“It is an exciting moment,” says Ma Phyu Phyu, worried about how she will perform on the exam, which will be given in March. She has been studying day and night in preparation.

In Myanmar many institutions of higher learning, such as Yangon University and Dagon University, offer classes under the government’s Human Resource Development program, which have become increasingly popular among those interested in gaining managerial and other skills that will help make them more competitive in the job market.

This rising demand has been accompanied by the appearance of a wide variety of language classes in Yangon. Many of them charge high fees for access to modern teaching facilities, while some students pay teachers to come to their homes to receive special attention and more instruction.