Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced plans to grant 1200 scholarships to Laotian students in 2024 during the 6th session of the Laos-Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee. The Hanoi meeting, co-chaired by both prime ministers, centered on enhancing education quality and human resource development. As part of this collaboration, Vietnamese educators will be sent to Laos to assist in teaching the Vietnamese language. Between 2011 and 2021, nearly 30,000 students from Laos studied in Vietnam. Additionally, from 2011 to 2020, Vietnam conducted 44 courses, ranging from 2 to 9 months, training 1,196 Laotian officials and teachers.
The latest meeting reviewed the results of the previous year's efforts, encompassing collaborative initiatives in the economic, trade, investment, energy, education, and health sectors. The session also witnessed the development of new objectives and priorities for the year 2024. In terms of the current year's agenda, the prime ministers have jointly committed to boosting bilateral trade with the goal of achieving a growth rate between 10-15%. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening ties in transport infrastructure and promoting cooperation in agriculture and rural development.
The Laotian government is committed to providing universal education for all citizens and has initiated a national program to establish primary schools where students undergo a six-year learning period. However, the quality of facilities, including the teachers, may still be lacking in certain rural areas, contributing to the persistence of a two-tier society. In Vietnam, education is a state-administered system comprising both public and private institutions overseen by the Ministry of Education and Training. The system is organized into five levels: preschool, primary school, secondary school, high school, and higher education. Formal education spans twelve years, covering basic education.
