Start Of New School Year Postponed
Education authorities have postponed the start of the new academic year, along with school registration and entrance exams to colleges, universities and vocational education centres in several provinces.
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Education
Vientiane Closes Schools, Beefs Up Virus Control Measures
Vientiane authorities have ordered the closure of schools in the capital as part of the government’s measures to contain community outbreaks of Covid-19.
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College Graduates in Laos Face Bleak Job Prospects Amid Pandemic Shutdowns
Recent college graduates in Laos are having trouble finding work, as businesses continue to shut down in the face of economic difficulties tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Nearly Two Thirds Of Global Drowning Deaths Occur In Asia Pacific
Source: Vientiane Times In 2019, over 144,000 people drowned in the Asia Pacific region, accounting for 61 percent of global
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Ministry Eases Covid Restrictions For Education, Sports
The Ministry of Education and Sports is now allowing kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, vocational schools, colleges and universities in areas of provinces that have no new coronavirus infections to reopen. However, all schools, colleges and universities in Vientiane will remain closed
Read more Schools Close In Vientiane, Move To Distance Learning
The Ministry of Education and Sports has ordered the closure of public and private schools in Vientiane from April 22 to May 5
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We Finally Know The True Age of These Huge, Mysterious Jars Scattered in Laos
In total, there are thousands of them – a giant landscape of strange, hollowed jars, carved from ancient stone.
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New English Language Curriculum On Track For Use In Primary Schools
Source: Vientiane Times The new English language curriculum for Grade 3 primary students will be rolled out at the start
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Chinese Investment in Laos Sparks Chinese-Language Learning Boom
A Chinese language education boom is underway in Laos as Beijing’s increasing investments in the Southeast Asian country point to a future where Chinese companies dominate local commerce
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5 Reasons to Study Lao Online
So you’re in Laos, but are having trouble communicating with the locals and not sure where to begin? Here are five reasons why you should consider learning Lao online
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Lao-English, English-Lao’s Voice Translator Now Available On Play Store
“Say Lao-Eng´”, a programme for translating from Lao to English and from English to Lao on mobile phones, is the country’s first voice app that is now available on Google Play Store.
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J&C Insurance To Provide Property And Personal Accident Insurance For Tukata Day-Care Centers
The Personal Accident coverage is applicable to all children on their premises. With the skilled staff at Tukata and our comprehensive coverage in case of accident, your child is safe at all times.
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Summer Camps 2020 (Vientiane & Nearby)
We’ve made a compilation of some of the best and most popular camps happening in Vientiane and nearby to keep your little ones engaged over the summer break
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Social Media Uproar After Lao Schoolboy Kicked Out of Exam For ‘Wrong’ Haircut
Source: RFA A Lao middle-school student near the country’s capital Vientiane was removed from class in the middle of an
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French Int’l School Ends School Year With Perfect Score
100% Baccalaureate success rate including 83.3% of honourable mentions: these are the results of the French International School of Vientiane for the school year 2020.
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Engaging Men And Boys For A More Equal Post Covid-19 Society
Did you know that in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, on average, the time a woman spends on housework, child care, caring for the sick can be as much as four times more than men?
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Students Return To School As Covid-19 Restrictions Ease
The government has announced all students nationwide can go back to schools on June 2, while final-year classes in primary, lower and upper secondary schools began on Monday.
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Schools To Remain Closed Until At Least May 18
Students and teachers nationwide will have to be patient as authorities have proposed that primary and secondary schools and tertiary education institutions remain closed with an expected reopening from May 18.
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Schools Expected To Reopen On May 11 Under Close Supervision
State and private kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and tertiary education institutions along with sporting activities, are expected to reopen on May 11 amid strict measures.
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Ministry Says Parents Of Students In Private Schools Must Pay 50 Percent Of Fees
Private schools must pay 50 percent of the salaries of teachers, while parents must pay 50 percent of the fees for students for the month of April.
Read more Schools, Centres Of Higher Education To Remain Closed
The Ministry of Education and Sports announced on Friday that all schools and tertiary centres of education will remain closed from April 22 to May 3 as part of government efforts to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Covid-19: Prestigious Bangkok International School Admits It Has To Close Because 60 Teachers Are In Virus Quarantine
The headmaster of the prestigious Harrow International School in Bangkok told that 60 of its staff members were in quarantine due to traveling to countries deemed risky in connection with the Covid-19 virus outbreak.
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Laos Once Considered The Letter R A Western Interloper. The Internet Helped Bring It Back.
