MITTAPHAP LAOS AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 2 | JUNE 2015
Skills can take You AnywhereEven to the End of the Earth
Inside issue
No2 2 Message from Deputy Head of Mission 4 Update from Awards Manager 10 Skills can take You Anywhere-Even to the End of the Earth 12 The Man Behind World Heritage in Laos
The Laos Australia Institute is managed by Coffey on behalf of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
LAI NEWSLETTER
Message
Message from Deputy Head of Mission
to reach their potential. Thanks to all the teachers in Laos who commit themselves to the most amazing profession and teach our children and our future leaders of government and industry. Thanks to all the alumni who through our professional or personal engagements have welcomed me to Laos and into your work and your lives. This is the most special part of any diplomatic posting and the things that enrich people and are remembered for many years to come.
“Thanks to all the alumni who through our professional or personal engagements have welcomed me to Laos and into your work and your lives.” Given my posting to Lao PDR is almost over, I was given this opportunity to write something for the Mittaphap magazine. It took me a long time to write these very short few words. I was asked to write about leadership – and struggled. I was unable to connect the various themes that were on offer to write about (e.g. maternal health, breastfeeding, domestic violence). But with the impending sense of my own departure from Lao PDR, I simply
want to say kop chai very much. Thank you to the Lao students who sought out better opportunities for yourselves – and chose education and chose Australia. Thanks to all the mothers and fathers who made sure their daughters had the same opportunities for education as their sons.
I also want to thank the staff at Vientiane College and Coffey and the quality staff at the Australian Embassy. Your support and professionalism to design, finance, implement and commit to education and HRD programs is admirable and so valuable to Australia and to Lao PDR. So no transformative insights into how to become a better person and certainly no life shattering insights into how to become a better leader. But just plain and simple recognition and thanks. Perhaps that’s a tool that more leaders need to use more often. I know I have a lot to be thankful for.
Dave Vosen
Thanks to all the alumni who continue to do amazing things with the opportunities you had – and ensuring that others, no matter if they are your employees, colleagues or people you have not met – also get the opportunity
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Message from the Institute Director
At the Laos Australia Institute, we have a dedicated team of Australian and Lao professionals supporting the country’s efforts to improve human resource development. This was on display recently when we organised, with help from the Australian Embassy, study visits to Australia and the Philippines for senior Lao government officials in May 2015. The purpose of these study visits was to learn more about human resource development policies and programs. The visits gave the delegation members a chance to see the efforts of other countries to reconcile current and future demand for qualified and skilled labour with the education and training system. This is critical as Laos is developing its own national Human Resource Development Strategy and as the country opens up to greater regional movement of labour with the advent of the ASEAN Economic Community. These new initiatives will, of course, complement our existing programs in scholarships and English language training. In the next month or so, we will release an upgraded English for Government Officials and English for ASEAN Purposes curriculum and training package developed in conjunction with Lao government English language training experts. This will also be available for students and teachers online. These are exciting times to be involved in human resource development in Laos, and we look forward to continuing our support over the next couple of years, through the Australian aid program.
ປະມວນຄໍາສັບລາວ ສະເພາະໃຊ້ໃນວຽກງານ ພັດທະນາຊັບພະຍາກອນມະນຸດ
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HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT GLOSSARY ພາສາອັງກິດ/ລາວ (ສະບັບທີ1) ເດືອນ ມິຖຸນາ 2015
English/Lao (Edition 1) June 2015
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LAI’s own human resource development program includes skills and capacity building. In the next two years, we will be introducing a Competency Based Training program, delivered in Lao by an Australian training provider. This will allow government officials to upgrade their skills while remaining at their workplaces, and receive recognition for the work that they do. This program will be delivered in the context of supporting key government agencies to undertake organisational assessments and develop Human Resource Development Plans for their organisations. In the lead up to these new activities, LAI has developed a Glossary of Human Resource Development terminology, available in both Lao and English, which is now available on our website.
