Laos to address high school dropout rate, teacher shortages

Laos’ Ministry of Education and Sports said it will roll out policies to address the teacher shortage and high student dropout rate in the Southeast Asian country.

According to a ministry report on Friday, the Lao ministry has urged relevant sectors to work with vocational education institutions to offer a broader range of courses and more options to accommodate more students.

The ministry also advised the vocational education sector to work more closely with businesses in expanding the dual-cooperative training programme, which allows students to learn and earn simultaneously and offers scholarships to underprivileged students.

About the high student dropout rate, Laos is planning to provide more scholarships for students and improve curriculums, to inspire more young people to enrol in vocational training courses.

To address the chronic teacher shortage, the government will increase the quota of civil servant positions allocated to teachers to provide more teaching staff and give official positions to those currently working as volunteer teachers.