Teachers from the Physical Education Teacher Training School and the National University of Laos met on Thursday to discuss how best to improve schools for participation in the 25 th South East Asian Games, which will be hosted by Laos in 2009.
Teacher Training School Director Intong Leusinsay said the school planned to allow staff with expertise in badminton, boxing, football, judo, karatedo, petanque, basketball, sepak takraw, wushu, shuttlecock and table tennis to assist at the SEA Games.
Mr Intong said for the Ministry of Education to achieve its Millennium Development Goals it would upgrade the training school to a college by 2012. This would enable it to have better resources for the teaching of physical education.
There are more than 1,000 graduates of the school since it was established in 1978, with most of them using their skills to teach in both public and private schools.
Mr Intong said in a bid to combat drug use in schools many teachers would continue with sports programmes that had been initiated, hoping to encourage better behaviour among students.
He said the aim of these programmes was to improve students' skills, develop their capacity and instil a greater sense of morality, so they would grow up to become strong athletes.
Another objective of the programmes was to teach children about the country's socio-economic development goals, and the importance of a clean school environment, a healthy society and good hygiene practices.
Mr Intong said the project also aimed to produce resources that would show schoolchildren the path to community and school leadership, give them the opportunity to protect traditions and culture, and achieve the standards set by the ministry's national education reform programme.
He said the ministry was developing education in keeping with the government's continuing strategic vision for the next 12 years.
“At present education is not well integrated between schools and families, and society contributes little to the stimulation of teachers, parents and children in regard to learning,” Mr Intong said.
He said teachers would set up groups of volunteer children to run activities in schools, including sports, game playing and art competitions.
By PHAISYTHONG CHANDARA
Vientianetimes