Edited by Laos Australia Institute
Bill Pennington
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LAI NEWSLETTER
Message
Update from Awards Manager In the last newsletter, I talked about the changes to management of the program and promised to continue to deliver outstanding results for the scholarships. This is a little update on how we are making that happen. The year started with the usual hive of activity, preparing for the opening of the 2015 Australia Awards selection round. Yaya and Lar were kept busy during February delivering Australia Awards information in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Champassak. Check out the Australia Awards information videos on our website – another promotional tool introduced this year. In February the first Reintegration Workshop for Australia Awards scholars was held. This is a new initiative and is aimed at providing Australia Awards graduates with supporting strategies on return from study in Australia. In March, our Alumni Associate
Alounny was busy organising the Annual Alumni Function, held at Landmark Hotel. For the first time, private alumni joined Australia Awards alumni at this popular event. The weather held and we enjoyed a lovely evening on the front lawn. The photo booth was a huge hit with almost everyone jumping into the queue for a photo opportunity. The theme for the evening was Early Childhood Nutrition and we were not disappointed at the level of support from alumni. We are always on the lookout for themes for the Annual Alumni Function, please let us know if you have any good ideas for future events. Applications for Australia Awards closed on 30 April and this kept the team busy for the month of May checking eligibility, assessing applications, providing feedback to applicants and organising interviews. If you want more information on what we have been up to and want to be involved, check out the website (www.australiaawardslaos.org), the Lao Australia Alumni Club Facebook page, or drop in and see us sometime.
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Returning to Work Ms Nednaly Virravong graduated from the Queensland University of Technology in December 2014 with a Bachelor of Business. Nednaly attended the Reintegration Workshop where she was particularly interested in ANZ’s proposed Internship program. After the workshop, she applied for a position on the ANZ Graduate Program and, no surprises to all who know her, Nednaly became the first graduate recruited to the program.
Congratulations Nednaly! We are sure you will be an asset to ANZ and we wish you well in your future career in banking. We would love to hear if there were any other success stories to come out of the Reintegration Workshop but more importantly, we would love for alumni to contribute to the workshop content, perhaps developing and delivering some of the sessions. Contact the Awards Team if you are interested.
Above: Nednaly Viravong Management trainee at ANZ Left: Amanda Roberts, Awards Manager and her team (Lar, Alounny and Yaya)
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LAI NEWSLETTER
HRD Partnership Grows
H.E. Mr Somdy Douangdy, Minister of Planning and Investment and H.E Mr John Williams, Australian Ambassador to Lao PDR, chaired the first High Level Advisory Council meeting of the Laos Australia Human Resource Development Program on 7 May in Vientiane. Minister Somdy said human resource development was critical for the development of the Lao PDR, especially in the era of greater ASEAN integration.
News Update
“To be economically competitive in the coming years, Laos needs an educated, skilled population. Our social development relies on ensuring young Lao people have access to quality education and training, and jobs in the future.”
Government to help build the kind of workforce the Lao economy needs, now and into the future,” he said.
The meeting reflected on the significant progress achieved during the program’s first year, including successful management of the Australia Awards scholarships program, extending the LaosAustralia National Scholarships (LANS) program to Souphanouvong University in Luang Prabang, and “To be economically competitive in revising the curriculum for adult the coming years, Laos needs an English language learning. educated, skilled population. Our social development relies on ensuring Minister Somdy and Ambassador young Lao people have access to Williams announced a new program quality education and training, and to be delivered through the LAI, jobs in the future,” he said. which will provide training in human resource management to around 70 Ambassador Williams said Australia officials from key Lao Government and the Lao PDR both saw education agencies. and human resource development as vital for economic growth. “Australia is committed to working with the Lao
Ms Sisomboun Ounavong, Director General, International Cooperation Department, MPI
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Learning How Others Do It
In May 2015, LAI supported study visits by Lao officials to Australia and the Philippines.
