Czech Republic offers scholarships

Laos and the Czech Republic are expanding their cooperation as the Czech Republic last week offered scholarships to Lao students for the first time since 1989.

The scholarships will enable students to undertake master's and PhD programmes. It is hoped these would follow up on various pilot projects in Laos in the areas of livestock breeding, water management, water science, mining, and advanced technologies.

A scholarship will first be offered to just one Lao student, for study at a Czech university starting this September.

Czech Republic officials, led by the Chairman of the Committee on National Economy, Agriculture and Transport of the Senate of the Czech Republic , Hon. Ivan Adamec, visited the Ministry of Education on Friday to meet Deputy Education Minister Ms Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun and other education officials.

They discussed ways the Czech Republic could assist in the development of Lao education, especially through the provision of scholarships in different fields. This would also enhance the newly resumed diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

Ms Sengdeuane said the development of human resources was of key importance to Laos .

She hoped the group's visit would increase the two countries' cooperation in education development and achieve progress through the assistance offered.

Ms Sengdeuane said the ministry would select Lao candidates for study in the Czech Republic as soon as possible and hoped that more scholarships would be available in the near future.

Hon. Ivan Adamec said he believed that offering scholarships to Lao students would help forge a closer link in the relationship of the two cou ntries.

In their discussions, Czech officials offered assistance to Laos through the provision of economic experts for Lao universities, where they would teach subjects related to economic studies.

It was also agreed they would support infrastructure development in Laos through the application of advanced technologies, particularly in the area of transportation.

By Soulivan Vongmany
(Latest Update May 12 , 2008)