Map of Laos

National Overview

• Definition of Literacy: age of 15 can read and write.

• Written or Oral Language: Laos has both a written and oral language.

• Literacy rate: total: 66.4%, male: 77.4%, female: 55.5%

• Total expenditure on education -- 11% of total expenditure, 2.8% of GDP

• Script/Alphabet used -- Lao is written from left to right in a script similar to Thai.

• Occupational distribution -- agriculture (mostly subsistence) accounts for 80% of the occupations of Laotians

• Overview of Education: After 1975, the Laotian government implemented a series of reforms to the education system to be completed by 1985. The French system was replaced with a Lao curriculum and a widespread literary campaign was started. Financial limitations made it impossible to reach the 1985 deadline and in 1986 another series of reforms were implemented. The purpose of these reforms was to make education more relevant to the local regions of Laos. The sciences were improved and minority teachers were recruited. Education in Laos continues to suffer from lack of sufficient funds.

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School Structure

• Primary School
  • Length: 5 years
  • Age level: 6 – 11 years old

• General Secondary School
  • Length: 3 years
  • Age level: 11 -14 years old

• Preparatory Secondary School
  • Length: 3 years
  • Age level: 14-17 years old

• Higher Education: There are vocational training schools, which are mostly located in major cities.

• Public or private schools and compulsory or optional -- Schools are mostly publicly run, but there are some private schools. School is compulsory for the first five years.

• School Attendance % -- primary: 85%; secondary: 35%

• Percent Education level achieved -- primary: 96.7%; secondary: 78.7%;

• Post-Secondary Opportunities -- post-secondary education is very rare. There are higher education institutes, but they are primarily located in the cities making it hard for rural students to continue their education.

• Pupil to teacher ratio -- 31:1

• Teacher Qualifications -- most teachers complete a teacher training course in Laos. Teachers are paid very little, so many of them must supplement their income with alternative livelihoods such as farming.

• Languages in School -- Lao

• Method of instruction and Subjects/Curriculum -- there are very few textbooks available in Laos making lecture the main method of instruction. Standard subjects are studied with an emphasis on agricultural subjects.

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Culture of Classroom

• Physical Environment -- most school buildings are of poor construction of bamboo and thatch. There is usually a school in each village. Many schools lack basic materials such as textbooks and notebooks.

• Culture of classroom including discipline – discipline is generally strict. The teacher is in charge and the students are expected to respect him or her.

• Gender roles in classroom -- females are viewed as subordinate in Laos. They are expected to fulfill a more domestic role.

• Parent involvement/Parent Role in Education -- parents help their children with schoolwork as much as they are able to with their own limited education.

• Accommodations -- students who wish to complete secondary education and post-secondary education must live in makeshift facilities far from their homes.

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Access to Education

• Educational barriers -- lack of financial support for schools accounts for many of the educational barriers. Teachers, because they are forced to have two livelihoods, are not always able to hold class for more than a few hours a day. Overcrowding and lack of materials also present educational barriers.

• Gender access -- girls generally attend school less often and for shorter periods than boys.

• Socio-political influences -- education does not benefit all groups equally. For minority ethnic groups and those who do not speak Lao, school is particularly difficult.

• Progress -- the Laotian government has been trying to reform the educational system, but is hampered by budget limitations.

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Hmong Population in Laos

The Hmong people are originally a Chinese minority who migrated to Southeast Asia. During the Vietnam War the United States recruited them to fight against the North Vietnamese Army in Laos. After the end of the war many Hmong fled to Thailand, where they established refugee camps. The Hmong who remained in Laos felt increasingly unwelcome because of their history during the war. Most Hmong have spent the majority of their lives and were educated in a refugee camp, where there was no way to guarantee consistency of education. Some Hmong did complete education in Laotian public schools, but it is a very small percentage.

In the 90’s the Clinton administration proposed that the Hmong be relocated into Laos. This garnered widespread opposition from the Hmong community, who feared that they would be persecuted by the Laotian government. The Clinton administration revised their policy by relocating Hmong to other countries, many to the United States. The last major resettlement of the Wat Tham Krobok camp began in 2004. Minneapolis/ St. Paul has one of the highest populations of Hmong in America. Many students at the Hubbs Center are Hmong.

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Sources

“Education.” U.S. Library of Congress. http://www.countrystudies.us/laos/61.htm .

“Hmong.” Wikipedia. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong . March 28, 2006.

“Laos.” Wikipedia. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos . March 28, 2006.

The World Bank.

http://www.devdata.worldbank.org/edstats/SummaryEducationProfiles/CountryData/GetShowData . 2003.

The World Fact Book. The Central Intelligence Agency. http://www.cia.gov/cia/puplications/factbook/geos/la.html .

January 10, 2006.

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

http://www.uis.unesco.org/profiles/EN/EDU/countryProfile . March, 2002.

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Last revised

14 September 2006