Above: Members of the Lao delegation to Australia meet with their counterparts at the Department of Education in Canberra. They also travelled to Melbourne for meetings with the Victorian State Government
Below: Members of the Lao delegation to the Philippines met with the Civil Service Commission in Manila and attended a Human Resources Symposium in Cebu
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LAI NEWSLETTER
News Update
Australian Alumni Optimistic About AEC There will be winners and losers from Laos joining the ASEAN Economic Community, the audience were told at a panel discussion in Vientiane on 3 June 2015. The occasion was the first Australian Embassy “Q&A” forum involving Australian-trained alumni from different professions, with the theme of “What Does AEC mean for Laos?” Over 100 people attended the forum held at the Lao Plaza Hotel, which was moderated by Ambassador Mr John Williams. Panel members, who were all Australian alumni, included government officials, economic researchers and business people. The panel of Mr Kiengkhammanh Khottavong, Mr Sitthiroth Rasphone, Mr Bounmy Sengphachan and Ms Thiphaphone Phetmany and Mr Richard Taylor responded to questions from the audience and by video link from Lao students in Australia. Questions focused on
public awareness of the AEC, the competitiveness of the Lao economy, the impact on different businesses and sectors, as well as education and human resource development. Panel member and local businesswoman Thippaphone said “I am quite optimistic about AEC. I want to see changes no matter how big or small. We might not be able to compete with others as we want but remember no pain, no gain.” The Australian Embassy was pleased with the audience response to the Q&A forum, and hopes to hold similar events in the future, covering other topics of importance to Laos and Australia.
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Annual Alumni Event The Australian Embassy’s annual alumni function was attended by over 300 former students, representatives from the governments of Australia and Lao PDR, Australian tertiary institutions, Australian volunteers, and the Australian Chamber of Commerce, Austcham on 11 March 2015. Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Dave Vosen said the large cadre of Australian alumni in the Lao PDR were an asset for the country and for bilateral relations between Lao PDR and Australia. “Many are now leading the Lao Government’s economic development agenda, whether in government, development organisations or in the private sector” he said. This year, the Australian Embassy specifically recognised Australian alumni who studied in Australia outside the Australian Government’s scholarship program. Mr Vosen said Australia was very pleased that in recent years, an increasing number of Lao students have been able to study in Australia privately. “Australia has a welldeserved reputation as one of the leading providers of international tertiary education in the world” Mr Vosen said.
“Australia has a welldeserved reputation as one of the leading providers of international tertiary education in the world.”
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LAI NEWSLETTER
Alumni Story
“Skills Can Take You Anywhere – Even to the End of the Earth”
Everything surrounding him is white. It is 30 degrees below zero. He has been given a near impossible task, to find a fallen meteorite in the vast white emptiness of Antarctica. He walks on. This is a long way from Vientiane. Then he stops. He’s found what he’s been looking for.
instead of complaining how I made such a mistake. If my assignment was really good, he would encourage me to keep up the good work, rather than compliment on my work. Now as a qualified helicopter engineer, I pass on those coaching techniques to other trainees,” he says.
In a broad Australian accent says “I found them - two pieces of meteorite. I passed them to our expedition leader. We say you can make a wish when you see a falling star, well how about catching a falling star and make a wish? Pretty cool, eh?”
After he graduated from TAFE, he returned to his first love - aviation. “There were a lot of jobs for mechanical engineers in the mining sector back in 2003, and with my qualification from Australia it would have been easy to get a job. However, I decided to knock on the helicopter company’s door and ask for a job,” Oulideth explained. He managed to get a trial position with Lao Westcoast.
The man is Oulideth Bangonesengdet. His determination and passion for aviation has taken him around the world, and made him the first Lao aircraft engineer working on helicopters and probably the first Lao to step on the frozen continent of Antarctica.
Oulideth Bangonesengdet Advanced Diploma of Mechanical Engineering under Australia Awards, 2001
Oulideth is a Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and has been working for Helicopters New Zealand (HNZ) since 2008. He studied an Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Moreton Institute of TAFE in Queensland under the Australia Awards Scholarship. He finished his program in 2003. The Australia Awards scholarship gave him the opportunity to study and live independently in Australia. He appreciated his TAFE course, where he learned a range of skills, useful in his current job as helicopter engineer. “Apart from those engineering skills, my course at Moreton allowed me to learn about coaching and communication. They are very important for your work. When we started working as trainees, how much we learn and our career development depends heavily on coaching from a qualified engineer or supervisor.” “I felt very supported there. When I did something wrong my tutor would correct it with clear instruction, MITTAPHAP | 10
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“By working here, I found out that it is all about professionalism, rather than where you are from.”
