By Phonekeo Vorakhoun

Vientiane Times

With the number of private schools and colleges proliferating in Vientiane, it is time for the authorities to consider a ranking system to ensure that the quality of curriculums and teaching staff meet the expectation of parents and students.

Students and their families invest their hard earned saving when they opt for private education and expect these establishments to deliver on their promise to improve students’ career opportunities

I read a letter from a concerned reader in the Vientiane Times this month, which expressed concern about the quality of tuition and also the level of fees being charged by some private schools.

The writer felt that exorbitant fees being charged by some colleges were unjustified, particularly as they are set without approval or oversight of the relevant authorities.

The letter also suggested that the education sector should be assessing the quality of tuition at the various private colleges, and that the fees charged should be set according to the quality of the learning experience.

I think it is most definitely a good idea for education sector officials to recognize the concerns of many parents and do as the letter suggested.

The Ministry of Education and Sport s is not only responsible for encouraging businesspeople to invest in developing private schools. It also has duty to protect the interest of the public by ensuring high standards of education are made available to everyone. Not just to those who can afford to pay at times exorbitant fees to private institutions for tuition that is sometimes highly questionable.

The ministry needs to make sure that all Lao children get the chance to receive a quality education, regardless of their background.

This is particularly so the primary school level, as all children should have the chance to achieve basic literacy so they can function in society. If the standard of facilities and tuition in state school, it will erode any confidence that parents has in the public system. This will result in more and more people sending their children to private colleges, where they are not necessarily guaranteed to receive value for money.

More and more children have already begun transferring from state-run schools to private institutions, particularly in Vientiane where there are higher disposable incomes and many parents don’t trust the standard of teaching in state-run schools. This is a signal that the gap between private and state-run schools is increasing all the time, and poor families will fall further behind as they can’t afford the expensive fees charged by private schools. It is time for the education sector to improve standards in state-run schools to restore their reputation; after all, they are supposed to be the flag ships of our national education system.

The number of private schools has mushroomed since 2000, when the government opened the door for private individuals and groups to invest in the education sector in a bid to improve standards. Incentives were offered, such as tax breaks and various other concessions. No one can refute that private colleges have played an important role in boosting the quality of Lao education and contributed to producing a quality workforce and professionals in various fields. But there are some colleges that seem to operate purely for monetary gain, and there is certainly room for improvement. As the number of private schools proliferates, there is more and more competition for a larger slice of the student pie. Increased competition has seen private schools employ various tactics to try and set themselves apart. Many schools are spending a lot of money to improve classroom facilities and beautify their grounds, but some are doing this at the expense of their teaching standards and curriculum development.

Ranking teaching standards at private colleges would be a good way to encourage them to focus more on tuition rather than their premises, but at the moment this isn’t happening.

As a result many people are worried about the quality of some private schools. There is no official measure to certify the quality of their teaching standards and so aside from word of mouth parents have no real means to weigh up the merits of one school against another.

The amount of money charged may influence parents’ decisions, either because one school is cheaper or the more expensive one is assumed to be more prestigious, but this is not always necessarily the case. It is reasonable and necessary for the education sector to rank schools to ensure students see the benefits of a real, high-class education.

The government considers education and human resource development to be critically important to drive the nation forward, and is constantly pushing for the improvement of education, both in terms of quantity and quality.

In this context, it is the duty of the state to ensure that there is quality education for all, and that there is not a yawning gap between the rich and the poor. We have to accept that currently the gap between the rich and the poor is growing as the result of the burgeoning market economy. Educational opportunities for all are one way to limit this gap, by ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to excel. However, there are gaps here as well, depending on families’ varying financial status.

The rich can afford to send their children to prestigious schools, while students from poorer backgrounds don’t get that chance. Many private schools charge high tuition fees, but many families feel it is a necessary investment in their children’s future, as they consider state schools to be inferior.

Some people who can barely afford it borrow money to pay for their children’s education. The education sector has a responsibility to see that not only is people’s money well spent, but that tuition fees are reasonable.