The Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR (MoES), with support from Australia through the Basic Education Quality and Access in Lao PDR (BEQUAL) program, launched a series of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capacity building workshops in three target Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) in June 2024. The three targeted TTCs are Luang Namtha TTC, Khang Khai TTC and Savannakhet TTC. The workshops were targeted at TTC technical staff responsible for providing ICT support to 1,044 Internal Pedagogical Support (IPS) providers in 30 districts across seven provinces (Luang Namtha, Bokeo, Phongsaly, Xiangkhouang, Houaphan, Savannakhet and Khammouane). The IPS providers and TTC technical staff responsible for teachers’ professional development have been provided with tablets and a monthly data allowance to facilitate the development of ICT skills.

Mr Keth Phanhlack, Director General of the Department of Teacher Education (DTE) said: “There are still many challenges with ICT access in Lao PDR, for example access to computers and the internet, and low levels of ICT literacy. It is very positive that the Government of Australia, through the BEQUAL program, is supporting our TTC technical teams and IPS teams with the provision of tablets and training for staff to develop their technical skills in using digital teaching and learning resources”.

Mr Keth added “BEQUAL collaborated with District Education and Sports Bureaus (DESBs) to establish IPS support networks in target districts and equip them with knowledge and skills to support teachers. As a result, 98% of IPS providers can now access the internet using tablets and they are using this resource to support over 8,000 primary teachers in disadvantaged districts.”