Laos Education

Laos Education has gone through a number of stages, from being the weakest sector to the improvements seen in recent times. The Buddhist way of teaching was the first form of education in Laos.

The country of Laos has seen the French form of education system and the form of education implemented by the government of Laos.

The ethnic group of Lao Loum had a formal system of education. They were the only group to have a written script. The Buddhist education system imparted knowledge to the boys and youth of the villages in schools called wats. The knowledge was the basic one of scripts, arithmetic, religious and social subjects.

The colonial empire saw the setting up of the French system of education in Laos. The system was not specially meant for the common masses and was not very popular among them. It was a time when Laos Education was only meant for the people belonging to the upper classes.

The system implemented after 1975 tried to improve the conditions of Laos Education. The government tried for the betterment of the infrastructure and improve the rate of enrollment in schools. However the major problem of Laos Education is the dearth of efficient and trained teachers. The teachers are not paid well and thus good teachers migrate to other places for better job opportunities.

The education system of Laos is divided into pre-school education, primary school education, lower secondary and upper secondary education. The system of higher education in Laos is under the National University of Laos founded in 1996. Things have started to improve with the setting up of private schools and colleges.