Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – To alleviate the long-standing teacher shortage, the Lao government has decided to convert 4,234 volunteer teachers into civil servants by 2025. Associate Professor Thongsalit Mangnomek, Minister of Education and Sports, announced this decision at a government meeting on January 12.
Thongsalit stated that converting volunteer teachers into civil servants means their status will be formally integrated into the teaching force, strengthening the foundation of the national education system and promoting the balanced distribution of high-quality educational resources nationwide. For many years, many provinces in Laos, especially rural and remote areas, have faced a severe shortage of qualified teachers. Many volunteer teachers remain committed to their teaching positions, but are hampered by insufficient benefits, low income, and meager welfare, compounded by rising living costs and increased family financial pressure, impacting their teaching energy and classroom performance.
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Lao government launched a series of education reforms to address these challenges. This move to recruit volunteer teachers into the civil service is one of the core measures, aiming to boost teacher morale, enhance job stability, and improve professional teaching standards. Currently, the Ministry of Education has implemented the "Teachers and Civil Servants Law," and the Ministry of Finance has finalized the revised salary and allowance system for teachers and civil servants, which will be implemented later this month.
In addition to teacher development, the Lao education and sports departments are simultaneously promoting the optimization of education in multiple fields to comprehensively improve the quality of education. At all levels of education, standards related to early childhood education, general education, vocational education, and higher education have been improved, and guidelines for the management and supervision of primary school preparatory classes and community children's development groups have been compiled and updated. In the vocational education sector, new courses have been added, including electrical equipment repair and installation, agricultural product processing, electric motorcycle repair, cooking, and basic computer training.
Regarding the school system, Laos will replace the current "5+4+3" system with a "6+3+3" system. After the adjustment, primary education will be 6 years and junior high school education will be shortened to 3 years, better aligning with regional and global education system needs. At the same time, the government has upgraded teacher training colleges in the central, northern, and southern regions, strengthened the inclusiveness and teaching quality of boarding schools for ethnic minorities, and increased investment in the construction of standardized educational infrastructure in rural areas. (End)
