Open and distance education in Lao PDR

OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION IN LAO PDR

Current policies on Open and Distance Learning in Laos Presently, there are four Distance Education Centers established in Laos. Each center is located in urban zone of the provinces such as: Savannakhet, Khammouane, Borikhamxay and Km 8 in Vientiane Capital.The objectives of these Distance Education Centers (fact finding 2002) are:

1. To build or to improve capacities of provincial staff to develop and manage distance basic education media;
2. To develop high quality learning materials and programs and to test them in a limited geographic area;
3. To deliver full-scale non-formal basic education at a distance in four provinces.

However, the real Open and Distance Education Center has not been set up. There is a lot of discussion and field study arranged so far. The ASEAN has made a great contribution to Laos by assisting and supervising many useful programs and one of these is the Open and Distance Learning Program which was initiate by the Director of SEAMEO Secretariat, Dr. Arief S. Sadiman and the Director of SEAMOLEC,Prof. Dr. Soekartawi. At the beginning of May, 2003, the team of high official from Laos consisting of Mr. Lytou Bouapao, Director of Cooperation and Finance Department, Mr. Chaleun Souvong, Vice Director of Non-Formal Education Department, Mr. Chandy Phommabout, Vice Director of Teacher Training Department, Mr. Ka Saleumsouk, Vice Director of Formal Education Department and Mr. Siri Souvannasy, Vice Director of Academic Affairs Office, National University of Laos made a study tour to Soukhothai Thammathiraj Open University(23-26 April, 2003, Thailand and then followed by the visit to Terbuka University, in Jakarta, Indonesia (27 April-1 May 2003) The Workshop on the Establishment of Open and Distance Learning was organized in Vientiane on 18-19 August, 2003 and co-sponsored by SEAMOLEC and UNESCO Bangkok. The final proposal was drafted and submitted to the National Assembly a month after the workshop.

Distance Education in Laos has started in some forms or other but it is not really becoming a unified or in system as can be seen that in 1989-2001 there was a distance education organized by Singapore funded by Canada for training English Teachers at the English Department by Dr. Glen Toh. From this training by distance mode, many teachers had graduated Diploma. At the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Medical Science there were many sessions of distance education organized and many applicants had benefited from the training.Starting a new academic year 2004-2005, the new President of the NUOL reviewed the ODL proposal and resubmitted the final proposal to the Ministry of Education as to get approval to set up Distance Education Center at the National University of Laos. At the beginning of February, 2005 the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) started funding the Continuing Education Center in Laos and ODL is included in the process.

Recently, there were two meetings on How to start Open and Distance Education Center at NUOL. However, the new objectives focus on providing distance education at Diploma and Bachelor degrees for the government official and the high school graduates at various faculties. The first policy was to open ODL to qualify unqualified teachers at primary and secondary schools.The tendency of opening Distance Education Program in the academic year 2005-2006 is high in agenda since large number of government official demand an alternative to their qualification. Out of 11 faculties at NUOL, the faculties to be opened for service in near future include:

1. Faculty of Economics and Business administration;
2. Faculty of Education;
3. Faculty of Law and Public Administration;
4. Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology;
5. Faculty of Forestry;
6. Faculty of Medical Science;
7. Faculty of social science and humanities.

*The faculty of engineering and faculty of architecture are showing interest followed by faculty of Environmental Sciences, faculty of Natural Sciences, and faculty of Linguistics (Letters).

1. The Role and nature of ODL

The role and nature of Open and Distance Learning is enormous and will serve as an alternative to crucial shortage of space by conventional education. Laos is one of the ASEAN that encounters this phenomenon. However, due to critical shortage of qualified staff, well-planned work and limit budget to support ODL has put Laos in doubtful situation unless other SEAMEO member countries can assist us in this field.Besides, the knowledge of ODL is still new and vague in Lao society. What we need is a stronger push and better dissemination of ODL.

2. Policy and Regulations of ODL in Laos

Laos has prioritized EFA at the top in the agenda and ODL is in the list. According to the feasible study for establishing SEAMEO SEAMOLEC 1999 revealed that the need for open and distance learning programs in SEAMEO member countries is increasing; and the need to facilitate and encourage collaboration in SEAMEO countries and the sharing of expertise is great; Policy of ODL in Laos is at the grass root (NUOL) and unless certain pilot programs started then the society will accept its existence.

3. Funding of the Open and Distance Education

Funding of Open and Distance Education in Laos has not been officially approved. The only option to operate ODL in Laos effectively is by initiating programs at university level to attract students and official to enroll in pay-programs so budget can be allocated for administration. There is a plan to ask for assistance from organizations concerned to support and assist as soon as the proposal has been approved. References: Fact-finding study on the establishment of open and distance learning institution component in Lao PDR, 2002.

Presentation materials for the study visit of higher officials of Laos to Universitas Terbuka, Jakarta, Indonesia, 2003 Study Visit of Higher official to Soukhothai Thammathiraj Open University, Thailand, 2003. Country Report, on Open and Distance Education in Laos by the Governing Board memberf Mr. Chareun Souvong, at the Third SEAMOLEC GR Meeting (23-26 September, 1999)