Portal
Type: Decision
Responsible Agency: Ministry of Education and Sports
Issuing Date: 2011-11-03
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Contents
Article 2.Name of Curriculum Standards
Article 3.Scope of Application
Article 4.Organizing Learning and Teaching Using the Credit-Based System
Article 5.Educational Qualifications
Article 6.Permission to Teach Curricula
Article 7.Issuance of Certificates
Chapter II:Creation of Curricula and Conditions for Teaching
Article 8.Creation of Curricula
Article 9.Conditions for Opening a Curriculum
Article 10.Stages in Obtaining Permission to Use a Curriculum
Article 11.Setting up a Curriculum
Article 12.Curricular Evaluation
Chapter III:Organization of Learning and Teaching
Article 14.Organization of Learning and Teaching
Chapter IV:Specification of Credits and Enrolment
Article 15.Principles for the Calculation of Credits
Article 16.Credit Specification
Chapter V:Criteria for Teachers and Enrollees
Article 18.Criteria for Teachers
Article 19.Criteria for Enrollees
Chapter VI:Student Assessment and Graduation
Article 20.Principles for Student Assessment
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Peace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity
****************
Ministry of Education and Sports No.: 4123/ED.HE/11
Vientiane Capital, dated: 03 November 2011
Decision
on the National Continuous Curriculum Standards for Bachelor’s Degrees
Pursuant to: Law 04/NA, dated 3 July (07) 2007, on Education of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic;
Pursuant to: Decree 282/PM, dated 7 September 2011, on the Organization and Operations of the Ministry of Education and Sports; and
Pursuant to: The request of the Department of Higher Education;
The Minister of Education hereby issues a Decision:
General Provisions
This Decision defines the regulations, principles, and measures for the management of curricular and reference documentation for higher education institutes in their creation and development of continuing curricula for bachelor’s degrees so as to achieve nationwide uniformity.
Article 2.Name of Curriculum Standards
These standards shall be referred to as the “National Continuing Curriculum Standards for Bachelor’s Degrees”.
Article 3.Scope of Application
The National Curriculum Standards for Bachelor’s Degrees shall be used in the research and creation of National Continuing Curricula at higher education institutes wishing to open courses at this level.
Article 4.Organizing Learning and Teaching Using the Credit-Based System
4.1Continuing programs for bachelor’s degrees at higher education institutes must be taught according to a credit-based system.
4.2In the event that learning and teaching is established according to a system of hours and modules, the learning results shall be calculated according to a credit-based system.
Article 5.Educational Qualifications
Persons completing a continuing curriculum at bachelor’s degree level in a given branch shall receive a bachelor’s degree certificate of ... in the branch of … stating “Bachelor’s Degree of … in …” but the term “Continuing Program” shall be listed on their grade point transcript (Continuing Program).
Article 6.Permission to Teach Curricula
Higher level institutes wishing to open a bachelor’s degree continuing program must receive permission from the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and if wishing to close the learning and teaching of an existing program, they must also receive permission from the MoES.
Article 7.Issuance of Certificates
Higher education institutes shall have the right to issue Certificates for Bachelor’s Degrees (Continuing) for a program for which they have received permission from the MoES in accordance with all conditions and stages specified in the curriculum.
Creation of Curricula and Conditions for Teaching
Article 8.Creation of Curricula
The creation of continuing curricula for bachelor’s degrees by a State and private higher education institutes must be structured as follows:
- Name of curriculum: (Lao and English);
- Name of certificate: (Lao and English);
- Responsible unit;
- Philosophy and aims of the curriculum;
4.1Philosophy
Specification of background and reasoning for creating the curriculum, importance and vision of the curriculum, demand from society and the labor market, and the skills of its students after having completed it; and
4.2Aims
Specification of methods and student training in accordance with the three characteristics and five pillars of education and the skills of its students after having completed it;
- Specification of the time teaching commences;
- Expectations of plan for what students are to receive;
- Criteria for enrollees;
- Student selection methods;
- Organization of learning and teaching;
- Duration of curriculum;
- Content and structure of curriculum:
-Specification of credits used in the curriculum;
-Classification of subjects into each subject area (fundamental scientific subject areas, specialized fundamental subject areas, specialized subject areas, and optional subjects);
-Learning and teaching plans for each area of study and for each year; and
-Brief content of subject(s);
- Enrolment;
- Criteria for assessment and evaluation of study results and graduation;
- Teachers: (full-time and guest teachers);
- The location of the building(s), library/ies, laboratory/ies, and learning and teaching equipment and materials; and
- Budget.
Article 9.Conditions for Opening a Curriculum
The opening of a continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum by a higher level institute must take place as follows:
9.1 It must be consistent with the policies of the Party and government, the three characteristics and five pillars of education, national socio-economic development, and the scientific, technological, and environmental growth trends of the region and the world.
