Myine is 16 years old and lives with her parents in Yangon Division. Her father is retired and her mother works as a preschool teacher. Myine aspires to one day become a teacher like her mother, however she was unable to complete Grade 11 last year and is currently out of school. Myine’s situation is not unusual in Myanmar, where only about one in five students finish secondary school, and of those who remain enrolled, only about a third are able to pass the annual matriculation exam, a prerequisite for graduation and university enrollment. Presently, Myine is searching for a job, however without a secondary school diploma and marketable skills, she has been facing challenges. She feels that a stable job will provide her with the financial resources needed to finish her high school studies and pursue further training in the field of education.
To develop the ICT skills necessary to be competitive in the labor market, Myine connected with the Youth Development Network, a youth group near her home, and attended a digital literacy training organized by World Education and funded by Nokia. She found the training to be challenging, but reported that the trainers were skilled facilitators and helped her build a strong understanding of new concepts and processes, particularly those relating to Microsoft Excel. She reports that the World Education digital literacy training has piqued her interest in ICT, and she hopes to practice her new skills and attend additional ICT trainings in the future.