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JFIT Project: Strengthening Teacher Education to Achieve EFA Review of Pre-Service Teacher Training

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Title: JFIT Project: Strengthening Teacher Education to Achieve EFA Review of Pre-Service Teacher Training


1
JFIT ProjectStrengthening Teacher Education to
Achieve EFAReview of Pre-Service Teacher
Training
  • Lao PDR
  • By Yangxia LEE
  • Director of CEWED/Lead Research, MOE

2
Introduction
  • The objective of the study is to
  • Review policies related to teachers education
    and gender equality, inclusive education,
    multilingual education and human rights
    education
  • Review teachers training curricula, materials,
    pedagogy and methodology to assess the
    gender-responsiveness, inclusiveness, integration
    of human rights education, multilingual education
    and flexibility to meet diverse needs of
    learners and
  • Identify key capacity gaps and constraints

3
Context
  • To understand the role and function of basic
    education in Lao PDR, it is necessary to
    understand
  • Recent historical development
  • Demographic composition and
  • Geographical location.

4
Recent historical development
  • Replacing earlier Kingdoms, Lao PDR became a
    French colony in 1893 which continued until the
    advent of World War II.
  • Following the end of WW II, the colonial power
    returned while at the same time, a Lao Government
    was formed by President Kaisôn, initially
    in-exile in 1949, and then in the northern part
    of the country in the early 1950s.
  • The struggle for Lao independence was
    inter-twined with the Indo-China war which lasted
    until 1975.
  • During this struggle for independence some ethnic
    groups sided with the foreign-supported Royalist
    government.
  • As a result, the process of nation-building under
    the Peoples Democratic Republic of Lao to unify
    all ethnic groups into one country began
    post-1975, only over the last 34 years.

5
Demographic composition
According to the 2005 Population Census, the 5.6
million people of Lao PDR are distributed among
49 different ethnic groups. The major population
groups are Lao (55), Khmu (11) and Hmong
(8). The map shows the distribution of ethnic
groups across the country. Lao ethnic people live
mostly on the low-lands and adjacent to the
Mekong River with other ethnic groups living in
mountainous regions. Nation-building means
integrating many ethnic cultures, traditions and
belief systems
6
Geographical location
Lao PDR has often been described as a
land-locked country. However, globalisation
has led to new opportunities and Lao PDR is now
conceptualised as a land linked county, with
Thailand needing land access to Vietnam and
China. This situation has opened many
opportunities for trade, not just for enterprises
but for local poor and ethnic villages located
along the main linking roads. Education must
support poor ethnic villages to take advantage of
these new economic opportunities and at the same
time prevent potential social problems.
7
Contextual Implications for Teacher Training
  • Education clearly has an important role in
    establishing cultural identity and
    nation-building.
  • There is an established link between language
    and cultural identity.
  • Education and teacher training in Lao PDR play
    key roles.

8
Education Policy Review
  • The Education Law of 2007 gives expression to a
    provision in the Constitution that
  • "Lao citizens have the right to receive
    education...
  • It also provides to create opportunities and
    favorable conditions in education for all people
    throughout the country, especially people in
    remote areas, ethnic groups, women and
    disadvantaged children.

9
Education Policy Review (cont.)
  • The Children's Law states that
  • "All children are equal in all aspects without
    discrimination of any kind, in respect of sex,
    race, ethnic group, language, belief, religion,
    physical state and socio-economic status of their
    family".
  • It expresses a responsibility of the State to
    create "child-friendly schools that are popular
    for children and attract them to learning".
  • It contains provisions concerning the education
    of children with talent, disadvantaged children,
    children with disabilities, and children with
    HIV/AIDS (with disclosure of their HIV/AIDS
    status being forbidden)

10
Education Policy Review (cont.)
  • The Women's Law states that conditions should be
    created to enable women to complete at least a
    primary education, and to receive professional
    training, to acquire skills and experience, and
    to have employment discipline so that women can
    have the same employment opportunities in society
    as men"..