Forty-five years ago, Laos’s communist government officially dropped the “R” sound from the Lao alphabet, calling it a symbol of foreign influence.
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Public Warned Over Fake Foreign Scholarships
The Ministry of Education and Sports has warned parents not to believe the content of an online site that promises to help students get a government scholarship to study in China.
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UNDP Launches Accelerator Lab
UNDP’s vehicle for fast-tracking development solutions harvests local expertise, identifies grassroots innovations and taps into a global network
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J&C Services To Provide Health Insurance For Panyathip International School
J&C Services is proud to be the new insurance provider for all Expat teaching staff at Panyathip International School (PIS). We are thankful for the confidence PIS has placed in our services.
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Examining Online Fraud In Southeast Asia
Online fraud is especially problematic in Southeast Asia, where there is a sharp contrast in ecommerce development between different countries in the region.
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Laos Worst Place In ASEAN For Children
With the exception of Singapore, none of the ASEAN countries are doing so well in terms of providing a great place for their children to live in.
Read more Summer Camps 2019 For Kids In Vientiane
Lots of parents are looking at what they can do with their children over summer. J&C Services has taken the hard work out of it and found the best summer camps happening here in Vientiane.
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9th Annual Vientiane Career & Education Fair June 22 & 23 at Don Chan Palace
The Annual Vientiane Career & Education Fair is organized by volunteer staff members and students from Lao-American College and AIESEC.
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J&C Services To Provide Health Insurance For ISL
J&C Services is proud to be the new insurance provider for all teaching staff at International School of Laos (ISL). We are thankful for the confidence ISL has placed in our services.
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Thailand To Ban Three Kinds Of Plastic By End Of This Year
By the end of 2019 Thailand will be free from three types of plastic – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics.
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Private Education Institutes To Resume Bachelor Degree Courses
Education authorities have given approval for some private colleges to raise their status to private education institutes so they can recommence bachelor and higher level courses.
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Laos To Host 2024 ASEAN School Games
Laos will have the opportunity to host the 16th ASEAN School Games for the very first time in its capital Vientiane in 2024, Lao sports authorities said.
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As Lao PDR Prepares For LDC Graduation, Inequality Has To Be Overcome
UNDP’s annual statistical update points out challenges and successes
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Thakhaek, A Town Firmly Rooted In History
The French were forced out of Indochina during the 1950s but their legacy remains, with the most notable feature being the old buildings that bear their architectural stamp.
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First UK English Language School Opens In Vientiane
Panyathip International School has partnered with the Wimbledon School of English, a British English language school, to officially open the Panyathip Education Centre in Vientiane.
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Lao Floods Leave Many Schools Closed at Start of New Term
Widespread flooding in Laos in recent weeks has blocked the start of the school year in the Southeast Asian country, with as many as 1,000 schools left unable to open by the Sept. 3 beginning of the new term, Lao sources say.
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Laos – The Youngest Population In SEAsia
The Lao PDR has a younger population than any country in Southeast Asia, with nearly 60% below the age of 25 years, and nearly 22% of the population are adolescent girls and boys, aged 10-19 years.
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Traffic Police Gear Up For New School Year
The Vientiane Traffic Police Department has rostered 600 police for security detail around the capital in a bid to reduce traffic congestion and accidents during the coming academic year, which begins on September 3.
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Thai Environment Minister Declares War On Plastic Bags At Markets
Thailand has announced its latest “D-Day” in the war against litter.
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8th Annual Vientiane Career and Education Fair
Join the 8th Annual Vientiane Career and Education Fair, at Don Chan Palace, on July 7th and 8th.
In this fair, everyone will have an opportunity to meet and discuss your career and future plan with big companies, international organizations and overseas university representatives. FREE ENTRY!!!
Don’t Forget France in Laos
France, once a colonial power in mainland Southeast Asia, left Laos decades ago. But its traces as a foreign actor are still easily found in many parts of the landlocked nation and the country still retains some influence in the Southeast Asian state.
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Over 19,000 Teachers Needed
A survey conducted recently at 12,744 schools across the country suggests that over 19,700 new teachers need to be recruited for the next twelve months while only 1,850 teachers will be enlisted for public schools this year.
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How The Capital Of Laos Is Cleaning Up
Source: govinsider.asia Vilayvone Chanthalaty shares plans for the future of Vientiane In April, Singapore announced plans for the ASEAN Smart
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Singapore On Top, Laos On The Bottom – English Proficiency
The EF English Proficiency Index is out for the past 12 months. In Asia the proficiency scores go from Singapore at the top to Laos at the bottom.
