The Lao PDR Constitution of 1991 guarantees all Lao citizens the right to education and states that:
Education, culture and scientific activities are the means to raise the level of knowledge, patriotism, love of the people's democracy, the spirit of solidarity between ethnic groups and the spirit of independence. The pursuit of compulsory education is important. The state permits private schools that follow the state curriculum. The government and citizens jointly build schools of all levels to complete the education system, with emphasis on the expansion of education in ethnic group areas (UNESCO 2008).
Several decrees regulate education in the country. The Decree on Compulsory Primary Education of 1996 makes primary education free and compulsory for all children and the Decrees Nos. 0922, 0923 and 0924 of 2001 regulate the use of a credit system in higher education, the organization of teaching and learning, the structure of curriculum and the duration of study, as well as other matters related to the higher vocational diploma, the bachelor’s and master’s programmes (UNESCO 2008).
The Education Law (issued in 2000 and amended in 2007) establishes the education system as unified with non-formal education that is parallel and equivalent in content and value in every grade and at every level of education. It also stipulates that all Lao citizens have the right to education without discrimination regardless of their ethnicity, origin, religion, gender or social status (UNESCO 2008).
The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) is the central organization in charge of education, though the responsibilities are being progressively decentralized to the provincial and district levels. The MoES has a secretariat role in educational matters on planning and determining policy, as well as supervising, leading, implementing and controlling the educational tasks nationwide (UNESCO 2008).
The MoES is responsible for formal and non-formal education at all levels, and for both public and private education. Under the government’s decentralization process, the MoES shares responsibilities with the Provincial Education Services (PES) and the District Education Bureaus (DEB). PES is responsible for secondary schools and technical and vocational schools which are not under the control of the MoES. DEBs are responsible for pre-schools, primary schools and non-formal education institutions in their own districts (UNESCO 2008).
There are several other key institutions under the authority of the MoES. For example, the recently established Research Institute for the Educational Sciences, the Educational Standards and Quality Assurance Center, the Inclusive Education Center, the Strategic Research and Educational Analysis Center and the Education Statistics and Information Technology Center (IBE 2011).
In addition to MoES, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare run technical and vocational training institutions in their field of competence. There are also training centres under the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and the Lao Women Union. The National Commission for Disabled Persons is an inter-ministerial body mandated to represent and protect the legal rights of people with disabilities, gather data, propose policies and raise awareness (IBE 2011).
