Laos Still Seeking International Help To Boost Education

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INTERVIEW

Laos still seeking international help to boost education

By Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Vientiane, Laos

While Thailand is undergoing a second decade of education reform, Laos is also making changes under a second education reform.

Leaders of the socialist regime in Vientiane are aiming to lessen poverty and educational inequity as well as develop modern industry and valueadded agriculture. They are also seeking international financial support to overcome obstacles and reach these achievements.

Vocational graduates will play a crucial role creating valueadded agriculture when 10 special economic zones, due to be set up by 2020, come into being. These zones will enjoy trade in goods from neighbouring countries and local processed products will also be sold there.

Sengsomphone Viravouth, head of the Department of Planning and Cooperation at Laos' Education Ministry, disclosed the country's educational improvements on behalf of Lao Education Minister Phankham Viphavanh in a recent interview with The Nation and Thai reporters.

What is Laos doing under its second education reform?

The first education reform was between 20052010. The second started from 2011. We'll produce more vocational graduates to support the growth of industry, and some of them will support processed agricultural products for export, run by locals in different parts of the country.

Each province grows different plants. So, the vocational graduates will help add value to the agricultural produce.

Ten special economic zones will be established by 2020, where goods from neighbouring countries will be traded and local processed products will be sold.

However, we have a crisis in the education system. Vocation education produces about 15,000 graduates, while higher education generates up to 100,000 graduates.

Vocational fields are not attractive here because it is difficult to find a job after graduation. Salaries are low.

So, the salary structure will be adjusted to make vocational education more attractive. Infrastructure or the learning environment will be improved.

Teacher allocation to remote areas that will help strengthen basic education in those areas and increases education access are main goals.

What will the ministry do with the teacher allocation and education access?

Teachers prefer not to work in remote areas. By law we cannot force them to work in such places as there is no punishment [if they don't want to]. Therefore, the ministry will have to solve this legal problem to get more teachers sent to remote areas.

Preprimary education is available only for urban students, not those living in rural areas.

We aim to increase the amount of kindergarten students to 200,000 by 2015. From 20112012, we will be initiating a community playgroup project to prepare children in remote areas before they enter primary schools. [but] we have problems with tribal groups who cannot understand the Lao language. There are 49 tribes now, who make up 40 per cent of the population.

Out of a total six million people, there are 98,000 kindergarten students, 900,000 primary school students, 330,000 lower secondary school students, 100,000 upper secondary school students, plus 100,000 others in informal education.

Now, 93 per cent of primary school students on average have access to education. We aim to reach 98 per cent in 2015. The average figure hides the truth that those in rural areas, some provinces can get only 4050 per cent of children into school.

As many as 70,000 students in Prathom 1 (Grade 1) dropped out this year, up from 60,000 last year. A number of students in poor families dropped out to work and earn a living.

Lack of opportunity and access to education and dropouts are major problems that need to be addressed.

Japan is helping us to create educational infrastructure to support more students and the Asian Development Bank funds new textbook production for the new curriculum.

With limited budget and educational resources, how will Laos improve education levels?

The government knows we don't have enough budget to develop the country. It has disseminated policies and development plans in eight clusters to foreign countries. Education is among the clusters, as we want to ask them to donate money to the country to increase citizens' capabilities.

The government invests 100 billion kip (Bt378 million) while 600 billion kip (Bt2.27 billion) money is donated by foreign countries. So, we rely on foreign countries' financial assistance. So, the government is open for financial assistance from these countries

Laos received 1,888 billion kip (Bt7.2 billion) for education from foreign donors this year.

Over the past five years, we received 6,000 billion kip (Bt22.8 billion) for educational development, but we will need to pay 14,000 billion kip (Bt53.2 billion) for the next five years. The demand will double.

We have policies, a strategic vision from 20002020 and a national plan of action to draw donors' financial assistance after they clearly know how we are going to develop education, and tackle the problems and challenges we are facing.

With the ASEAN economic community coming, how is Laos preparing for this?

The government is trying to develop a quality educational curriculum. We collaborate with United Nations Children's Fund to create schools of quality as well as project standards and to improve our curriculum.

Neighbouring countries speak English. So, we focus on teaching English. Now, some primary students study a bilingual curriculum. Prathom 3 (Grade 3) students will have to study English. Those living in border provinces have to study neighbouring countries' languages, including Thai and Vietnamese.

-- The Nation 2011-06-20