Using the Mother Tongue as Bridge language of Instruction in case of the Lao PDR

Introduction The Lao PDR’s population is 5.6 million 49 ethnic groups 4 main linguistic - Lao - Tai 64,9% 8 ethnic groups, - Mone - Khmer 22,8% 32 ethnic groups, - Hmong - Iewmien 8,5% 2 ethnic groups, - Tibeto - Burmese 2,8% 7 ethnic groups. The literacy rate is 76% ( 2007 )

( books , paper ) Education issues Poor health and nutrition-cause by poverty Poverty leading to child labour in homes, the forest and looking after animals Lack of school within walking distance Lack of a teacher or properly trained and qualified teacher who understands the children’s special need No teaching and learning materials ( books , paper )

Education issues ( cont.) Relevance and quality of teaching and learning materials Language of instruction Little recognition of the value of education by ethnic groups

Context for second language teaching Lao as the language of instruction for all levels of schooling. Curriculum reform and teaching Lao had not been successful with ethnic groups. The four major language families sometimes differ widely in their cultural and linguistic needs.

Context ( cont. ) General materials for the whole country in such a context is difficult. That not a good assumption with second language learning for ethic groups. Need to develop second language learning materials and teaching approach ( Concentrated Language Encounters ).

Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE) CLE uses a number of methods to involve the children and their language in the development of these skills. CLE uses shared experiences between teacher and students. CLE is best to have a teacher shares the language and culture of the children.

Developing and trialing materials Developed supplementary materials on Lao language, math and life skills. The materials have designed for second language learners living in remote areas. The try-outs consisted of two parts: training and test/observation/evaluation.

Ethnic and Female Teacher Training Provided scholarships for ethnic girls to study in a “ 5+4 “ or “ 8+3 “ sandwich model. The trainees are recruited in villages that lack teachers, and after graduation they must return to teach in their respective villages.

Ethnic and Female ( cont.) A total of 371 ethnic teachers, 269 of whom are women completed primary school teachers. The latest batch of 141 graduates commenced their teaching in the cademic year ( 2006/2007 ). 4,000 teachers received in-service training.

Conclusion Improving the quality of life for ethnic groups has become a priority in Lao PDR. The government sees education as very important for the development. The development of second language leaning curriculum and materials in an attempt to improve the relevance, quality and efficiency of education for ethnic groups, especially for girls.