Higher education in Lao PDR is comprised of four public universities, 11 teacher education institutions and around 70 additional public and private bachelor degree granting education institutions. Programmes leading to a higher diploma normally last three years while at university level, programmes leading to a bachelor degree take five to seven years to complete. Master degree programmes last for a minimum of one and a half to two years, while a doctoral degree programme is at least three years (IBE 2011).
The number of enrolments in public and private higher education institutes has been rapidly increasing in recent years. In view of the rapid expansion of private higher education, there is an urgent need to establish a regulatory framework and/or quality assurance body to assess and accredit higher education institutes and/or programmes both in the public and private sectors (UNESCO 2008).
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) admits students after they complete either grade 8 or 11. Technical and vocational education offers (a) programmes for preparing skilled workers at the upper secondary level (8+3) which admits lower secondary graduates, and (b) programmes for preparing technicians at the post-secondary level ((11+2) and (11+3)). There is another path for lower secondary graduates that include three years of vocational education and two years of specialized training for graduation at the technician level (8+3+2) (UNESCO 2008).
The number of public and private technical schools has significantly increased over the last decade, along with their enrolment rates. In 2007 there were 50 registered TVET curricula in 27 areas covering four main fields (agriculture, business, industry and handicraft) (IBE 2011). However, Lao still lacks a skilled labour-force and the popular programmes do not match the needs of the market. Around 40% of all students enrolled in certificate programmes are in ‘low skill programmes’, such as business studies, while high skill labour is in greater demand and pays significantly more (UNESCO 2008).
Enrolment in public and private higher education institutions has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Since 2000-01, enrolments at the National University of Laos (NUOL) increased by more than 10% annually and reached a total of 22,984 in 2004-05, and enrolments in private higher institutes reached a total of 14,371 in 2004-05, in comparison to 4,187 in 2000-01. Gender disparity in enrolments has been slowly decreasing; however the country's public higher education and training system still has had significant difficulties in ensuring access across gender, ethnic and disabled groups (UNESCO 2008).
In 2005-06 a total of 2,675 students were enrolled in the 12 public vocational schools and a total of 18,632 students (7,235 female students, 39% of the total public technical schools’ enrolment) in the 33 public technical schools. The same year, the private sector offered a further 14 technical schools, with a total of 4,020 students (1,731 female students, 43% of the total private enrolment). Although the demand for TVET is growing and TVET enrolment is increasing, the sub-sector is still small and underdeveloped. In 2005-06, the GER in vocational education and training (in most cases after completion of lower secondary) was only 0.4% and the GER in technical education and training (after completion of upper secondary) was 0.5%. Inequity in terms of access is mainly due to poverty and distance to the learning sites, largely affecting the non-Lao-Thai and those in peripheral regions (UNESCO 2008).
The present degree granting institutions, higher technical colleges and technical colleges do not meet acceptable regional quality standards. In particular, the higher education system lacks overall planning, management and monitoring, and the Department of Higher, Technical and Vocational Education’s management capacity is not adequate for it to meet its responsibilities. Moreover, resources for maintenance, renovation, infrastructure improvement and academic and staff development are virtually nonexistent (excepting external aid). Academic staff members are often under-qualified, largely due to low formal salaries, which results in difficulties faced by public universities in retaining skilled and experienced personnel (ADB 2009).
Furthermore, the quality of TVET is generally low. Reasons include: limited budget for operations and investment; a lack of textbooks and teaching and learning materials in Lao; inadequate facilities and workshops with obsolete or minimal machinery, equipment and tools for the practice; and the quality of technical and vocational teachers is relatively low with very limited practical professional experiences due to the lack of practical training in enterprise (UNESCO 2008).
The Department of Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, under the MOES, is responsible for management and coordination of the country’s post-secondary sector, including overall supervision and monitoring (ADB 2009). In particular, the Department is responsible for: (i) creating and issuing all rules and regulations for both private and government-run institutions; (ii) inspecting and evaluating the implementation of the education curriculum; undertaking research into the establishment of additional vocational schools, colleges and centres; (iii) developing educational tools and equipment for use in teaching and study; and (iv) managing scholarships and more (Cultural Profiles n.d.).
Most TVET courses are provided by institutions which are operated by the MOES, however many other institutions also provide training. For example, there are schools under provincial departments of education; schools under other ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Culture and health; training centres under the MLSW, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and the Lao Women Union; community learning centres; private sector schools; company training centres; and NGO run training centres (IBE 2011).
In general, the Department of Higher, Technical and Vocational Education lacks sufficient capacity in regard to determining policy, establishing monitoring standards and approving the institutional curricula. In addition, although responsible for overall coordination of post-secondary education and training, no coherent policy or administrative framework exists that integrates all institutions, regardless of their governmental of affiliation (MoE 2008).
The Lao Government sees the need to expand TVET and higher education programmes in order to build a relevant workforce that can contribute to the needs of the economy. The Education Sector Development Framework (ESDF) in highlights targets such as 50% female enrolment across higher education and teacher education, improved university access to poorer students, by means of scholarships (20% of total, enrolment), 40% scholarship provision for teachers in training (TEI enrolled), 80% of university students full fee paying, full government support to private university development (MoE 2009). In addition, the ESDF targets the provision of a least one TVET institution in each province, with the hope to expand TVET enrolment to 25% of upper secondary by 2020 (UNESCO 2008).
Furthermore, under the TVET Strategy and Master plan (2006-20), TVET institutions are encouraged to provide courses for different target groups, including new labour market entrants, existing workers, young people, adults and disadvantaged groups (IBE 2011).
