YIS opens early childhood centre
August 30 - September 5, 2010
A child plays on the climbing wall at Yangon International School’s early childhood centre at Pun Hlaing Golf Estate on August 21. Pic: Seng Mai
YANGON International School opened the first phase of its Pun Hlaing campus development with a ceremony on August 21.
Classes at the early childhood centre, located at the Pun Hlaing Golf Estate in Hlaing Tharyar township on the outskirts of Yangon, began on August 23.
The centre caters to pre-school, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students aged from three to six years and is the first phase of a planned development that will see a complete K-12 school built at the Pun Hlaing site. When finished the school will feature a gymnasium, sports field, science labs, swimming pool and performing arts facilities, said Mr Greg Von Spreecken, the school’s director.
“We have 16 acres of land in Pun Hlaing Golf Estate; we are working to develop the early childhood centre into a whole school for students from Grade One to Grade 12 over the next seven years,” Mr Von Spreecken said.
He said the new site gave the school, based in Thingangyun township, much-needed room to expand.
“We have a wonderful school [YIS] at Thumingalar Housing in Thingangyun township but the compound is limited to 3 or 4 acres and we do not have a lot of room to expand there,” he said.
The early childhood centre’s location would be convenient for families from the western suburbs of Yangon and also residents of Pun Hlaing Golf Estate, where he said there was a need for more schools.
“The [early childhood] centre is far from [downtown Yangon] but a lot of parents have drivers … we also expect that the area [will develop more] in the future. Soon many more houses will be available, such as at FMI City,” he said. “I think in the next 10 years we will see the area around [Pun Hlaing] develop significantly.”
Among the centre’s unique learning facilities is a 6-foot-high climbing wall, which Mr Von Spreecken says helps set it apart from other schools in Yangon.
“It is very important to encourage physical activities for young children. The climbing wall helps them develop coordination skills and motor functions and boosts their confidence,” he said.
Daw Pa Pa Min, a mother of two sons living in Shin Saw Pu road in Sanchaung township, said she was considering enrolling her youngest son at the YIS Pun Hlaing campus next year. “I will consider the cost, school facilities and whether teachers are well-trained,” she said. “The distance is not really a problem; if I’m satisfied with the teachers I think I will send my son to YIS.”