9.2 It must be aimed at catering to the needs of human resource development in various sectors, the socio-economic structure, and the labor market.
9.3 The buildings and locations, learning and teaching materials and equipment, library/ies, laboratory/ies, personnel, teachers, and budget must all be ready beforehand.
9.4 In order to ensure the quality of the learning and teaching, the higher education institute may invite external guest teachers to teach but these must not comprise more than a third (33%) of all the teachers teaching a given curriculum.
Article 10.Stages in Obtaining Permission to Use a Curriculum
Requesting permission to open a continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum by a higher education institute shall take place as follows:
10.1The request for the opening of the curriculum must involve the submission of various documents in accordance with Articles 8 and 9 and there must be a feasibility study.
10.2For the creation of a curriculum in a certain branch which overlaps with some other curriculum or course at the same institute, there must be a feasibility study and an explanation in order to request permission from the MoES.
10.3Institutes which have already received permission to open the teaching of several curricula must request permission for the opening of a new curriculum or the alteration of an existing one, submitting a feasibility study and the criteria to be used for student assessment and evaluation.
Article 11.Setting up a Curriculum
11.1A higher education institute shall not have the right to set up the learning and teaching of a continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum before receiving permission for its use from the MoES.
11.2In the event that Institute B wishes to teach a curriculum for which permission has been received for its use by Institute A and issue its own certificates, it must request permission from Institute A and the MoES.
11.3In the event that a curriculum is the property of a given institute and permission has already been granted for its use and the institute wishes for it to be taught at another institute and certificates issued by itself, permission must be granted from the MoES.
Article 12.Curricular Evaluation
Curricula for which permission has been granted by the MoES, after having been run and studied for 1-2 generations of students, it must be evaluated and revised in accordance with the Regulations on Evaluations of the meeting of the MoES National Curriculum Standards.
Organization of Learning and Teaching
The organization of the learning and teaching of continuing bachelor’s degrees at higher education institutes is set at 2 years or 2 academic years or more according to the branch of study. One academic year shall be divided into two semesters, each lasting five months (twenty weeks) and shall entail sixteen weeks of study.
Article 14.Organization of Learning and Teaching
14.1:4-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2 years (60-72 credits)
-Full-time study should last 2 years ( semesters) or no more than 3 years (6 semesters).
-Non-full-time study should last 3 years (6 semesters) or no more than 4 years (8 semesters).
-In the event that the student has been able to enroll for more than the number of credits specified in order to graduate early, their study should last for at least 1.5 years (3 ordinary semesters in addition to each year’s summer semester) but this does not mean that the curriculum shall turn into a one-and-a-half-year curriculum.
14.2:5-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2.5 years: (76-90 credits)
-Full-time study should last for 2.5 years (5 semesters) or no more than 3.5 years (7 semesters).
-Non-full-time study should last for 3.5 years (7 semesters) or no more than 4.5 years (9 semesters).
-In the event that the student has been able to enroll for more than the number of credits specified in order to graduate early, their study should last for at least 2 years (4 ordinary semesters in addition to each year’s summer semester) but this does not mean that the curriculum shall turn into a two-year curriculum.
14.3:6-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 3 years: (90-108 credits)
-Full-time study should last for 3 years (6 semesters) or no more than 4 years (8 semesters).
-Non-full-time study should last for 4 years (8 semesters) or no more than 5 years (10 semesters).
-In the event that the student has been able to enroll for more than the number of credits specified in order to graduate early, their study should last for at least 2.5 years (5 ordinary semesters in addition to each year’s summer semester) but this does not mean that the curriculum shall turn into a two-and-a-half-year curriculum.
Specification of Credits and Enrolment
Article 15.Principles for the Calculation of Credits
15.1Theoretical subjects which take up one hour of presentations and lectures weekly, adding up to no less than sixteen hours per semester, shall be attributed one credit.
15.2Practical subjects which take up two to three hours weekly, adding up to thirty-two to forty-eight hours per semester, shall be attributed one credit.
15.3Work experience and internships which take up three to six hours weekly, adding up to no less than thirty-two to forty-eight hours per semester, shall be attributed one credit.
