Project to enhance English teaching at universities 

The project includes the National University of Laos and Arts Education College in Vientiane, Champassak University and Pakxe Teacher Training College in Champassak province, Savannakhet University and Savannakhet Teacher Training College in Savannakhet province, Souphanouvong University and Luang Prabang Teacher Training College in Luang Prabang province, and Khangkhay Teacher Training Collage in Xieng Khuang province. 
The Ministry of Education and Sports and ELIC signed an agreement to launch the University and Teacher Training College English Language Teaching Programme in target universities. 
ELIC country director Matt Lafferty and Chanthavone Phandamnong, director-general of the ministry’s External Relation Department, signed the agreement recently. 
The project will run for five years until 2021. Under the agreement, the project’s objective is to contribute to the overall socio-economic development of Laos. 
English will be taught at universities and teacher-training colleges, by providing qualified native English-speaking teachers. 
The project will assist in the development of curricula by experienced ELI teachers as requested by the schools where they are working. 
The project will also develop faculty members at each institution served by ELI by providing workshops for departments that request them, as well as establish resource libraries for faculty and student use. 
In addition, through cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Sports and the ELIC, it was agreed to enhance the English skills of teachers in Xieng Khuang province. 
English-development courses are offered to 132 teachers in the districts of Nonghet, Khoun, Mok, Phoukoud and Phaxay through the In-service English Language Teacher Training project. 
The programme aims to upgrade the skills of local teachers in order to improve general English programmes in secondary schools in rural communities. This project has been running for three years in Xieng Khuang province, with a budget of more than US$465,000 (Bt16.4 billion) funded by ELIC. 
The English Language Institute/China has for the past 35 years been providing native English-speaking teachers to universities, first in China, and then for the past 20 years in several other nations. ELIC first began to be involved in Laos in 1996 in partnership with the Ministry of Finance. 
In 1998, ELI Laos began a long-term partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports and the National University of Laos. 
ELI has established resource libraries in each faculty served by its teachers. These libraries contain hundreds of teaching resources for instructors, as well as thousands of books for student use. 
ELI says it sees the continuation of the ELI University English Teaching Programme and the ELI Teacher Training English Teaching Programme as high priorities in light of the current political and economic climate within Laos and throughout the region. –