BEQUAL is supporting the Ministry of Education and Sports to improve pre-service and in-service training of primary teachers to promote better learning outcomes for primary level students. BEQUAL works in partnership with the Departments of Teacher Education, General Education, the eight Teacher Training Colleges, the Teacher Development Centre and the Research Institute of Educational Sciences to strengthen the Primary teacher training curriculum and build the capacity of teacher trainers. Emphasis is placed on the in-service training for the new primary curriculum and on the alignment of the primary teacher training curriculum and the new primary curriculum.
The main activities include:
- Provision of in-service training for the new primary curriculum, including the development of training materials, the establishment of fully equipped Master and Provincial training teams and the creation of a support system for the targeted province and districts.
- Development and distribution of in-service training materials linked to the revised curriculum, so all primary teachers are using the revised primary curriculum.
- Revision and implementation of the new primary teacher training curriculum. This curriculum will be closely aligned with the new primary curriculum, including subjects such as teaching Lao Language, Lao to non-Lao speakers and inclusive education.
- Capacity building of the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Teacher Training Colleges to develop teacher training standards and curriculum.
- Provision of a professional development program for teacher educators to support them in more effectively teaching the curriculum to their students and scholarships to primary teacher educators to upgrade qualifications to a higher degree, particularly to Master level qualification.
- Selection, training and deployment of ethnic teachers to disadvantaged areas through a scholarship grants program.