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(KPL) Over 200 Vientiane residents joined in a walk to mark the 22nd anniversary of Lao National Teacher’s Day (7 October) held early in the morning at the Patuxay Monument in Vientiane Capital on October 2.
(KPL) Over 200 Vientiane residents joined in a walk to mark the 22nd anniversary of Lao National Teacher’s Day (7 October) held early in the morning at the Patuxay Monument in Vientiane Capital on October 2.
Teachers and students in Laos annually observe Teachers' Day on October 7. This is a national holiday and different celebrations are organized across the country.
Head of Teacher Department, Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Chandy Phommabout read to the gathering, “National Teacher’s Day is celebrated on 7th October in commemoration of the Lao teacher Khu Kham, who is celebrated for his dedication to teaching. The date of the festival marks the day when Kham was registered as a teacher in 1907. The nationwide school holiday gives children a chance to prepare gifts for their respective teachers in gratitude of their dedication.”
Almost two decades ago, the Lao government announced the seventh day of October as National Teacher's Day. It is a day that encourages people across the country to recall the historic event that took place 105 years ago when Mr. Kham, who then graduated from a pedagogical school, was recognised as the first Lao teacher.
In the 14th century, the first King Fa Ngum brought Buddhism from India to Laos. Consecutively, a number of temples were built and used as the first schools. Since then, Buddhism has had a profound influence on Lao parents and children.
People sent their children to temples to be monks or temple boys and to learn how to read, write, do magic, draw, sculpt, etc. All subjects were taught by experienced and literate monks. They were taught without being classified or graded as with the current education system, but their knowledge was measured by years of monkhood.
After the colonial power France occupied Laos in 1893, very little attention was paid to expanding the education system for Lao people. Prior to 1905, there were only two schools in the country. One was in Luang Prabang and the other in Vientiane. Very few people could go to them but Kham managed to graduate year 6 from one.
UNESCO proclaimed 5 October to be World Teachers’ Day in 1994, celebrating the great step made for teachers on 5 October 1966 when a special intergovernmental conference convened by UNESCO in Paris adopted the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the status of teachers, in cooperation with the ILO.
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