The Ministry of Education and Sports will adopt stricter screening for both potential university students and graduates to ensure they meet international education standards.
Minister of Education and Sports Dr Phankham Viphavanh made the comment during a special interview on Lao National Television on Tuesday night.
During the interview, people from across the country called in to voice their concerns regarding the quality of Lao education and suggested solutions to a variety of problems.
Dr Phankham, who is also a Party Politburo member, said university applicants will have their academic records from the secondary level onwards examined to assess their potential and only the top candidates will be accepted into bachelor, master's and PhD programmes.
These reforms will address the problem of some university graduates lacking the skills needed to meet current demand and drive development.
Meanwhile the ministry will encourage students who don't qualify for university to enroll in vocational training to meet the need for more skilled workers over the next decade.
This year, the National University of Laos dissolved a special course as part of efforts to improve education standards and encourage more students to take up vocational schooling.
The special course has been merged with university classes after many graduates were found to lack basic skills. Currently, university classes take place only in the morning and afternoon, whereas the special course was previously offered in the afternoon and evening.
Previously those who failed to get into the government's quota and failed the university's entrance exam sat another exam to enroll in the special course.
Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Mr Lytou Bouapao told VT yesterday the dissolution of the special course will give teachers more opportunity to prepare prior to their classes.
“In theory, a teacher should research for three hours before taking a one-hour class, but this has not been the case in the recent past,” he said.
However, there is concern that teachers will be unable to recoup the lost income from the dissolution of the special course, which could lead to more of them choosing to teach in extra time at private schools.
Laos lacks sufficient manpower to meet its development needs because more people are choosing to pursue tertiary education.
Of the some 40,000 students who graduated from upper secondary school last year, only 30 percent have gone on to study a vocation while the rest have enrolled in universities and private colleges.
Mr Lytou said the ministry will try to address this imbalance by raising awareness among primary and secondary school students and their parents of the importance of learning job skills to create a qualified workforce.
The ministry is offering free training for those willing to undertake vocational courses, particularly in fields where there is a shortage of workers.
Meanwhile, the ministry will strictly monitor the university entrance exam through the use of a computerised system and introduce strict end-of-year and course exams to ensure only the best students can continue with their education.
During the interview, Dr Phankham also touched on the problem of entertainment venues located nearby schools, the teacher and textbook shortage, inappropriate curricula, the promotion of e-learning, budget constraints, and teachers' low salaries.
