Education in Laos reflects its diverse history, from the domination of the temple (vat) education system, through to the colonial era, the revolution, and the present-day drive for economic growth. Under French rule, there was a lack of investment in educational infrastructure for native Laotians, and the traditional vat education system provided the only access to education for ordinary people. Despite increasing investment mid-century, low literacy levels remained until 1975 when the government launched its infrastructure and literacy drive. Literacy levels shot up, but the previous underinvestment in infrastructure and human resources limited how sustainable this growth was.

In 1986, the government launched the ‘New Economic Mechanism’ to move from a centrally planned to a market-oriented economy. This reform explicitly pinpointed education as a prime driver in economic growth. Education levels and infrastructure saw some modest improvement, but again there was a limit to this growth, especially in rural areas. Market-orientated reforms continued throughout the 1990s and despite some successes, there was actually an increase in educational inequality. This was most apparent in the increasing urban/rural divide, dating back to colonial days and the vat system before that.

Merely 64.5% of males and 59.6% females in rural areas are in primary education; however, the figure for urban children is as high as 82% for both males and females. This leaves just 57.3% of rural males and 51.3% of rural females in attendance in primary education. The disparity becomes even starker once socio-economic class is taken into account.

How Is SEDA Fighting This?

SEDA believes the lack of sustainable growth in Lao education systems is caused not by a lack of will but by a lack of infrastructure to consolidate government investment and strategy. This is particularly true in rural, outlying communities. The lack of historical investment in rural Lao infrastructure will no longer be an excuse to deny Lao children a primary education.

SEDA recognizes this and is deep in consultation with Ban Oun-Yai Village, Lao Ngarm District, and Salavan Province. We have selected one school in the village, and we are working closely with the School Principle, Village Committees, and the District of Education to select and deliver construction materials for school renovation. Upon successful completion of this project, SEDA will engage with the other schools in the Lao Ngarm District in need of infrastructure development. We are currently in need of funds to allow us to reach as many rural children as possible, and we are in the process of beginning consultation with village committees. SEDA realizes the scale of the project ahead but will not use that as an excuse not to fight for the right of every rural child to a primary education. This project is essential if SEDA is to do its part to achieve Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals—the right to universal primary education.

Please show your support for the children of Ban Oun-Yai Village by donating through Global Giving or directly to SEDA through our PayPal account.

SEDA and the Ban Phao and Ban Hai villages would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to this project.

Thanks to your generous donations, and help from a private donor and the Lao PDR Government, we have been able to complete the renovations at both schools.

The children of Ban Phao village have also benefited from volunteer English teacher Will Thomason, who has recently finished teaching an 8 week summer school program.

Head teacher at the Ban Phao school, Mr Khan told SEDA:

“The children are delighted with their new school and learnt a lot from Will. We were very sad to see him leave. We really hope that we can work with SEDA and Global Giving donors to keep making improvements.”

Continuing to improve education:

SEDA’s work improving education is not finished. Following the successes in Ban Phao and Ban Hai, over 100 schools in Laos have asked to work with SEDA on renovations and providing school materials.

We still need your help to reach our goals and make a real difference to education in Laos. SEDA would be grateful if donors could send a nominal donation, from just $10, to the new education projects listed on Global Giving, to keep the work going and to receive updates on all the great things that are happening.

We also welcome comments, feedback and suggestions from donors. Please email us at info@seda-laos.org.

Elementary school children in the Ban Phao village, 56 km outside of Vientiane, have been enjoying their brand new classrooms.

Six classrooms were built with money donated from a private donor from Korea, and have made a huge difference to the school and the children’s education.

Now SEDA needs help to raise the money to renovate the Junior High classrooms.

The classrooms were built over 30 years ago, and suffered a lot of damage during the war. The rooms are in a terrible state of disrepair, without windows, with old equipment, and with poorly constructed walls. This makes teaching the children very difficult.

To renovate the buildings and give these children the chance for a decent school, SEDA needs to raise $25,000-29,000. The village also needs help raising money to build a library for the children. Teachers really want the children to be passionate about reading, but have to house their few books in the teacher’s conference room. Headmaster, Mr Khan dreams of having a dedicated library so that they learn to love books.

Fond farewells:

It is with sadness that the children at the school wave goodbye to their English teacher: SEDA volunteer Will Thomason.

Will has been volunteering at the village for 8 weeks for the summer school program, and during that time he has made a huge impression on the kids; improving their English language, building confidence and motivating them so that the really enjoy going to school.

The volunteer program has been so successful that the school’s headmaster, Mr Khan told us that he wants SEDA’s help to recruit a volunteer to teach for the whole school year.

SEDA need’s to raise funds to recruit volunteers and cover their basic living expenses.

To find out more about volunteer opportunities with SEDA please look here: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/VolunteerOpportunity/173836-80/c

The old classroom needs renovation

The kids love the new building

Some renovations to the Ban Phao school have been undertaken. This is due to generous contributions from private funders.

The principle of the school reported that six rooms in the building have been renovated and desks, chairs and fans for the classrooms have been purchased.