Article 16.Credit Specification
Continuing bachelor’s degree curricula shall be made up of various subject types and the number of credits shall be according to the following ratios specified:
16.14-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2 years (60-72 credits)
|
1. General subjects |
6-10 credits |
|
2. Fundamental subjects for specialized subjects |
16-22 credits |
|
3. Specialized subjects - Study - Writing and defense of dissertation |
36-38 credits 32-34 credits 4 credits |
|
4. Optional subjects |
2 credits |
16.2:5-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2.5 years: (60-72 credits)
|
1. General subjects |
8-10 credits |
|
2. Fundamental subjects for specialized subjects |
20-26 credits |
|
3. Specialized subjects - Study - Writing and defense of dissertation |
45-52 credits 41-48 credits 4 credits |
|
4. Optional subjects |
2 credits |
16.3:6-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 3 years (90-108 credits)
|
1. General subjects |
8-10 credits |
|
2. Fundamental subjects for specialized subjects |
26-34 credits |
|
3. Specialized subjects - Study - Writing and defense of dissertation |
54-62 credits 50-58 credits 4 credits |
|
4. Optional subjects |
2 credits |
The enrolment of students for each semester shall take place as follows:
17.1 4-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2 years (60-72 credits)
1.For full-time study over 4-6 semesters (2-3 years), students shall enroll for no less than 15 and no more than 18 credits per semester.
2.For non-full-time study over 6-8 semesters (3-4 years), students shall enroll for no less than 8 credits and no more than 9 credits per semester.
3.In the event that a student is enrolling for more than the specified number of credits in order to graduate earlier, they may enroll for no more than 22 credits per semester.
17.2 5-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2.52 years: (75-90 credits)
1.For full-time study over 5-7 semesters (2-3 years), students shall enroll for no less than 15 and no more than 18 credits per semester.
2.For non-full-time study over 7-9 semesters (3.5-4.5 years), students shall enroll for no less than 8 credits and no more than 9 credits per semester.
3.In the event that a student is enrolling for more than the specified number of credits in order to graduate earlier, they may enroll for no more than 22 credits per semester.
17.3 6-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 3 years (90-108 credits)
1.For full-time study over 6-8 semesters (3-4 years), students shall enroll for no less than 15 and no more than 18 credits per semester.
2.For non-full-time study over 8-10 semesters (4-5 years), students shall enroll for no less than 8 credits and no more than 9 credits per semester.
3.In the event that a student is enrolling for more than the specified number of credits in order to graduate earlier, they may enroll for no more than 22 credits per semester.
Criteria for Teachers and Enrollees
Article 18.Criteria for Teachers
18.1Teachers: for continuing bachelor’s degree curricula shall be specialists in a subject area relevant to the branch of study being taught and possess a master’s degree or higher. If necessary, guest teachers with bachelor’s degrees may be invited to teach certain subjects but these must not account for more than one fifth of the number of teachers teaching the curriculum.
18.2Senior teachers: shall be specialists in a subject area relevant to the branch of study being taught and possess a master’s degree or higher and there must be one to two of these.
18.3Dissertation committee members: shall be specialists in an area relevant to the dissertation being taught, possess a master’s degree or higher, and have three or more years’ experience and there must be three to five of these.
18.4Other criteria specified by the institute itself shall also be met.
Article 19.Criteria for Enrollees
Enrollees to continuing bachelor’s degree curricula in a given branch of study shall have completed an associate degree or equivalent in the same specialized subject.
Student Assessment and Graduation
Article 20.Principles for Student Assessment
The student assessment for each subject shall be conducted according to the following scoring system:
|
Grade |
Meaning |
Grade-point equivalent |
||
|
Lao symbol |
English symbol |
Lao |
English |
|
|
ກ |
A |
ດີເລີດ |
Excellent |
4.0 |
|
ຂ+ |
B+ |
ດີຫລາຍ |
Very Good |
3.5 |
|
ຂ |
B |
ດີ |
Good |
3.0 |
|
ຄ+ |
C+ |
ດີພໍໃຊ້ |
Fairly Good |
2.5 |
|
ຄ |
C |
ພໍໃຊ້ໄດ້ |
Fair |
2.0 |
|
ງ+ |
D+ |
ອ່ອນ |
Poor |
1.5 |
|
ງ |
D |
ອ່ອນຫລາຍ |
Very Poor |
1.0 |
|
ຕ |
F |
ຕົກ |
Fail |
0 |
The institute of the student shall refer to the number of credits accumulated and general point average (GPA) as follows:
21.1 4-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2 years
1. First year students
-Students who have accumulated less than 97% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 or have a GPA of less than 1.95 shall be considered to be equivalent to first year students.
-Students who have accumulated 97% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 and have a GPA of 1.95 or above shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
2. Second year students
-Students who have accumulated less than the number of credits specified for the curriculum or have a GPA of less than 2.00 shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
-Students graduating from a 2-year continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum shall have accumulated the number of credits equal to that specified in the curriculum, have a GPA of 2.00 or more, and be of good character.
21.2 5-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 2.5 years
1. First year students
-Students who have accumulated less than 95% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 or have a GPA of less than 1.90 shall be considered to be equivalent to first year students.