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Secondary School Students Proud Holders Of Infomatrix Olympiad Silver Medal
Two students from the Eastern Star Schools in Vientiane, Aphisay Kommasith, 16, and Perfect Khithsavath, 15, are very proud to come home with a silver medal from the recent Infomatrix World Finals.
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State School Numbers Chalk Up Decline
The number of state primary schools has decreased in Vientiane because fewer children are registering for classes while many parents have enrolled their children in private schools.
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Chinese Investors Need Visa Issues Addressed
Laos and Chinese investors discussed several issues on the investment environment in Laos with the participants urging solution to issues related to visa issuance, low rubber prices and limited access to financial assistance.
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18 Entertainment Venues To Be Moved Further From University
As many as 18 entertainment venues will have to move from their location near the National University of Laos after they were deemed to be a distraction to students.
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Ministry Puts School Textbooks Online
Teachers and students can now access books, curriculum-specified textbooks and teachers’ guidebooks used in preschool, primary and secondary schools through the www.moe.gov.la and www.moes.edu.la websites set up by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
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1st Laos International Open Chess Championship
Laos is not a country that garners many international headlines, much less regarding its chess scene. But Singaporean contributor Edwin Lam reports that they seem to have made good progress, particularly in the area of Chess in Schools, which has the strong support of the government. And come this January, 2018, they will be hosting Laos’ first-ever international open!
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More Investment In Human Resources Needed: Laos
While the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing population ageing at an unprecedented rate, the growing number of young people in Laos can provide a significant momentum in driving economic growth.
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What Languages Are Spoken In Laos ?
Lao, also called Laotian, is the official as well as the dominant language in Laos. Migration and conflict have resulted in the present ethnic composition of Laos and to the geographical diffusion of its ethnic groups. 86 languages have so far been documented in the country as used by its various ethnic groups. French and English are identified as minority languages in Laos.
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Private Schools’ Bid For Fee Increase Gets Green Light
Education authorities will allow all privately owned educational institutions countrywide to submit adjustments to tuition fees charged for the academic year 2017-18, aiming to seek uniform sector-wide measures and avoid ad hoc or unduly steep increases mid year.
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Bachelor Decision Pending As Ministry Considers Draft Act For Colleges
Students, teachers and administrators of state and private colleges and other educational institutions await official confirmation on whether courses of study can be accredited towards Bachelor and higher-level degrees for the coming academic year.
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Team BUG5 Becomes The First Laotian Team To Compete At Imagine Cup Regional
Team BUG5, a group of three young innovators from Laos has earned the nomination to represent Laos in the South East Asia Regional Final Round of 15th Microsoft Imagine Cup 2017, Microsoft’s global accelerator program to empower the next generation of computer science students. They will make history as the very first Laotian team to get qualified for Imagine Cup regional finals.
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Accidental Explosion Kills Lao Military Instructor, Injures 26 Students
A trainer was killed and 26 secondary school students suffered minor injuries in an explosion accident yesterday morning during a military-tactics training drill at a secondary school in northern Oudomxay province, a police officer said.
The tragedy happened as the trainer, Military First Lieutenant Somphone brought both real and fake grenades to the training course held at a secondary school in Xay district. The trainer accidentally took ….
Joshua Hoffet French School To Open New Campus
The construction of the new campus of the Joshua Hoffet French School (Lycée Français Josué Hoffet), which shall serve as an upper secondary school, was commenced on Wednesday in Hadxaifong district of Vientiane.
The construction of the new campus of the French School is being undertaken under the project of the extension of …
Education In Laos Feels The Financial Squeeze As Premier Wants Booze Out Of The Mix
Some students in Lao universities and teachers in central Laos are feeling a financial squeeze as scholarship students are facing increased fees while some high school teachers are still waiting for paychecks, RFA’s Lao Service has learned.
Students in pedagogical college and the Souphanouvong University in Luang Prabang province are questioning why they are being required to pay the fees while they are on ….
Overloaded School Taxi-Trucks Cause Public Outcry
The Vientiane Traffic Police Department and local officials are issuing a joint warning to the drivers of tuk-tuks and pickup trucks who regularly ferry schoolchildren to and from classes each day at secondary schools in Naxaithong district.
Children’s parents expressed serious concern after seeing a photo of a large group of students piled onto a school taxi-truck on …..
Schools To Close During Asean Summits
All schools and state or private education institutions in the four main districts of Vientiane including the National University of Laos will close temporarily during the 28th and 29th Asean Summits back-to-back from September 6-8.
