 How can we encourage teachers into remote areas? Ms Hongthong Chanseuavieng, 22, a resident of Thaphalanxay village, said: "The important thing is for the education sector to give scholarships to students who want to be teachers in the future. After they finish studying, the education sector has to assign them to teach at a school in their village or schools in their local area. The education sector should fine graduates who don't want to teach after graduating on a scholarship. The education sector should have regulations and make graduates follow them strictly. The graduates should have to teach for a few years at least before they can do other work. There are many people who have graduated with a bachelor degree in education, some 200 of them every year. I know that the education sector gives them scholarships to study teaching but I don't know if the education sector actually organises schools for them to teach in. I asked some of my friends who were teaching, they said that they don't know what schools they should teach in. They don't have any contracts, so they don't worry about it." Mr Phoukhong Phommaxaysy, 27, a resident of Dongkhamxang village, said: "People who have more knowledge don't want to live in poor conditions. If we want to get education to reach a standard quality, there should be teachers who have knowledge teaching at each level. If we want to have quality teachers, especially in the countryside, there should be conveniences for them like accommodation and their salaries should be paid on time. If possible they might increase the salaries for them. The teachers in the countryside don't have the chance to earn extra money or high salaries like the teachers in town." Ms Sengphachanh Sengphimthong, 22, a resident of Dong Dok village, said: "Many teachers have graduated with degrees in education, but they don't want to go back to their villages to teach. I don't think there are many things that attract them to go back. If we compare between working in the town and in the countryside of course they want to work in town because they have a chance to learn foreign languages, but in the countryside there are no English schools for them to learn. I think that if we want to attract people to come to teach in the countryside we have to give chances for teachers in those areas to study or train. The education sector should give more of a chance to teachers who work in the countryside and pay them salaries on time like the teachers in town." Mr Thavone Chanthalangsy, a resident of Naxay village, said: "Laos still faces problems with education. There is a shortage of teachers in remote areas. This problem is very important in terms of education's effectiveness as well as the development of human resources in Laos. I think the sector concerned should solve this problem by improving teacher's salaries in order to help them afford their living conditions. Moreover, there should be strict rules about giving scholarships to local students. If the Government gives the scholarships to local people to continue their study, they will promise or sign a contact that they will return to work in their hometowns after finishing their studies. Mr Saithong Keoduangdee, Chief of the Education Department of Vientiane, said: "In fact, we don't really lack teachers, but we are lacking in teachers with the skills to teach in upper secondary level throughout the country. We have to use teachers who have experience teaching in lower secondary who graduate with a diploma to teach in upper secondary level instead. We really should have teachers who finish bachelor degrees teaching in upper secondary level. So the quality of teaching at upper secondary level is not very high now. Only 20 percent of the upper secondary teachers have the appropriate standard. The Government is trying to find a solution. I heard that this year the Ministry of Education will be enforcing the regulations strictly and fining people who graduate in education but don't work in their field of study. Some graduate teachers do other jobs instead of teaching." Ms Palisard Koulavong, 22, a recent graduate with a bachelor of education, said: "I will go back to my hometown to be a teacher in Thakek district, Khammuan province. I will go back because my mother wants me to stay with her. I want to live in Vientiane because we have more opportunities here than if we teach in the countryside. Even when I go back to my home province, I will teach in the town of Thakek. If the provincial education sector tells me to teach in a remote area I might not go because it is difficult to travel back to my house. If we teach in town we don't just have to wait for the salary, but we can teach extra. I think that our country lacks teachers in the remote areas because many people don't want to go there, it is not convenient, and the development out there is quite slow. Most education graduates will find other jobs to do. If they cannot find something else, their last choice is teaching because everyone has to think about income first." |
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