Teaching in Lao PDR

Benveniste, Luis ; Marshall, Jeffery ; Santibañ ; ez, Lucrecia

Washington, DC:World Bank

关键词: EDUCATION;    EDUCATION EXPENDITURES;    EDUCATION QUALITY;    GOVERNMENT POLICIES;    SALARIES;   

RP-ID  :  42971

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Educational attainment and literacyrates in Lao PDR have improved significantly. Years ofeducation research have established that, after familybackground, teachers are one of the most importantdeterminants of student outcomes. A good teacher can have along lasting impact on what and how much a student learns.The importance of teachers is even more significant indeveloping countries where, on average, parentalsocioeconomic status tends to be low and notable resourceconstraints abound. In these circumstances, good teachingbecomes all the more critical as parents might not be ableto provide academic help at home or school resources may notbe readily available to enrich the classroom environment Tobegin to understand how these challenges manifest themselvesin Lao PDR, this study examines the current status ofteachers in primary and lower secondary schooling as well asgovernment policies that strive to improve teaching inparticular and education quality more generally. It exploresteacher supply, and demand to identify potential bottlenecksin the availability of trained personnel. It describesteachers demographic characteristics and their skills. Itlooks at teacher salaries, their level and how this comparesto other countries. It examines classroom conditions,pupil-teacher ratios, educational expenditures, and otherfactors that influence the context of teaching andopportunities to engage in high quality instructionalpractice. Lastly, this report explores teacher performance,as measured by teacher attendance, teaching practices, andstudent assessment outcomes. In addition, the report drawson a recent body of research that has explored variousaspects of teachers and teaching in Lao PDR. The discussionfocuses on primary and lower secondary school teachers, whotogether represent 87 percent of the teacher population inLao PDR. Throughout the paper, effort is made to investigatehow teachers and their teaching situation vary by region ofthe country (uplands, mountain, and lowlands) and type ofschool (urban, rural, and remote). It also exploresvariations by gender and ethnicity.