(KPL) The Embassy of Japan in the Lao PDR has provided a grant of US$119,711 to support the construction of a new building for Ban Huay Slaep Lower Secondary School in Sam Tai District, Houaphanh Province.

The grant agreement was signed on September 16, 2026, at the Embassy of Japan in Vientiane by Mr. Koizumi Tsutomu, Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR, on behalf of Japan, and Mr. Mixay Phonthavisouk, Head of the Sam Tai District Office of Education and Sports, on behalf of the Lao side.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Mr. Phonsouk Inthavong, Governor of Houaphanh Province, and other invited guests.

The project is aimed at improving educational infrastructure in remote areas where basic school facilities remain limited. It will also support the provision of teaching and learning equipment and help create a safer and more suitable learning environment for students.

Ban Huay Slaep is located in Sam Tai District, about 187 kilometres from the Houaphanh provincial centre and 77 kilometres from Sam Tai District centre. The school serves five villages—Ban Huay Slaep, Kaeng Nai, Yot Khueang, Poung Dao and Tham Mou—with a combined population of 1,736 people, including 776 females, in 263 families.

The communities are predominantly Hmong, with livelihoods mainly based on swidden agriculture and livestock raising.

Ban Huay Slaep Lower Secondary School currently provides four grades of lower secondary education and has 143 students, including 66 girls.

The construction of the new school building is expected to improve access to education and provide better facilities for students and teachers in the remote community.

The project also reflects the continued cooperation between Laos and Japan in the education sector and is expected to contribute to strengthening the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

KPL