Ministry puts new school curriculum textbooks online

Textbooks and teachers’ manuals used in the new primary school curriculum have been uploaded onto websites and platforms by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Speaking at a recent government meeting, Minister of Education and Sports Mrs Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune said education authorities plan to take education online to get children used to using digital technology and broadening the way in which education is delivered.
“The authorities have uploaded textbooks and teachers’ guidebooks onto the ministry’s websites and platforms to make it easier for schools. It will also

cut the cost of buying textbooks and will help to strengthen education through online learning,” Mrs Sengdeuane said. Teachers and students can now access the textbooks and teachers’ guidebooks used in preschool, primary and secondary schools through the www.moe.gov.la and www.moes.edu.la websites set up by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
All of the subjects in the new curriculum for Grades 1 and 2 and mathematics for Grade 3 of primary school have been uploaded onto the websites, according to the ministry’s Research Institute for Education Science.
The ministry is also running educational programmes on Lao National Television and posting lessons on social media, YouTube and websites.
These websites and platforms are accessible by schoolchildren and teachers throughout the country. They can download texts for free if they have an internet connection and can print them out for distribution within their school.
Mrs Sengdeuane said “We are facing challenges because some schools in rural areas may be unable to access the websites because they don’t have computers or television, while some parts of the country don’t have an internet connection.”
Officials at district Education and Sports Offices can use their computers to access the websites and can then provide textbooks and teachers’ guidebooks to schools that have no means of internet access.
As part of efforts to boost student and teacher access to digital technology and online education, the Ministry of Education and Sports is continuing to look at online study options as well as the use of television programmes, and teaching and learning videos for students.
The ministry is broadcasting programmes covering key primary subjects through television and social media.
The Ministry of Education and Sports and Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism are discussing ways to help students who can’t access the internet and television, to ensure they are able to follow the curriculum and are not left behind.

ByTimes Reporters
(Latest Update January 16, 2021)