-Students who have accumulated 95% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 and have a GPA of 1.90 or above shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
2. Second year students
-Students who have accumulated less than 97% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 + Year 2 or have a GPA of less than 1.95 shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
-Students who have accumulated 97% or above of the number of credits specified for Year 1 + Year 2 and have a GPA of 1.95 or above or above shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
3. Third year students
-Students who have accumulated less than the number of credits specified for the curriculum or have a GPA of less than 2.00 shall be considered to be equivalent to third year students.
-Students graduating from a 2.5-year continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum must have accumulated the number of credits specified in the curriculum, have a GPA of 2.00 or above, and be of good character.
21.3 6-year continuing bachelor’s degrees lasting 3 years
1. First year students
-Students who have accumulated less than 95% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 or have a GPA of less than 1.90 shall be considered to be equivalent to first year students.
-Students who have accumulated 95% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 and have a GPA of 1.95 or above shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
2. Second year students
-Students who have accumulated less than 97% of the number of credits specified for Year 1 + Year 2 or have a GPA of less than 1.95 shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
-Students who have accumulated 97% or above of the number of credits specified for Year 1 + Year 2 and have a GPA of 1.95 or above or above shall be considered to be equivalent to second year students.
3. Third year students
-Students who have accumulated less than the number of credits specified for the curriculum or have a GPA of less than 2.00 shall be considered to be equivalent to third year students.
-Students graduating from a 3-year continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum must have accumulated the number of credits specified in the curriculum, have a GPA of 2.00 or above, and be of good character.
Final Provisions
22Macro-Level
For the Department of Higher Education to study and issue additional specifications concerning the implementation of the curricula in practice in order to ensure quality and correctness; and
23Micro-level
For the higher education institute to improve, adjust, and create their own curricula along with evaluation and assessment specifications so that they are correct and consistent with this Decision.
The relevant offices and departments of the MoES and institutes shall acknowledge and implement this Decision in accordance with their respective duties and responsibilities.
This Decision is effective from the date of signature. Any decisions that conflict with this Decision shall be canceled.
Minister of Education and Sports
To be delivered to:
1. Government’s Office 1 copy
2. Ministries 1 copy each
3. Department of Higher Education 3 copies
4. Departments under the MoES 1 copy each
5. Universities 1 copy each
6. State and private sector higher education institutes 1 copy each
7. PESSs 1 copy each
8. To be kept 3 copies
Annexes
National Curricula for Continuing Bachelor’s Degrees
Definitions:
-Curricular standards: shall refer to the quality standards specified for a curriculum in order that it may achieve its learning and teaching objectives and aims.
-A continuing bachelor’s degree curriculum: shall refer to the teaching of a student who holds an associate degree or equivalent in the same technical and vocational branch of study.
-A credit: shall refer to a volumetric unit of learning and teaching for each subject [in a curriculum].
-General subjects: shall refer to fundamental scientific subjects to use in specialized learning.
-Fundamental specialized subjects: shall refer to a group of subjects fundamental to the learning of a given specialized subject.
-Specialized subjects: shall refer to the main group of subjects of a given area of specialization.
-Optional subjects: shall refer to subjects which enhance knowledge and skills in a specialized subject.
-Full-time learning and teaching: shall refer to 5-7 hours of study per day or 25-35 hours of study per week.
-Non-full-time learning and teaching: shall refer to 4 hours of study per day or 20 hours of study per week.
-A dissertation: shall refer to a summary of theoretical or practical knowledge on a given topic in order to graduate.
-A senior teacher: shall refer to a person who is responsible for work experience and leading [students] through the writing of their dissertation.
-A consulting teacher: shall refer to a person who instructs and leads in the writing of dissertations to graduate.
-A dissertation inspector: shall refer to a person who checks the accuracy and quality of a dissertation to graduate.
-A full-time or internal teacher: shall refer to a teacher who teachers under the authority of their institute.
-A guest or external teacher: shall refer to a teacher who has been invited [to teach] by another institute.
Contents
Topic Page
|
1. Chapter I |
General Provisions |
1 |
|
2. Chapter II |
Creation of Curricula and Conditions for Teaching |
2 |
|
3. Chapter III |
Organization of Learning and Teaching |
4 |
|
4. Chapter IV |
Specification of Credits and Enrolment |
5 |
|
5. Chapter V |
Criteria for Teachers and Enrollees |
8 |
|
6. Chapter VI |
Student Assessment and Graduation |
8 |
|
7. Chapter VII |
Final Provisions |
10 |
|
8. Chapter VIII |
Annexes |
12 |
Download English:Decision on the National Continuous Curriculum Standards for Bachelor’s Degrees No. 4123/ED.HE/11, dated 03 November 2011
Download Lao:Decision on the National Continuous Curriculum Standards for Bachelor’s Degrees No. 4123/ED.HE/11, dated 03 November 2011
List Measures Related to Legal Documents
| Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree curriculum approval requirement | The curriculum for the bachelor's degree must be approved by the Ministry of Education and Sport. | Active |