Government no plan to fund Lao students to study abroad !
The government still does not have a plan to fund Lao students to study abroad, according to a senior education expert yesterday.
The government has other priorities that need to be addressed including improving the country's education standards.
Lao students currently study in other countries using their own money or through foreign scholarship and exchange programmes.
Acting Director General of the Education Ministry's Planning and Cooperation Department, Mr Sengsomphone Viravouth said between 1, 500 and 2,000 Lao students go to study abroad every year.
Of the total, the vast majority of students, about 700 a year, go to study in Vietnam . This is followed by Thailand (almost 100 per year) and China (between 60 and 70 students). Japan receives about 20 and Australia about 40 students per year.
However, these figures did not include students who receive scholarships to study abroad through exchange programmes arranged between nations that have provinces that share borders with Laos .
Many Lao students who study abroad choose subjects that do not correspond with the nation's primary needs.
The governments of Republic of Korea , China and Indonesia fund many students to study in America every year, particularly in sectors that are needed to boost national development.
This is difficult to achieve in Laos because education data is not centralised and the requirements of each government sector are not totally clear.
More cooperation among government sectors is needed to help improve education standards. However, the problem is the government has limited funding. Thus its priority is to focus on improving the quality of basic education.
Mr Sengsomphone said the standard of basic education in Laos is not high, causing difficulties for Lao students when they study at higher levels.
But this does not mean the government is not committed to improving tertiary level education, he said.
The government has a policy to encourage individuals with the financial ability to study abroad to do so by creating favourable conditions for them.
For instance, it arranges with friendly countries such as Thailand to reduce school fees for Lao students by around 20 to 25 percent. The government's investment in education is still lower than stipulated in the national education law.
Under the law, the education sector must receive 18 percent of the national budget, but the current budget allocation for the education sector is between 10 and 14 percent. The education sector is expected to receive 15.5 percent of the national budget in the 2009-10 fiscal year, Mr Sengsomphone said.
But the figure still falls below the number stipulated in the law.
The education sector in Laos has developed in both quality and quantity since national liberation in 1975, but still needs improvements to meet the public's and nation's needs.
I think the first priority for the government is to sponsor more local students to study in local schools/universities before thinking of sending students overseas by its own funding. It doesn't have sufficient fund to do so anyway.
Aided scholarships are still the way to go for now.
the gov should plan it, we don't have any good scientist in Laos, I guess
Never mindwe don't have a good scientist in Laos, Brotherkhonthakek, we still don't have any research center yet!! or a good faculty for a science researchers.
I think the first priority for the government is to sponsor more local students to study in local schools/universities before thinking of sending students overseas by its own funding. It doesn't have sufficient fund to do so anyway.
Aided scholarships are still the way to go for now.
Kino, you absolutely right about what just said, hit the right bott'n. as we all knew that income from Hydro-electric,mining, and some small exported to surrounding neighbors countries alone is not enough to build infrastructure of the country. some rich countries even ship it in to help build our Road,School.sanitation around the country. never mind to set up a fund and send our students to study abroad maybe few, but not the way i see it right now. and as a matter fact, my youngest sister just graduate in master degree in India a few month ago. still couldn't find the job in Vientiane because we don't have any connection in govt.so she decide take a job in Luangnamtha as interpretor for NGO organization and make good money and benefit is really good too, she said. this was india paid for her scholarship, not lao government.and another brother came in this july by fulbright scholarship for his(MBA) graduate program, He's training at Uconn for 4 weeks right now and they will send him to Dallars for graduate program for next 2 1/2 years. and again not lao govt pay for it. US. govt. so that's why i said our country still got along way to go. But slowly improved, i think..
Only riches family that they can effort to send their childrens to study oversea. (Not counting for oversea Lao refugees)
Others only go by foreign's sponsors who supporting of scholarship to young students and officers to study in these country i.e Singapore, Thailand, China and Japan
I don't think our Government can effort t pay for it by using the country money.
But...
If we wanted to have higher education we should do it by ourselve. Why you just wait and wait for somebody to help you? Why don't you fight with your own legs.
If most of us stop begging for help. We will stand by our own and build up our own economy.
Stop asking people to feed you but you should feed by yourself
All we can do it now is just upgrade the poor students in romote area of Lao to have higher education and maybe study 12 years free of charge. If we can make new generation who all graduated minimum high school. I would be very happy to see that.
Don't expect that the Gov to send student to study oversea. You just make people finished just High School would be great.
Lao is not a rich country as you knew. We do what we can do.
