Officials from the German Embassy, Germany’s Development Bank KfW, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) attend the opening ceremony of the new Public Works and Transport Institute in Vientiane on Tuesday. The new two-storey building was financed by the German Government through KfW and is part of the fifth phase of the Rural Infrastructure Programme. The new facility has a meeting room, six offices, a kitchen, and a cafeteria, all fully furnished. The Institute is central to the training of staff at the MPWT, focusing on the implementation and supervision of road construction and maintenance. These modern facilities will also be available for private sector participants, increasing access to essential technical training. Acting German Ambassador, Mr Werner Grohé, said “With this new building, the Public Works and Training Institute will have more space and better equipment to deliver high-quality courses and meet the growing demands of the sector.” The Institue’s Director, Mrs Saykham Thammanosouth, expressed her gratitude, saying “This well-equipped facility will significantly improve the quality of training and enable the Institute to further strengthen the technical capacities of engineers and technicians across the country and to introduce new technologies for survey, design and construction.”

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) hands over vehicles and computer equipment to the Ministry of Education and Sports, following the completion of an inclusive education project. The handover ceremony marks the conclusion of the ‘Sowing the Seeds of Inclusive Education’ project, which was implemented in Huaphan and Champasak provinces with funding from the European Union and officially ended in March. The transfer of vehicles and laptops is in line with a Memorandum of Understanding signed between HI and the ministry’s Department of International Cooperation, which stipulated that project assets would be given to government partners upon the project’s completion. HI expressed its deep gratitude to the European Union and the Ministry of Education and Sports for their steadfast support and cooperation throughout the project.

Officials from Champasak province’s Culture and Tourism Department and the Lao Danxang Club in Vientiane on Monday stage a training session on traditional Lao music at the province’s ethnic cultural hall. The event was attended by teachers and students in Champasak province and aims to inspire more young people to take an interest in  traditional music forms and leading musicians.              --Photo Champamai Newspaper