More children learn to read and write in Laos

Listening

In Laos, it is not easy for girls to go to school. It is especially difficult the older they get. In the small town of Mai, there is a school where some girls struggle to continue their education. Here you can meet Lo Pia and Sanno who talk about their experiences.

You can also read about Somai writing down stories and passing them on to other children.

A school for older children

In Laos, pupils in grades one to five attend smaller schools in different villages. After grade five, students must transfer to larger schools located in the cities. The school in Mai is one of the few schools where older children can continue their education. The school has around 900 students.

Long way to school

Many children living in rural areas of Laos have a long journey to school. For girls, the long journey can make it difficult to stay in school. Girls are then forced to stay at home and help with the household.

An illustrated world map where the water is light blue and the land mass is light green. On the map, a red arrow shows where in the world Laos is located.
Laos is located in South East Asia.
An illustrated world map where the water is light blue and the land mass is light green. On the map, a red arrow shows where in the world Laos is located.
Laos is located in South East Asia.
Listening

Living with other families

Some girls who want to go to school move to families living near cities. This brings them closer to school. In some cases, the girls have to work for the family to pay for the accommodation. Moving to another family is often their only chance to stay in school.

Lo Pia and Sanno

Lo Pia and Sanno are two girls who go to school in Mai. Lo Pia says her parents didn't want her to stay in school. Her brothers persuaded her parents to let her try. Sanno was helped by her uncle to continue school. He wanted Sanno to become proficient in the Lao language so that she could help out at home in the village.

Sannos is sitting on a bench in front of a bright wall. She is wearing a school uniform and smiling at the camera.
Sannos.
Sannos is sitting on a bench in front of a bright wall. She is wearing a school uniform and smiling at the camera.
Sannos.
Listening

A fight for education

Many girls in Laos struggle to get an education. They have to overcome obstacles such as living far from school and working while studying. Lo Pia and Sanno are two examples of girls who continue to fight for their education.

A teacher in Laos stands at the front of his classroom and reads aloud from a book while holding up the pictures from the book to show the students. The students sit in their desks and listen.
Somai tells a fairy tale to students.
Somai is in a classroom telling a story. He is holding up pictures that he has painted for the story.
Somai shows the children pictures from the stories.
A teacher in Laos stands at the front of his classroom and reads aloud from a book while holding up the pictures from the book to show the students. The students sit in their desks and listen.
Somai tells a fairy tale to students.
Somai is in a classroom telling a story. He is holding up pictures that he has painted for the story.
Somai shows the children pictures from the stories.

School taught Somai to write - now he can write down stories and pass them on

Laos is home to several ethnic groups. One of them is the Rshi. One tradition within the community is storytelling. People gather around a fire and tell stories to each other.

In the past, few people from the Rshi community went to school. Therefore, no one could read or write. This meant that the stories told by the fire could only be passed on if someone else told them.

Somai is a boy who belongs to Rshi. Today he is an adult but when he was a child he went to school. There he learned to read and write. Now Somai works by traveling around listening to stories from the Rshi people and writing them down. Somai also creates pictures to accompany the stories. When he is done, he will visit different schools and tell the stories he has written down. This will give more children the opportunity to listen to Rshi stories and learn more about the history and traditions of the community.

Published: 15 November 2024

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