11
Education Policy Review (cont.)
  • The National Socio-Economic Development Plan
    identifies the accomplishment of the Education
    for All goals as being a key plank of the
    Government's education sector strategy.
  • Lao PDR acceded to the Convention on the Rights
    of the Child in 1991, including the right to
    education, and the need to make primary education
    compulsory and available free to all.
  • Lao PDR is also a party to the International
    Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
    Racial Discrimination (since 1974), and to the
    Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
    Discrimination against Women (since 1981)

12
Education Policy Review (cont.)
  • The Education Sector Development Framework
    outlines the major policy objectives for the
    sector until 2015
  • A priority for educational services in the 47
    poorest districts.
  • Introduction of Schools of Quality as the minimum
    standard, based on a Human Rights Approach,
    including right of survival and safety, right for
    protection, right to participate and right for
    development.
  • Gender equity targets at all levels, although
    there is no specific identifiable gender equity
    strategy.
  • Reduction of costs barriers to basic education.
  • An inclusive focus to ensure services provided
    for out-of-school children due to remoteness,
    disability, poverty, etc.
  • Curricula, materials and pedagogy to be gender
    responsive and mainstream gender into the
    education system.

13
Implications of policy analysis
  • Provision of educational services in Lao PDR is
    for all people, regardless of gender, ethnicity,
    disability, poverty or geographical location,
  • HOWEVER
  • Part IV (article 33) of the Education law states
    that Lao language and Lao characters are to be
    the (only) official language and characters to be
    used in all learning institutions.
  • Teaching Lao language is a means for
    nation-building, unifying all citizens as being
    Lao. It is also the common trading language and
    the communication needed for the poor to enter
    the mainstream economy.

14
Center for Promotion of Education for
Women-Ethnic-Disabled People
  • This Center was established in April 2008 to
    promote and advocate for educational
    opportunities for women, disadvantaged groups,
    ethnic groups and disabled people.
  • It is developing a sector-wide policy for
    inclusive education.
  • There is also a Gender and Ethnic Groups
    Development Plan.
  • The Director of the CEWED reports directly to a
    Vice-Minister of Education.
  • Currently called the Centre for Promotion of
    Education for Women-Ethnic-Disabled People
    (CEWED) which is replaced the former Gender and
    Ethnic Minority Education Unit (GEMEU), and it is
    being proposed to name Inclusive Education
    Center

15
Methodology for review of curriculum, learning
materials and pedagogy for teacher training
Three research teams collected data during field
trips to three (of eight) teacher training
institutions . Luangnamtha and Saravan serve
predominantly smaller population ethnic groups
while Vientiane province is mostly Lao
ethnicity. Questionnaires and a structured
interview were used to collect data. Curricula
and learning materials were examined and
interviews with pedagogical staff were
conducted. Prior training was provided and a
practice data collection exercise was conducted
at a teacher training institute in the national
capital.
16
Analysis of teacher training curricula
  • No material on students with physical or mental
    disabilities
  • Very little material on ethnic diversity
  • Gender is mentioned a few times but at TTCs
    that have received training from the GEMEU/CEWED
    these lecturers are able to expand the curriculum
    adequately
  • Human Rights is not specifically included as a
    separate element of the curriculum, but its
    principles underpin the whole curriculum
  • The Education Law regulates that only Lao
    language is to be used.

17
Illustrations from revised TTC Curricula-Principle
of Teaching Primary Education 83 and 112
systems Topic 13 Gender in Classroom
Groups work consists of girls, boys and Hmong
Khmu ethnic students.
18
Illustrations from revised TTC Curricula-Principle
of Teaching Primary Education 83 and 112
systems
Topic 4 Teaching Activities Students are
playing rope jumping
Topic 5 Child Centered Students are cleaning
19
Analysis of Learning Materials
  • Concepts related to inclusive education are not
    included in current learning materials
  • There are no specific materials or resources in
    the library that relate to concepts of Human
    Rights Education
  • There are very few mainstream materials that
    promote gender equity although
  • Two TTCs that were involved in a previous
    ADB/AusAID funded project do have some materials
    and the third TTC had some materials linked to
    the gender training provided by GEMEU/CEWED.

