MoES and Australia strengthen partnership to advance language, literacy and inclusive learning for every child

The Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR (MoES), with support from Australia through BEQUAL, is hosting the Conference on “Bridging Languages: Supporting Early Lao Language and Literacy Development in Multilingual Contexts in Lao PDR” on 24–25 June 2026 in Vientiane. Co-chaired by Ms Manoly Dongvan, Deputy Director General of the Research Institute for Educational Sciences, and Mr. Michael Currie, First Secretary of the Australian Embassy in Lao PDR, the conference brings together around 125 participants from MoES departments, Provincial and District Education and Sports Services, teacher education institutions, teachers, school leaders, NGOs, development partners and researchers to strengthen early language and literacy development for all children.

“This conference is important because it helps us ensure that every child, including children who do not speak Lao when they start school, has the opportunity to learn, participate, and succeed from the very beginning. By supporting children to build strong foundations from the start of school, we are helping create a more inclusive education system and investing in the future human capital of Lao PDR,” said Ms Manoly Dongvan.

Mr. Michael Currie added “The conference reflects the shared commitment of MoES and Australia to inclusive education. Inclusion is not only about access to school, but about ensuring that children can genuinely learn once they are there. For children who do not speak Lao at the start of school, early support in language development is critical. It helps them settle into learning, builds confidence, and gives them a stronger chance of progressing successfully through primary education.”

Organised by the Lao Language Research Centre under the Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES), the conference responds to a clear national priority: strengthening basic education as the foundation for human resource development. In Laos, many children, especially in remote and multilingual communities, begin school without speaking the language of instruction. This can create barriers to learning from the first day of Grade 1. The conference focuses on practical ways to reduce this gap so that children can build strong listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Lao while also valuing the languages they bring from home.