The successful Spoken Lao Program trial is being scaled up nationwide next school year, providing targeted support for non-Lao speaking students.

Mr. Outhid Thipmany-Deputy Director of RIES and Ms. Vanessa Hegarty, First Secretary, Australian Embassy chaired the forum

(KPL) The Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR (MoES) held a Spoken Lao Program (SLP) Stakeholder Forum on July 11, 2024.  In opening remarks, Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES), Mr Outhid Thipmany  celebrated the Ministry’s successes supporting non-Lao speaking students, and outlined the ambition to go much further.

 “The impressive results of the trial make it clear the Spoken Lao Program should be available to all schools with students who need additional language learning support because they don’t speak Lao as their mother tongue,” said Mr. Outhid Thipmany.

The Spoken Lao Program strengthens Lao language skills for grade 1 children who speak a language other than Lao at home. MoES started a pilot project in 2019, supported by Australia through the BEQUAL program. Based on the success of the pilot, the Spoken Lao Program was scaled up to 21 districts in 2023-24, with additional support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The results of the trial are overwhelmingly positive, leading to the decision to make the Program available to grade one teachers nationwide.

Speaking Practice Activity

 “We are excited to be working with Australia and USAID to ensure all grade one teachers are trained in the SLP teaching approach and have access to the teaching and learning resources,” said Mr. Outhid Thipmany.

Nearly 100 participants from MoES departments, Provincial Education and Sports Services, Teacher Training Colleges, USAID, UNICEF, World Bank, JICA and other development partners gathered to reflect on the successful results of the SLP trial.

Ms. Vanessa Hegarty, First Secretary, Australian Embassy, also provided introductory remarks. “I am honoured to open this Stakeholder Forum to plan for the nationwide rollout of this effective language learning support program for children who don’t speak Lao at home,” Ms. Vanessa said. “Australia strongly believes that improving the learning outcomes for girls and boys, especially those experiencing disadvantage, will have long-term positive outcomes for the development of Laos.”

Spoken Lao Lessons' Learning Materials

Laos is a culturally and linguistically diverse country, with over 50 languages. Many children begin school speaking a language other than Lao, especially in rural and remote areas. Because Lao is the official language of instruction, children who do not develop foundational skills in Lao language in the early grades continue to face challenges throughout their education. Results of past students’ assessments show that many children from ethnic communities who do not speak Lao as a first language are underperforming in school. Research consistently shows that the ability to speak the language of instruction (Lao), is a pre-requisite for children to make good progress with literacy (reading and writing in Lao).

Ms. Phonesiri Outhaivanh, Head of Section for Lao Language Teaching Research for Ethnic Students, RIES, outlined some of the Spoken Lao Program successes. “During the trial, 597 classrooms were observed, 1,424 teacher weekly reflections recorded, and 602 students were tested. Students from the schools implementing the Spoken Lao lessons three times a week improved their test scores by 20%. And when interviewed, 94% of the teachers said Spoken Lao lessons helped their non-Lao speaking students to learn Lao faster and it helps students better participate in all subjects.”

Teacher and students do the 'Listen and Do' activity

The BEQUAL program will be a core resource for MoES and RIES in the nationwide roll-out. BEQUAL is led by the Lao Government with support from the Australian Government and USAID. The program focuses on enhancing educational outcomes for the nation's youth, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged. BEQUAL is focused on ensuring gender equality and promoting inclusive education across all activities.

During the forum, RIES disseminated its official guidance for effective SLP implementation next school year. SLP lessons are additional, but complementary to, the Lao Language lessons in the grade 1 curriculum. The lessons support oral language development through speaking and listening practice. Colorful textbooks and teacher guides, as well as supplementary teaching and learning materials (flash cards, story cards and bingo game sets) will be distributed nationwide for all schools with non-Lao speaking students.

Participants at the SLP Forum

 “SLP is a targeted Lao language learning program developed to respond to the needs of grade 1 students who don’t speak Lao when they begin school. So, grade 1 teachers, principals and districts will have to decide whether they should implement SLP based on the needs of their students. This flexibility is important to enable contextually appropriate implementation and respond to students’ specific needs. I hope that with this Forum, each key stakeholder understands their roles and responsibilities for ensuring effective implementation of SLP nationwide in the coming school year,” said Mr. Outhid Thipmany.

 “I would like to commend the significant commitment and leadership from RIES and MoES for introducing high quality support for students that start school not yet able to speak Lao. Australia is proud to support these efforts. We believe SLP will have a profound impact by enhancing the Lao literacy skills of students who enter primary school without fluency in the language. Together, Australia and the Lao Government are working towards a more inclusive education system in Laos,” Ms. Vanessa Hegarty concluded

KPL