Basic Primary Education Improvement, Laos
Laotian girl listening to her teacher. Photo: CWS |
CWS-Laos
Some 6,000 poor, mostly ethnic minority students and 300 teachers are benefiting from a Church World Service-supported program to improve the quality of primary education in more than 200 remote rural villages in Phongsaly and Oudomxay provinces. Some 40,000 people are indirectly benefiting from the project.
Ethnic minorities who live in rural, remote areas of Laos are at a developmental disadvantage, having limited access to education due to shortages of schools, materials, and most significantly, qualified teachers. Although the government is responsible for providing teachers to all village schools, many of these teachers are lacking qualifications to teach. Because of the low quality of teaching, many students drop out, and parents often do not see the value of sending their children to school.
In response to the situation, CWS, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the two provincial education departments, identifies unqualified grade school teachers and provides them with two years of training--mostly while they are on the job. The training course includes technical subjects along with new and non-traditional methodologies, such as student participation, peer learning, and community involvement.
Complementary activities of the project include improvement of the village schools. Approximately 20 new schools per year are built with CWS assistance. CWS usually provides the roofs; the villagers provide other materials and labor to build the walls. CWS also helps to provide clean water and sanitation, school libraries, and management workshops, and encourages girls to go to school.
The training network and expertise being developed by the project will be absorbed into provincial education departments, allowing the project to continue once local capacity is achieved.
Support for Church World Service helps make this program possible.
Updated 1/16/2008
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