How and why have Attitudes Towards Secondary Education at Ethnic Minority villages in Lao PDR changed?

• In Event: Educational Equity for Marginalized Learners: Access, Pedagogy, and Aspirations Across Contexts

Proposal

1.Research Background and Objective
There are still many out-of-school children and Youth (OOSCY) and dropouts in the ethnic minority reside areas of Lao PDR, especially at the secondary education level. Factors that cause OOSCY and dropouts include distance to school, poverty in families, low recognition for the importance of education, the custom of early marriage, and having to help with farming and take care of siblings. Besides, it is noted that difficulties in learning are one of the major factors because ethnic minorities are required to switch to the official language (Lao) when they study at school. While educational support is widespread in urban areas, rural areas where ethnic minorities reside remain left behind, and the gap is only widening.
This research aims to examine how the local government and NGOs in Laos challenge to create their unique way of learning style based on the social reality and stakeholders’needs. Until now, the theoretical framework and global education policies and momentum have been based on the premise of achieving universal education by 100% enrollment, returning out-of-school children to school, and solving problems within formal education. Most of the developing countries followed the policies that were led by developed countries and international organizations.
2. Research Methodology
The main methods of this study were interviews and observations. The survey was conducted in March 2025 in three districts of A Province in Lao PDR, where the dropout rate is relatively high. The dropout rate in upper secondary education is high in the province, with 22.3% of first-year high school students.
All six villages in the A province where the survey was conducted are ethnic minority villages located more than one to three hours away from the provincial center. During the survey visits, interviews were conducted with the district education office staff, teachers, and villagers. In addition to the interview, school visits were also conducted. The main questions asked were the time (grade level) the youth became OOSCY, the reason to quit school, available learning supports for OOSCY, and the options that dropout students take after being OOSCY. Interviews were conducted with OOSCY about the reasons for dropping out and their future career paths after dropping out.

3. Research Results and Discussion
1) Local Government Response
The local government office offered supplementary courses in the evenings and on weekends to help students obtain a secondary education diploma, helping them return to public education. They also offered a variety of educational opportunities, including vocational training programs (approximately two years long) in agriculture, machine repair, and construction.

2) Perspectives of Village Heads and OOSCYs in Each Village
The age at when the youth drop out of school varies by village, but the most common ages are the third and fourth years of junior high school (14-15 years old) and the first and second years of high school (16-17 years old). In addition to the reasons cited in previous studies, many people felt that formal education was not a major viable option, as studying at school does not lead to employment or income promptly. Even if they obtain a university degree(BA), the job opportunities are limited. In the Lao PDR, people are being urged to find work and earn an income as soon as possible because they are currently experiencing severe inflation and a currency crisis. Contrary to initial expectations, vocational training, although free, was not a viable option because it took several years to complete.

3) OOSCY’s Perspectives
For these reasons, village youth tended to choose not to continue their education even when vocational education programs were available. Furthermore, in the ethnic minority residential areas, it was customary for youth to view the age of 15 or 16 as an opportunity to get married or work away from home, leaving their hometown to work as migrant workers. In other words, despite the wide variety of learning opportunities available, there was a significant change in the educational attitudes toward the OOSCY and their parents.
If these situations continue as they are, the educational awareness of ethnic minorities living in rural areas will decline, and they will continue to take temporary jobs without acquiring specific skills. A future challenge is to determine what kind of learning opportunities are suitable to diminish the gap between urban areas and ethnic minorities residing areas. The importance and originality of this study is to provide a sustainable and flexible learning model to support OOSCY.

Author

• Miki Inui, University of Hyogo