The Ministry of Education and Sports recently announced that all classes ….
Laos Sees Dramatic Increase In Retailers Selling Improved Cook Stoves
The roadsides leading out of the main cities in Lao PDR are lined with numerous small retail shops, which are mostly owned by women, offering a variety of locally-made products, among them a selection of ceramic cook stoves. A vast majority of households in Laos cook on these portable stoves, using wood or charcoal.
Most of these small family businesses along the roadsides sell about ….
5 Asian Countries Produce Majority Of Plastic In World’s Oceans
Of the circa eight million tons of plastic that reaches the Earth’s oceans on a daily basis, most is coming from five major Asian countries, all of which are developing and experiencing impressive economic growth. Yet all also have …..
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English Classes Catch On in Laos
Some primary schools in Laos have started offering English lessons.
A group of primary students in Laos feels very excited and happy to learn English for the first time. The sounds of the ABCs and laughter can be heard from a long distance away.
In the small classroom with concrete walls and a zinc roof, a young teacher can be heard instructing her pupils to read as ….
Degree Courses to Resume Again
The Ministry of Education and Sports has indicated that it will allow 24 qualified institutions to resume their bachelor degree courses for the 2015-2016 academic year after they met the standards set by the ministry.
A senior official from the ministry said the biggest problem facing the institutions was the lack of sufficiently qualified teaching staff. The institutions that are expected to resume their bachelor degree courses this academic year are as follows: ….
Thailand Lauds Mobile Science Fair To Laos
Thailand has launched its first ever “science caravan” to Vientiane in a bid to provide Lao students with scientific and technological knowledge.
More than 500 Lao school and university students attended the opening of the event and took part in scientific activities and experiments, guided by Thai officials who joined the touring exhibition.
Thousands of Lao students are expected to visit the science and technology exhibition at the……
Plastic Wastes A Challenge To Increasingly Prosperous Laos
Like many other cities of the world, the Laotian capital, with its improving economy and standard of living, is not spared from the scourge of urban living: the proliferation of plastics and products bottled or wrapped in plastics.
The biggest problem is that wrappers or bottles made of plastic materials are carelessly thrown just about anywhere. Most of them end up clogging canals and waterways or polluting the waters of the mighty Mekong River.
Hundreds of tons of garbage, that include plastic materials, are being scavenged in the whole city every day. And these include refuse from the ……
Lao Children Are Better Educated Than Thai Kids
Thailand’s poor standing in a recent global survey on the quality of education has caused alarm among educators here and prompted the authorities to respond.
Thailand is ranked 87th in the world in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015 – behind most other member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including less economically developed neighbours such as Laos, which is ranked 60th. This is both embarrassing and ….
Student Brawls Spark Outrage, Authorities Concerned
Over the last few months a new anti-social trend in Laos can be observed, with many videos being posted on social media: student brawls ! These videos show a group of young people beating up another person, using brutal force, often leaving the victims seriously injured.
The latest video showing students of the Vientiane Secondary School physically assaulting a fellow student has gone viral on ….
University Graduates Face Uphill Battle In Job Market
While the latest batch of National University of Laos graduates celebrate their achievement, they are faced with the sobering reality of low prospects in immediate employment.
The number of new graduates this year stands at 8,162, adding to existing graduates who have already joined the job market.
There is a growing anxiety among final year university students about their job prospects, with some estimates putting the number of …
Typing Lao In An Open Source Office Suite
LibreOffice, an open source office suite, is getting ready to release the upcoming version 4.3, bringing many new improvements.
One thing that you may not be aware of is that for some time now (since version 4.2), LibreOffice has native word detection support for Lao, a difficult feature to implement correctly. This allows for dynamic word-breaking, spell-check, and word count features in Lao that traditionally have not been possible with most office suites in the past without …..
Laos Wants Teachers, Students To Boost English, IT Skills
The Laotian Ministry of Education and Sports and IIG Education are working together to boost English-language proficiency and information-technology skills among teachers and students to international standards.
The Ministry of Education and Sports will recognise TOEFL primary for use in the current English proficiency assessment system for primary school students in Laos.
The ministry will also approve TOEFL junior for use among lower secondary students, and TOEFL iBT or TOEIC for assessing English proficiency of higher school students aiming for admission to foreign …..
Young Laotians Learn Chinese to Improve Job Prospects
On alternate mornings, in a sparsely furnished classroom at a private school in the Laotian capital, Liphakone Ratthida and a dozen of his classmates converse in Chinese and study China’s history and culture.
