Reforming Lao teacher education to include females and ethnic minorities – exploring possibilities and constraints

Abstract

This article explores possibilities and constraints for the inclusion of female and ethnic minority students in Lao education in order to provide education for all. Females and ethnic minorities have traditionally been disadvantaged in Lao education and reforms for the inclusion of these groups are therefore welcome. The article provides rich information about how teachers and students in four teacher training institutions in Lao PDR experience inclusionary reform. The results show that inclusion strategies benefit both female and ethnic minority students, but in different ways. Female students from the majority ethnic group generally benefitted from the allowance for individual learning, since this provided space for them to act outside of gendered expectations. Ethnic minority students, however, benefitted more from the opportunity to work in smaller group settings, since they could receive support from other students, especially in language, which often proved to be a constraint for students with a different first language from the language of instruction. Although there are positive developments regarding the inclusion of females and ethnic minorities, there is still need to further develop and strengthen these efforts in order to support the continued inclusion of disadvantaged groups in Lao society.

Keywords:

• Educational reform
• teacher education
• inclusion
• gender
• ethnic minorities
• student-centred education
• Lao PDR

Notes

1. Although this categorization is contested, we use it in this article because the interviewed teachers and students commonly referred to it.

2. Also see Grimes, Sayarath, and Outhaithany (2011) for a discussion of how the five-pointed star was used in a Lao inclusive-education project that focused disabled students.