Laos to address high school dropout rate, teacher shortages

VIENTIANE, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — Laos’ Ministry of Education and Sports will roll out policies to address the teacher shortage and high student dropout rate in the Southeast Asian country.
The Lao ministry urged relevant sectors to work with vocational education institutions to offer a broader range of courses and more options in order to accommodate more students, according to a ministry report on Friday.
The ministry also advised the vocational education sector to work more closely with businesses in expanding the dual-cooperative training program, which allows students to learn and earn simultaneously and offers scholarships to underprivileged students.
With regard to the high student dropout rate, Laos is planning to provide more scholarships for students and improve curriculums, with the aim of inspiring more young people to enroll in vocational training courses.
In order 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. ■