The before and after pictures in this posting show the much improved learning conditions. SEDA hopes to continue to support education in the Ban Phao community and make further improvements to the students education! This can only happen through your generous contributions.

Many thanks to our generous supporters who have taken us this far!

Students in a classroom post renovations

This week at school was stressful, and the key word I had to keep telling myself was “patience.” Although many of the kids enjoy the class and learning, there is obviously a wide range of interest, ability, and drive to learn. I went from having around fifty children attend class last week to about thirty, but only fifteen to twenty come each day, varying on the day and time. I have seen the dwindling numbers for mainly two reasons; a drastic drop in tangible and edible incentives to do well and try hard, and a rise in the learning-to-playing ratio. Every once in a while, a new game or song will catch their attention for a good 5 to 15 minutes, but there is a constant struggle to find the balance between work and play. I kind of like having fewer children, because I can give each one more attention, and have started to learn almost everyone’s name (although I probably will never pronounce them correctly, and am laughed at when I try a new name). I have about 5 children on the brink of having the ability to read. The English alphabet is so weird. Why does the letter “H” (aych) sound so different from the sound it makes in a word? And why does “C” exist? There is already a letter for both of the sounds it makes, “K” and “S”. This, along with other random instances, has made it harder to teach English than I thought. It can be frustrating, because the English language comes so easily to me, to see others struggle to read a seemingly simple word. I have explanations for some things, but alas, what I have been led to say (in Lao) to students when I do not know the answer is “No ask. Remember.” I have a newfound respect for the entity of school; not because of the drive of the Lao children to learn, but because I now know the work that teachers must put into planning and executing every hour of every day. I see how rewarding, but also how exhausting it can be. I have gotten a taste of everything, posing as a kindergarten teacher one minute, a foreign-language teacher the next, a middle-school teacher telling students that the next note I see, I will make them stay longer to help clean the room. Lao children are essentially the same as American children. Although in general the Ban Phao people look very young for their age, there is a point when they go from middle-aged to old, and I have not seen a middle ground. I think because of their lack of health, once they reach a certain point, hair and teeth start to fall out and skin wrinkles deeply. It is sad to see this, but they are accustomed to that type of aging, and have come to expect it, though I see a change in the younger generation, who more ardently wish to brush their teeth and wash their hands.

Students focusing on their work

At present, SEDA-Laos, with the assistance of Zachary App, has raised $600 to publish a children’s book designed by Williams & Kennett called “Look Around Laos”. Williams & Kennett are working with SEDA-Laos to publish the book and provide copies to children in Laos.

At this stage, SEDA-Laos still needs to raise another $2400 in order to print and distribute 3000 copies. Our goal is to distribute the book during summer school.

SEDA-Laos is urging all donors who can to support this program. Zachary App, a student from Boston, will be a volunteer teacher in Laos this summer. Zachary will work with local Laotian teachers and use the book as a tool to teach English. The book will be written in both Lao and English.

The school children are thankful to all the donors who contributed in the past for their school renovation and are looking forward to having a safe and comfortable learning environment soon. However, they still are in need of supplies, including books. “Look Around Laos” will do a small part of fulfilling that need. SEDA-Laos is currently working on the development of two additional publications, one on children’s nutrition and the other on climate change. To learn more about SEDA please visit: www.seda-laos.org .

Ban Phao School: October was an exciting time at the Ban Phao School as students are returning to school after a month long holiday. The raining season is over and the children enjoy returingn back to school. As they had asked me to provide a volunteer’s teacher that can participating longer at their school. The school is looking for teachers in English, Science, Computer and many other subjects. The students told me that they enjoyed the English teacher (Zach) and they learned so much by exchanging culture and language.

October is a good month for the village too. Every year they have a festival which translates as “Fire Dragon that is shooting to the sky”. Each year, many people travel to their village to see the dragon shooting the fire into the sky. The festival generate important income for their village.

At this present, SEDA and the community is trying to raise funds to install windows in the classrooms. SEDA’s partner in the USA is trying to raise funds to purchase computers for the children.

Ban Hai School Report: This village is quiet in October. The children at Ban Hai also enjoyed their American English teacher and hope to have similar opportunities in the future. SEDA is planning to implement computer courses at the Ban Hai school as well.

SEDA hopes to expand the work going on in these two schools across Laos. Nationwide, there is a lack of books, proper classrooms, etc. SEDA is working tirelessly to continue to provide learning opportunities for these young students.

Zachary App - a student from Boston - volunteered in Laos as an English teacher. The attached report provides a first-hand account of his time in Laos and highlights the dire condition of the school buildings and the need for adequate supplies.

• Report_from_a_Volunteer.pdf (PDF)
  

"Teacher Zach" Written by Souly QuachAngkham Edited by Rebecca Carnevale

Zachary is a young college student from Boston, Massachusetts who has recently contributed his time to help children in Laos. Zachary has a great heart and has not only contributed his time, but some of his personal funds to create lessons that make conversational English interesting for his students. Before his time in Laos, Zachary had been teaching in Thailand for one month. Zachary contacted SEDA with his interested to volunteer in Laos, and within 48 hours SEDA had coordinated two sets of English courses for Zach to teach – one at the school in Ban Phao and the other in Ban Hai.

