The French colonial government built an education system on the foundations created by traditional temple teaching. Later the Laos government extended the system considerably in the hope of achieving education for all.
The University of Laos was established in 1996 as a re-grouping of a number of existing colleges and institutes. Its faculties include education, literature, social science, economics & management, agriculture, forestry, architecture, engineering, science, medical sciences, and law & political science.