Though he goes by the Chinese name Li Panda, Mr. Ratthida is not of Chinese ancestry, nor has he been to China.
Like many other young Laotians taking Chinese classes, Mr. Ratthida, 19, is learning the language in the hope of working for Chinese companies, which are investing heavily in …..
Thailand Ranks Near Bottom In English Proficiency; Laos Not Listed
Thailand ranks near the bottom in an English proficiency survey, showing the persistence of one of the key competitive weaknesses of the Thai economy.
Out of 60 countries and territories where English is not their mother tongue, Thailand manages only 55th place – outdoing only Panama, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, according to the EF English Proficiency Index. Laos is not included in that listing.
Poor English skills indicate the small base of competent adult English speakers necessary for a globalised workforce. The survey was conducted in the realisation that English is now a …..
Laos Falling Short Of Education Development Goals
While Laos has made steady progress in education reform, universal primary education may not be achieved by 2015 as targeted due to the high dropout rate.
According to a recent joint report by the government and the United Nations, Laos is close to achieving the targeted 98 percent net enrolment rate for girls and boys but the overall efficiency of the education system remains low. Primary schools have significant numbers of over-aged and under-aged pupils because of early and late entries and grade repetition.
The survival rate to grade 5 has improved from just 48 percent in 1992 to 70 percent in 2012, but it is still low compared to other ….
Private Colleges Face Financial Strife
Private colleges and institutions have expressed fears over their long-term financial viability after the government banned bachelor’s degree course intakes outside public universities until 2014-15.
The new academic year for the private education sector began this month but uncertainty around the future of college courses has seen a substantial drop in enrollment numbers, causing financial pressure.
Under the government’s policy, announced earlier this year, all students already taking a bachelor’s degree at a private college can ….
Ban On Bachelor Degrees In Private Colleges
The ban on bachelor degrees in private colleges is part of the Ministry of Education and Sport’s education reform initiative, while encouraging private colleges to meet the standards set by the ministry. The ban will continue until 2015, meaning that only those private colleges that improve and meet the standards required will be allowed to reopen their bachelor courses at some point in the future.
The current situation in Laos is that most school leavers want to enroll for a bachelor degree, with few people wanting to undertake vocational studies. The ministry wants to reverse this trend by encouraging more people to apply for vocational training to ensure sufficient skilled labourers to meet the needs of ……
Mandarin Asserting Its Dominance In North Laos
On a research trip along the Laos-China border recently, I was struck by the number of Mandarin schools that have popped up in the small towns and villages that lead to the border, and the number of Laotian families that have chosen to send their children there to study Mandarin.
The reason for this shift in attitudes is simple enough: China is the biggest investor in Laos at present, and the might of China’s economy is keenly felt among the small population of Laos, who see hundreds of Chinese lorries and boats go down the highways and the Mekong river.
Entire communities have sprung up as a result, and along the border, new Special Economic Zones have emerged where Chinese businessmen and tourists flock…..
Laos Sees High Rate Of Teenage Pregnancy
Laos is suffering from a high rate of teenage pregnancy, with four out of ten women pregnant or already having given birth to their first child by the age of 19, according to a press release from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
In Laos more than 60 percent of the population is under 25 years old, and at least half of this group at girls. The UNFPA press release focused, in particular, on the high prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Laos. A recent survey in the country found that for every thousand adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 in Laos, there are …..
Laos Views Development Gap As Major Challenge
Wealth distribution remains a major challenge despite the government’s efforts to tackle the development gap since 2011.
In the central region the figure stood at US$1,680 in the 2011-12 fiscal year, while in the north and south of the country it was US$985 and US$1,060 respectively, the planning ministry reported in its mid term report.
The lack of transport infrastructure also makes it difficult for people in the north to access government services such as healthcare and education, which are essential for …..
LEOT – A Unique Educational Facility Opens In Luang Prabang
On 1 October a new and unique educational facility opens in Luang Prabang, the LEOT English Learning Centre. A purpose built Centre, with state of the art facilities and all graduate teaching staff, it will serve the needs of the underprivileged young adults who cannot afford fees to attend the existing language schools , by offering totally free enrolment and teaching.
The parent and funding body, LEOT (Lao Educational Opportunities Trust) has been operating in Laos for 6 years offering a scholarship programme, enabling young people to study at College and University. At any one time it has 20-25 students on its programme (see www.leot.org.uk).
The new Centre is funded by voluntary donations; mostly from UK but also, Australia, …..