It was originally thought that only 8 students would attend Zachary’s class at the Ban Hai School, but it turns out that over 55 students enrolled! The students ranged in ages from 6 to 16 and enjoyed his style of teaching. The children did not know any English when they began the course, but within three days they were able to talk about their name, family, and other everyday things

Zacahry also taught at the Ban Phao School. Zachary only had two days of classes at this school and 120 students showed up – all eager to learn as much as they could during his short stay.

Zachary plans to return to Laos during his Christmas holidays to teach again. He believes education plays a very important role in providing children with more opportunities.

During his last day at Ban Phao the village presented him with a thank-you ceremony called Baci. During the Baci, a white string was tied to Zachary which was blessed from the Buddhist Temple. The ceremony thanked him for the contribution he had made to the village and wished him a safe journey home. Zachary was very touched by the ceremony and reiterated his plans to return to Laos. SEDA will support and coordinate Zachary’s return.

SEDA was able to successfully coordinate Zachary’s first trip to Laos on 48 hours notice! As SEDA’s goal is to aid the rural poor in Laos, we encourage and support volunteers like Zachary who have the same goal. Presently, Zachary is back in Boston and will help raise funds for the school. The condition of Ban Phao and Ban Hai shool is very poor and materials are needed like books, toys, etc.

All the students have a message for Zachary: “Thank you Teacher Zach and come back again!”

Update on the School Renovation and Teacher Training in Vientiane and the Attapuer Province July 09, 2008

Reported by: Ms. Souly QuachAngkham Edited by: Ms. Rebecca Carnevale

SEDA has been working with local schools to help improve education for children and offer training and support to teachers. SEDA is working with three schools and has been trying to raise funds for these projects. It is still difficult to get international or local support to fundraise for these elementary schools. SEDA is collaborating with local villages who agreed to provide labor and help with the renovation of the school buildings. SEDA's fundraising has been slow, since we are trying to raise funds locally, but as there so many schools that have a similar problem, villages are focusing on their own fundraising and schools. Furthermore, the local economy is not strong and many people do not have much extra income to donate.

Another problem is the weak US dollar which has caused the cost of building supplies to double. SEDA has limited funds and the cost to renovate the schools is rising. At this stage we are looking to get international support from private donors to help renovate the schools. If we can secure enough funding by this summer we would be able to renovate the schools in time for the fall without interrupting the children’s school days with the noises of construction.

The director of Teachers Across Borders met with SEDA in Australia. Teachers Across Borders is a volunteer group of teachers who are interested in supporting local Laotian NGOs and networking with international teachers and NGO workers to support education in Laos. The meeting was successful and accomplished the following:

1. SEDA and Teachers Across Borders will be working in partnership.

2. Teachers Across Border will assist SEDA by providing training to the local Laotian teachers to improving the quality of teaching and to qualify teachers in rural areas.

This partnership will focus on rural education in Laos. SEDA is looking forward to work with Teachers Across Borders to improve the education opportunities for Laotians.

To learn more about SEDA: Please visit: www.seda-laos.org or email: info@seda-laos.org Teachers Across Borders: www.teachersacrossborders.org

On a recent visit to the Ban Phao School site, it was clear that the school is in dire need of renovations. The oldest classrooms at the school are still used daily for maths and science even though they are unsafe, unstable and exposed to rain, wind and dust.

Ban Phao is a village of 2,347 people. The school opens to 300 students, ranging from age 4 to age 12. There are also about 100 secondary school students. With so many students the school is full to capacity and cannot teach all the children in the village. Younger children in the village are now attending school late, once a space has opened for them. Infant classes share a space with primary school children and many classes are conducted in shifts.

In 2005, the Australian Government helped Ban Phao renovate existing classrooms. This provides around 10 solid and useable rooms. A second building, built in the 1970s, has no windows and the inner walls of the classrooms are falling down. The third set of classrooms, as mentioned above, are little more than an open wooden hut.

The teachers, students and residents of the school are desperate for repairs and renovations. They wrote a personal letter to the Japanese Embassy in 2007 but received no response.

The school is requesting funds to create 5 new classrooms in the place of the old wooden classrooms. Their second request is repairs and windows for the classroom built in 1970. They are also in need of new desks, chairs, computers and school supplies.

Thank you to all donors who have supported the Ban Phao School project so far. Your donations will make a difference and we are looking forward to presenting them to the village when we get closer to our target amount.

I am sure you are waiting for an update and one is on its way - I promise. This week we were scheduled to visit the village school and report on their progess. What we didnt count on was Pii Mai Lao (Laos New Year) and one week of school holidays. During Pii Mai, children - and grown ups - all over Laos arm themselves with water pistols, dyes and hoses and take a break from the everyday to cool off. Kids break from school, don bright shirts and throw water and coloured dye at each other. Even the little kiddies are ready for a water fight (see photo).

So happy Lao New Year from the SEDA team! A real update to follow soon.