“I remember how motivated and happy I was at work, to be around helicopters and with people who have the same interest. It was fun and rewarding for me.” Life was quite difficult as an unpaid trainee. However, it was not long before his passion and motivation were recognised. He was accepted as a trainee aircraft maintenance engineer. During his training, he traveled frequently to the company’s main base in New Zealand. He realised that New Zealand could be a future home, and his journey started there. “I see the New Zealand aviation industry as a good place to gain more practical experience and it is a place where I can prove my skills at international level.” “It took me five years of practical experience plus taking all the aircraft engineering exams. There is no short cut to becoming a qualified aircraft maintenance engineer; every engineer has to go through the same process, because at the end it is all about competence in what we do,” he says.
time in the Deep South was full of excitement and learning. “I also went out with the expedition team from time to time and helped with their activities. We would help them to retrieve data units, deploy sensors, as well as snow and ice sampling. The most exciting and rewarding activity would be the meteorite search,” he says. Oulideth’s journey does not end there. He goes back to Australia from time to time mostly for additional training and short contract work. In 2010, he worked as a supervising engineer for three months, carrying out maintenance on the Royal Australia Navy’s training helicopters. “By working here, I found out that it is all about professionalism, rather than where you are from.” He still comes back to work in Laos because his company provides helicopters for the ongoing search for the remains of American soldiers missing from the Vietnam War. It is a joint program of the Lao and American governments. “To me it’s like humanitarian work and I am grateful to be part of it.”
Antarctic ice containing air bubbles dating back a few hundred years. It is used by scientists to compare the air quality today with the one a few hundred years back.
Oulideth and the expedition team searching for meteorites.
In November 2003, he was assigned to look after and provide maintenance for two helicopters on an expedition to Antarctica. The helicopters were used in transport and construction for a new Antarctic base station. His MITTAPHAP | 11
LAI NEWSLETTER
Alumni Story
The Man Behind World Heritage in Laos
Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy PhD candidate on Archaeology under Australia Awards, 1994 Australian trained Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy is an archaeologist and civil servant who has spent his life devoted to protecting and preserving the cultural and historic treasure of Laos. He led the way for the recognition of Luang Prabang and Vat Phou Champasack on the World Heritage List. Meanwhile, his work on the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang province is likely to ensure that this important historic site will also be listed.
History, followed by a Masters degree majoring in Art History. As a child, Thongsa wanted to be an architect, but the Ministry of Education responsible for scholarships at that time suggested that he study History. Even so, while in France Thongsa managed to include architecture along with his archaeology course. It was during his student days that he realised archaeology also offered fun, excitement and adventure, so he left architecture aside.
Born in Tha Khek, after finishing high school he received a French scholarship to study Archaeology and
On returning to Laos, Thongsa worked in the arts and then became Director of Museums and Archaeology in 1987.
Gaining an Australian scholarship, he undertook a PhD in Archaeology at the Australia National University from 1994-1996. His thesis focused on the prehistory of Laos. “I decided to do my doctorate in Australia because I am interested in prehistory - the origin of human society. It’s very challenging and I think no one from Laos had ever studied it. I wanted to know and understand how society originated. This is completely different from recorded history,” Thongsa remembers. His work covered three themes patterns of peopling in the region, MITTAPHAP | 12
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phases of social evolution and socio-economic development that eventually led to the emergence of state formation in the territory that is now Laos. “Archaeologically, Laos is a terra incognita or unknown territory. It means no one knows about it or writes about it so I want to do my research on it. My course allowed me to learn more about the prehistory of Southeast Asia, museum curating and particularly management of cultural heritage which was very relevant to my work at that time,” Thongsa says. While doing his PhD, Thongsa still worked for his department, as well as the Lao National Commission for UNESCO and the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO. This resulted in an application to place Luang Prabang on the World heritage register. Luang Prabang became the first World Heritage site in Laos in December 1995. “Many Luang Prabang people at that time disagreed with the World Heritage idea - but later they realised that it has been very beneficial to them and they appreciated it very much,” Thongsa recalls. Throughout his work, Thongsa has battled the ignorance of people on preserving antiques and cultural heritage. Cultural preservation is not without its risks. For example, it took Thongsa a long time and many negotiations to ensure that development allows for cultural preservation. During the renovation of Samsenthai and Setthathirath Roads in Vientiane, construction work uncovered many antiquities and artefacts. His team found about 300,000 pieces of antiques which now are kept in the National Museum. “The origin and history of the Lao people are buried under the ground, but if we don’t excavate or search for it how will we, the Lao people know where we are from, or how civilised we are. The artifacts could have been
destroyed by road construction, dam construction, mining, natural disaster and time,” Thongsa explains. When asked how he knew where the antiques were, he says proudly “I have my own way. We found the antiques in 20 holes out of the 22 holes we excavated.” In 2010, he became a Director of the Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. Thongsa was responsible for the Law on Lao National Heritage, a Decree on Heritage Management in Laos, and legislation on cultural heritage in Laos. He also trained staff at the Ministry and from other provinces on excavation and survey techniques. At international level, Thongsa has played an important part in ensuring Laos is a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on World Cultural Heritage, the Convention on Cultural Diversity and Expression and in future the Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage. Thongsa’s international expertise is recognised by his United Nations and Australian counterparts as well as those in Japan, where he has been a visiting professor at Kyoto University. As a family man, Thongsa takes pride in the achievements of his three children, Vichit, Saybandith and Suthida, who have all taken after their father and studied in Australia on scholarships. Thongsa took leave from his government positions following a stroke in 2012, however after rehabilitation and recovery, he still provides advice to the Minister. “I like archaeology because we look back on our past to see the future. We have to understand our past so we understand our present and to have a vision.”
Thongsa accompanied the Former Prime Minister, Bouasone Bouphavanh visiting excavation site on a Vientiane road.
Thongsa working with Ngaulongpa villagers on an archeological excavation at Hang cave in Hauphan Province
“I like archaeology because we look back on our past to see the future. We have to understand our past so we understand our present and to have a vision.”
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LAI NEWSLETTER
Alumni Story
New Australian Alumni Representatives
Ms Souphaphone Souannavong (Nana) Bachelor of International Business under Australia Awards, 2002
Congratulations to Ms Souphaphone Souannavong (Nana) and Mr Saysomvang Souvannavong (Pick) who were recently appointed as representatives for the Australian Alumni group. Nana and Pick will attend meetings and functions on behalf of all alumni. They will keep the alumni membership posted about opportunities and connections, upcoming events and functions. “Basically, we’ll keep track of what’s going on around alumni, and let them know everything when they need to be present somewhere such as meetings, functions, or events,” Nana said. Both of them agree that networking is very important and beneficial at individual and community level. Therefore, they encourage the old and new generations of alumni to join the group and actively participate in events and activities.
“Having been an alumnus myself, I feel honoured. It is a great way of networking and getting help from other alumni. We have alumni working in many sectors. Many of them are playing key roles and hold senior positions in their organisations. Working is about connections. If you know people, your work is easy. I think our alumni networks provide this advantage,” Pick said. “Personally, I would like the alumni group to help other alumni find jobs, collaborate and connect with current and past students, raise funds to make social and regional impacts, train alumni to use social media and promote networks,” Nana said. “I would like to call for alumni spirit from all alumni. Meaning, the big part of how you live your life, coming from this opportunity provided by the Australian Government. You have to give something back. At the very least, you must find time to meet
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Saysomvang Souvannavong (Pick) Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) under Australia Awards, 2004
other alumni. I have always given back, and I feel great.” Pick said. Who are they? Nana completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Banking and Finance from Monash University in 2005 under Australia Awards. Later Nana was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and completed a Masters degree in the US. In March 2014 she started Toh Lao, a co-working space in the centre of Vientiane aiming to build an entrepreneurial community where ‘like-minded people come to work, to collaborate, to grow their businesses’. Currently, she works for a regional bank as Head of Business Development and Marketing.
Systems and Technology) from George Washington University in 2012. Currently, he works at the Lao National Internet Centre, under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, responsible for the domain name system of Laos.
“Having been an alumnus myself, I feel honoured. It is a great way of networking and getting help from other alumni.”
Pick graduated with a Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) from the University of Queensland under the Australia Awards in 2008. He furthered his study through a Masters in Science (Information
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LAI NEWSLETTER
Feature
Interview with HRD Expert
Mark Kilner is an Australian Human Resource Management consultant who has spent the last 15 years consulting in Southeast Asia, in particular in Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor Leste and most recently in the Lao PDR. Mark has extensive experience in strategic human resource management, in civil service reform and in the reform of national training systems.
1.What does HRD mean to you? At an organisational level, human resource development refers to the training and development of individuals within the organisation to achieve the skill levels required to in turn achieve the goals of the organisation. At a national level, Human Resource Development refers to the training and education of citizens to meet the skill needs of the country and therefore meet the social and economic goals of the country. There are a number of social factors that underpin human resource development including health and social welfare systems, labour market strategies as well as governance and public administration. 2. What is the current HRD situation in Laos Government? The economy and labour market of the Lao PDR face some significant challenges if the National Vision of moving the country out of Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2020 and achieving lower middle income to become a developing
country in the middle to high income category by 2030 is to be achieved. The economy of the Lao PDR has been growing rapidly. By 2020, it is anticipated that the agriculture and forestry sector will continue its gradual decline constituting 19% of total GDP with the industrial sector at 34.3% and the services sector being the largest sector of the economy, at 40.5% of total GDP. The sectors with the highest growth are not labour intensive and therefore not creating many jobs. The demand generated by the growth of the economy cannot currently be met by the workforce, both in terms of the numbers and skills. 3. What are the key challenges of HRD in Laos Government so far? One of the key HRD challenges facing the country is to overcome the current mismatch in the supply of skills and qualifications in the workforce to meet the changing MITTAPHAP | 16
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Where are you Australian Alumni?
demands of the economy. At the basic skills level, increasing literacy and numeracy and increasing participation rates of students in primary education has been a focus of the Government in national education plans. At the skills level, the challenge is in meeting the needs of industry through increasing participation levels in vocational education and training above the current level of 7% of students in fields and geographical areas where there are good job prospects. 4. What are the solutions to these challenges? Each Ministry has identified strategic goals and key objectives to meet the National Vision for the country and to address the issues which I have highlighted above. On the education side, policies are being put in place that have a focus on improving education outcomes, including literacy and numeracy as well as female participation rates. On the training side, a key focus is on expanding vocational and technical training to be responsive and relevant to industry needs in areas of high demand such as in construction, mining and hospitality among others. On the labour market side, a key focus is in developing closer partnerships with industry so that a national labour market system that accurately highlights where the jobs are and what skills are required to meet that demand can be developed. Such a system needs to be accessible and
reliable to facilitate informed choices by students and workers in choosing training and education programs that will lead to better job outcomes. There is also a need to develop processing industries in country areas and promoting small and medium size enterprises there leading to a gradual decrease in rural migration to urban areas. The government will play a key role in providing infrastructure and the right mix of incentives to enable this to happen. One of the solutions is an update to the HRD National Strategy. This Strategy was first issued in 2002 with a timeframe to 2020 and the National HRD Commission has been tasked with updating the Strategy and extending its focus to 2025, the same timeframe as the national 10 Year Socio-Economic Development Strategy. The Strategy includes all of the HRD relevant goals, strategies and performance indicators of Education and Labour. It also identifies relevant cross cutting Human Development issues such as Health, the development of women and civil service capacity that are essential in order to meet the goals of the National Strategy to 2025 and the Vision to 2030. International partners and donors will be able to provide assistance to Lao PDR’s long term development goals through this Strategy.
CALLING ALL AUSTRALIAN ALUMNI! Stay Connected and informed! Register now! Have you studied in Australia? We are looking for you. If you have studied as a scholarship student or a private student, you can join the Australian alumni group. You will receive news and information about events and activities, and catch up with your friends and colleagues. Follow the link: www.laosaustraliainstitute.org (click Alumni and go to Registration) Or if you have any questions, please contact our Alumni Associate, Ms Alounny Keosouvanh: Alounny.Keosouvanh@ laosaustraliainstitute.org Tel: 021 265271-2
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LAI NEWSLETTER
A Young Woman’s Determination to Succeed
Feature
“Without LANS, I would not have come this far,”
Aiher Saupor, LANS Awardee 2012
Aiher Saupor is determined to continue her education despite poverty and her parents’disapproval. “I have seen my parents working so hard in the field and they still live in poverty. That’s why I don’t want to be the same. I wanted to study and get a job,” says the 22 year old from Houn district in Oudomxay Province. Such ambition sometimes seems beyond a poor Hmong girl from a rural area. Many children in her community drop out of school, especially the girls. Their parents tend to see education as more important for boys and they value the work that girls do at home. Aiher’s father was a pick-up driver while her mother was a farmer. However her mother fell sick and died when Aiher was at high school. Her father then had to stop driving and worked in the fields. He only saved enough money to send their eldest son to the university in Vientiane. As a result, her three sisters had to drop out from school to help the family. Aiher did not give up no matter how difficult life was. “After my mother
died, I had no hope to continue my studies. My grandparents and other relatives told me to stop school. I begged my father to support me to study until I finished high school at least,” Aiher recalls. Aiher asked her father for permission and some financial support to come to Vientiane to sit the entrance examination at the National University. “I promised my father that this was going to be the last time I asked for money from him. I decided to go to Vientiane with the one million Kip my father gave me,” she says. Aiher got a place at the university, and then she received a Laos Australia National Scholarship (LANS) in 2012. She is now in her third year of a Bachelor of Chemistry Education degree at the National University of Laos. “If I didn’t get the scholarship I think would end up like my three sisters who all dropped out of school and got married,” Aiher says. “My parents always asked why would a woman bother to go to school. Just get married. But I believe education will give me a better life.”
The LANS program is designed to help both girls and boys from poor rural areas to continue into higher education. The program especially helps girls to bridge the gap between high school and university, the time when they are most likely to quit school and find jobs instead. Since 2011, the LANS program has so far helped over 350 young men and women like Aiher.
“If I didn’t get the scholarship I think would end up like my three sisters who all dropped out of school and got married.”
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Lao Student Club in Canberra
1. Students gathering after mid year break at Lake Burley Griffin 2. Students taking part in the 2015 Canberra Festival Balloon Spectacular 3. Students preparing a grilled cow at the Lao Embassy for Pimai Lao 4. A student fishing at a Lake Burley Griffin
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The Lao Student Club in Canberra (LSCC) is an active Lao student group established to integrate Lao students into student life in Canberra. The LSCC is governed by a student committee voted by Lao students in Canberra and appointed by the Lao Embassy to Australia. Taking advantage of being located in the Australian capital, the LSCC actively promotes Canberra’s top ranking universities. The club’s campaigns also boast about the attractions of living in one of the safest and most livable cities in Australia, as well as opportunities to interact with federal government officials and diplomats. Some students get part-time academic tutoring work and teach Lao language and culture to Australian diplomats who will be posted to Laos. The LSCC acts as a platform for coordination and exchange of information among its members. The LSCC has two Facebook pages: one for members and another for reaching out to a wider audience
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(“Lao Students’ Society – Canberra”). “Facebook pages provide updates about studies, student livelihoods, and key events organised by educational institutions and local councils. It also provides useful information on Australia Awards and other scholarship opportunities,” Mr Isala Souvannasing, the Club’s president said. The LSCC coordinates and encourages students to take part in meetings and activities held by the Lao embassy including Lao National Day, Lao New Year, Baci and Tak Bard (alms giving). “These activities allow members to not only build networking with Lao diplomats but also make them feel less homesick given the food and cultural events that they experience,” Isala added.
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Canberra students also have opportunities to take part in visits by high-level Lao officials, including the recent study visits sponsored by LAI. The delegation visited Canberra and Melbourne between 25-29 May 2015 to learn about human resource development in Australia. 4
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