20
Analysis of Learning Materials (cont.)
  • The BEGP/LABEP project (2000 2007) focussed on
    education for ethnic groups and women
  • For example, 480 ethnic people, mostly female,
    from remote villages were recruited, trained and
    deployed
  • To support this, special materials in the form of
    21 supplementary books were produced for teachers
    and teacher-training institutions. These
    materials have illustrations and content that
    specifically address issues of ethnic diversity
    and gender equity.

21
Analysis of Learning Materials (cont.)
  • MOE has started to revise learning materials to
    be more responsive to the need to be more
    inclusive and to more explicitly reflect a Human
    Rights approach to education and specifically to
    teacher training
  • This revision process has begun with primary
    education textbooks. Existing textbooks (for both
    schools and teacher-training) reflect a
    mono-cultural and male-bias approach.
  • Two examples of revised illustrations are here

22
Illustrations from revised textbooks
Grade 1 Moral Education playing together
23
Illustrations from revised textbooks (cont)
Grade 1 Moral Education helping older people
24
Analysis of Pedagogical Approach
  • Inclusiveness
  • Lecturers try to expand the curriculum. For
    example, at Luangnamtha TTC, ethnic lecturers and
    students wear traditional clothing every Tuesday
    and ethnic students can write their own
    traditional poems and stories in literature
    classes
  • Ethnic students are encouraged to write
    traditional ethnic stories to use in their
    teaching
  • Very limited understanding of IE in the broader
    sense. Only one TTC Director, who had attended a
    training workshop by the GEMEU understood IE
    concepts and
  • Disabilities is not addressed.

25
Analysis of Pedagogical Approach (cont.)
  • Gender Equity
  • Many lecturers were trained either by LABEP or
    the IEC (funded by UNESCO and ADB)
  • They understand the concepts and
  • Incorporate these into their teaching approach
    although newer staff have not received training.

26
Staff of Teacher Training Institutions by Gender
Institution Total Female Male Percent female
LuangNamtha 49 18 31 63
Bankeun 94 30 64 68
Salavan 77 40 37 48
27
Analysis of Pedagogical Approach (cont.)
  • Human Rights Education
  • There is limited understanding of the concept of
    Human Rights Education
  • Many lecturers approach their work in a manner
    consistent with HRE but
  • Do not understand how this HRE conceptual
    framework underpins all of teacher training.

28
Analysis of Pedagogical Approach (cont.)
  • Multi-Lingual Education
  • The Education law of 2007 mandates the use of
    only Lao language and characters for education at
    all levels
  • In Luangnamtha TTC, there is no use of ethnic
    language to assist explanation even though only
    less than 3 of the province population is Lao
    ethnic group. (Ethnic students are Lao second
    language speakers)
  • The proportion of ethnic lecturers is very small,
    8 in Luangnamtha, 4 in Ban Kheun and 2 in
    Saravan.

29
Recommendations
  • More training on how to mainstream Human Rights,
    Gender Equity and Inclusive concepts into teacher
    training curriculum, materials and pedagogy
  • Need to integrate into the national curriculum
    more local content to facilitate linkages between
    education and real needs of various ethnic groups
    to improve relevancy
  • More information outlining the ethnic diversity
    of Lao PDR is needed, not just geographical
    distribution but beliefs, traditions etc., shown
    clearly through text, photos and illustrations

30
Recommendations (cont.)
  • To make training practical, more learning
    materials that reflect Inclusiveness, Gender
    Equity and Human Rights are required, both
    textbooks and library materials
  • Affirmative action policy to recruit more
    lecturers from local ethnic groups and also more
    females

31
Implications for Next 5-year Plan (cont.)
  • Broader Government of Lao PDR Priority/
  • Strategies
  • IE Policy development
  • Research/survey
  • Ethnic/local Teacher recruitment
  • Teaching and Learning materials
  • Teaching Aids
  • Multigrade teaching
  • Urgent implication There is need to conduct a IE
    training workshop for SE Curricula Developers

32
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