AEIOU have taken the students from their respective communities not only to educate them, but also to train them to be good citizens if not leaders, as only then would they be in a position to train other people and be an asset to their communities. The students who pass the written examinations must also pass an oral examination. Morals and ethics are the main criteria in our education system for without it we will be unable to have a strong community or country.

On AEIOU part, we acknowledge that the first year is a test case for the students. They will have to discover life in Chiangmai, their professors and lecturers, the community and hostel life, the food, the environment, caring and sharing, and the rules and disciplines of the Programme. The most challenging aspects of their Programme is that they will have to study at least four to five hours a day which is normal for any student. A great many of them cannot resist the temptation of an easy city life and begin to forget their mission. Hence, the Burmese academics have to take the initiative.

During their first semester in Chiangmai, all students are prohibited from taking liquor, narcotics, or even smoking. Why? The answer is short: part of their leadership training.

In analyzing Burma’s situation, we sadly discovered that the Burmese military Junta is using all these intoxicated elements as weapons of war against the mass of the students because they are construed as troublemakers that often resort to demonstrations. Hence it directly encourages the production and using of narcotics among the youths as a means of sustaining itself in power, and to effectively use it against the foreign infringement3. If it is used for political purposes against a foreign country or so, then that is its business and has nothing to do with AEIOU. But the Burmese military is also using narcotics and intoxicants as a weapon against its own youth in order to discourage them from partaking in politics.

Most of the Universities and Colleges are often more closed than open in Burma so that the students will not gather and meet on campus. As well, the colleges are split up and in places far away from towns and cities to prevent them from communicating with their fellow students and others. It seems that their main emphasis in encouraging students to become involved in narcotics and to divert them from the current affairs of the country, especially what the military regime is doing. Thus a common saying is: that if a youth is caught with heroin number 4, he will get a lighter sentence than a student who writes a freedom song or poem. Hence, in order to divert the young people from demonstrating against the regime it indirectly encourages the use of narcotics and a decadent culture. In some of the border towns, heroine No 4 and Yaba pills (amphetamine) are sold in the open markets. The Junta wants to destroy the morale and morals of Burmese youths who are conscious of the things happening around them. Therefore, if a student is selected to study in the AEIOU Programme, the Institute wants to discourage them from using these nefarious and intoxicating elements and is part and parcel of their leadership training. The most important aspect in this category is the molding of a person to have a good moral character and ethics who can stay away from the harmful effects of drugs. This is just part of the leadership training.

Smoking is prohibited also because of health reasons and cleanliness. Different ethnic students are placed in a group to reside in one room i.e. they must come to know each other and respects one's culture. If one student smoke and the other don't, it became a nuisance. Hence smoking is prohibited.