The government of Japan is providing grant assistance worth more than $4 million to four teacher training colleges, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The colleges concerned are located in Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khuang provinces, as well as Dongkhamxang Teacher Training College in Vientiane.
An agreement on the first phase of development was signed recently between the Ministry of Education and Sports and local construction companies.
An official at the Teacher Education Department, Chomphet Vongsa, said “The project began in 2020 and, following the signing of an agreement by the Lao and Japanese governments, the first phase of the project will be rolled out this month.”
“The teacher development project at Dongkhamxang will be carried out at a cost of $1.2 million. Another $1.1 million will be spent on development at the college in Xieng Khuang province, $1 million on the college in Luang Namtha province, and almost $900,000 for the college in Luang Prabang province,” she added.
The second phase of the project will be carried out in 2023, involving teacher training colleges in Bankern village, Thoulakhom district, Vientiane province, Savannakhet province, Pakxe city in Champassak province, and Saravan province.
In January, the government of Japan also provided grant assistance of $470,000 for the education of ethnic primary school children in Oudomxay province.
The grant will fund education activities for a period of 12 months and is the third round of assistance for the project since it began in 2019.
The project aims to enhance the basic academic skills of and improve the educational environment for ethnic schoolchildren in Pakbaeng district.
The Japanese government has provided assistance for many areas of development in Laos, including the construction of a new inpatient building at Champassak provincial hospital, and provision of equipment for the Ministry of Public Security.
VIENTIANE TIMES/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
