cwjmeej et al.,

Good suggestion... You should go ahead... or you can consider other
projects as follows...

Among the many other challenges, low pay for teachers, hard to get
teacher to go to remote villagers, lack of teaching materials, poverty
among the villagers are among the majors problems that I encounter
during my brief visit to Laos in 2006. In the Xiengkhouang area,
there are additional challenges like low morale for teachers, low
standard of education, high drop-out. The ultimate aim is to improve
the standard of education and there are a lot that we, the Laonork
can assist.

The kids need to have motivated, qualified teachers and sufficient
resources, so that the students would be sufficiently well prepared to
move on to trade schools and tertiary education at home and abroad.

With these in mind, there are many immediate possible ways that the
Laonork can assist:

1. Direct funding for the school would be an urgent need to be
considered by the Government, any Foreign Aid donor or individuals.
Aid funds could easily be implemented in this area. There are many
projects that are funded by Laonork and Laonai to build school
(including Buddhist school) in many localities. Here, each person can
sponsor part of the building, eg. a door,
http://www.lexicon.net/~lis01085/door1.jpg
a window
http://www.lexicon.net/~lis01085/window1.jpg

or a wall ect... and it does not cost much... only few hundred dollars
to only few thousands.

At the primary school level, funding can be toward sponsor a single
teacher in every village (around $600/year - ie. around $2/day) who
would teach as well as train local primary teachers.

At high school level, funding can be as supplement/incentive to
attract good qualified teachers to the secondary schools in the remote
areas.

Supply of text books and teaching materials are another easy way to
fund (as I have done with my old school at Lathouang - text books and
teaching manuals for Mo 1,2 and 3).
http://www.lexicon.net/~lis01085/lao/visit/IMG_0786.jpg

2. The international community/laonork could fund students to live-in
and be educated within their own localities. These could be in
addition to any existing scholarships. Many students in the remote
areas cannot afford to move to year 10 at bigger high school in larger
towns. One aim should be full secondary education to year 12 for all
children but many students, even the gifted ones, drop out after year
10. Hence focus should be target the students from year 9 to 12.

Example that the Laonork can consider:

Pick one school (in my case, I pick my old school).
Ascertain the need of that school.
Determine what you can do (with few hundred to few thousands dollars).
Then do it - directly to the school (+- via the provincial/local
authority).
Follow up

Cheerio...

DownUNder

Jun 26, 3:37 pm, cwjmem hotmail.com> wrote: