English in Laos

Abstract

This chapter explores the contribution of English to the Lao People's Democratic Republic's socioeconomic development goals. It describes the range of initiatives that the Lao government has put in place to promote English language, and elaborate on the reasons for these initiatives and the implementation challenges the government has faced. The chapter discusses how the provision of basic education for all is crucial to the development of a skilled workforce, and the role of English within that nexus. It focuses on the tension between the recent decision of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) to include English as a compulsory primary school subject and the challenges the MOES faces in providing quality primary education for its most disadvantaged citizens. The chapter also explores the multilingual nature of the nation, which highlights the complexity of the task facing the Lao government in the realization of its development ambitions.

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