EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN LAOS
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has an
education system very much influenced by its colonial
heritage. The country is now in transition from an
agricultural economy to an industrialized economy,
moving toward a market economy and privatization.
Education and training are very important for
preparing citizens for this transition. In 1986, the
government introduced a program of socioeconomic
reforms and began to implement an “Open Door” policy
to the outside world (Western countries). The Lao
government began the process of transforming the
economy from a centrally planned one to a market
economy through a measure called the New Economic
Mechanism (NEM) and extended the relationship of the
country to the Western world.
The immediate educational policy in Lao PDR is to
develop quality human resources to meet the needs of
the socioeconomic development of the nation. The
government has begun to reform the education system,
with the goals of linking educational development more
closely to the socioeconomic situation in each locality,
improving science training, expanding networks to
remote mountainous regions, and recruiting minority
teachers. The plan includes making education more
relevant to daily realities and building increased
cooperation in educational activities among the various
Int. J. Educ. Stud. 01 (01) 2014. 19-34
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ministries, mass organizations, and the community. Not
only has human resource development been recognized
as a way to equip personnel with knowledge and skills,
but also it helps to develop their capability to adapt
themselves to the fast-changing world for existence,
survival, and development