Portal
Type: Decision
Responsible Agency: Ministry of Education and Sports
Issuing Date: 2011-03-03
Click here to see the measures contained in this document
Contents
Decision on the National Curriculum Standards for Specialization Level II
Article 2 Name of Curriculum Standards
Article 3 Scope of Application
Article 4 Organizing Learning and Teaching as a 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 Procedure Obtaining Permission to Use a Curriculum
Article 11 Setting up a Curriculum
Article 12 Curricular EvaluationC
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 Teachers
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.: 4126 /ED.HE/11 |
| Vientiane Capital, dated 3 November 2011 |
on the National Curriculum Standards for Specialization Level II
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 standards for the management of higher education and acts as a reference for higher education institutes in their creation and development of Specialization Level II curricula so as to achieve nationwide uniformity.
Article 2 Name of Curriculum Standards
These standards shall be referred to as the “National Curriculum Standards for Specialization Level II”.
Article 3 Scope of Application
The National Curriculum Standards for Specialization Level II shall be used in the research and creation of Specialization Level II Curricula at higher education institutes wishing to open courses at this level.
Article 4 Organizing Learning and Teaching as a Credit-Based System
4.1 Specialization Level II curricula taught by higher education institutes must be credit-based.
4.2 In 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 Specialization Level II curriculum in a given branch shall receive a certificate stating “Graduate Diploma of Specialization Level II in …”.
Article 6 Permission to Teach Curricula
Higher level institutes wishing to open a Specialization Level II curriculum must receive permission from the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and if wishing to close the learning and teaching of an existing curriculum, they must also receive permission from the MoES.
Article 7 Issuance of Certificates
Both State and private sector higher education institutes have the right to issue Graduate Diplomas of Specialization Level II for a curriculum 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 Specialization Level II curricula by a higher education institute 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;
4.1 Philosophy
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
4.2 Aims
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;
- Number of credits in each area (theory, practice / work experience, and dissertation) for Specialization Level II as specified (30:60:10);
- Learning and teaching plan 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 success in the curriculum;
- 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 Specialization Level II 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, libraries, laboratories, personnel, teachers, and budget must all be ready beforehand.
9.4 It must have taught Specialization Level I curricula specialized courses in a related field from which students have graduated for at least one or two generations of students.
9.5 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 Procedure Obtaining Permission to Use a Curriculum
Requesting permission to open a Specialization Level II curriculum by a higher education institute shall take place as follows:
10.1 The 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.
10.2 For 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.
10.3 Institutes 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
- A higher education institute shall not have the right to set up the learning and teaching of a Specialization Level II curriculum before receiving permission for its use from the MoES.
- In 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.
- In 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 Curriculum Standards.
Organization of Learning and Teaching
The learning and teaching of Specialization Level II curricula at high education institutes must last for a specified two or three academic years depending on 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
The organization of learning and teaching of Specialization Level II shall be a form of education which places a greater emphasis on practical aspects and expertise than it does on theory and the dissertations in order to improve professionalism and technical advancement in their field of specialty.
Specification of Credits and Enrolment
Article 15 Principles for the Calculation of Credits
- Theoretical 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.
- Practical 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.
- Work experience and internships which take up three to six hours weekly, adding up to no less than forty-eight to ninety-six hours per semester, shall be attributed one credit.
Article 16 Credit Specification
Specialization Level II curricula shall be made up of various subject types and the number of credits shall be according to the following ratios specified:
For curricula of three years or more, 48-72 credits shall be accumulated.
|
No. |
Name of subject type |
No. of credits |
Percent |
|
1 |
Theoretical |
14-22 credits |
30% |
|
2 |
Practical / work experience |
29-43 credits |
60% |
|
3 |
Writing of technical dissertation |
05-07 credits |
10% |
Applicants must have completed an entrance examination or have been selected and be registered as students according to the specifications of the institute as specified.
Criteria for Teachers and Enrollees
Article 18 Criteria for Teachers
- Teachers: of a Specialization Level II curricula must be specialists in a subject area relevant to the subject being taught and possess a Graduate Diploma of Specialization Level II in addition to at least five years’ experience or a doctoral degree in addition to at least three years’ experience.
- Senior teachers: must be specialists in a subject area relevant to the dissertation and there must be at least two of these holding a Graduate Diploma of Specialization Level II in addition to at least five years’ experience or a doctoral degree in additional to three of more years’ experience.
- Examination committee members: must be specialists in a subject area relevant to the topic of the examination and possess and there must be at least five of these holding a Graduate Diploma of Specialization Level II in addition to at least five years’ experience or a doctoral degree in addition to at least three years’ experience and there must be five or more of these.
- Dissertation committee members: must be specialists in a subject area relevant to the topic of the dissertation and possess and there must be at least five of these holding a Graduate Diploma of Specialization Level II in addition to at least five years’ experience or a doctoral degree in addition to at least three years’ experience and there must be five of more of these.
- Other criteria specified by the institute itself shall also be met
Article 19 Criteria for Teachers
Enrollees to Specialization Level II curricula shall meet the following criteria:
- Be employees who possess a Graduate Diploma of Specialization Level I and two or more years’ experience and be of good character;
- Be students who have completed Specialization Level I with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 and are of good character; and
- Persons with knowledge of a foreign language to a definite level may submit a dissertation to a domestic or overseas technical meeting.
- Meet any other criteria specified by the institute.
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+ |
ດີຫຼາຍ |
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+ |
ອອ່ນ |
Poor |
1.5 |
|
ງ |
D |
ອອ່ນຫຼາຍ |
Very Poor |
1.0 |
|
ຕ |
F |
ຕົກ |
Fail |
0 |
Those graduating from a 3-or-more-year Specialization Level II curricula must have accumulated the number of credits specified in their curriculum, have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 of more, have completed a specialized dissertation, and be of good character.
Final Provisions
22.1 Macro-Level
For the Department of Higher Education to improve, adjust, and create their own curricula along with evaluation and assessment specifications so that they are correct and consistent with this Decision.
22.2 Micro-level
For both State and private sector institutes 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.
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 Curricular Standards for Specialization Level II
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.
- Specialization Level II: refers to the organization of learning and teaching which delves more deeply and into a more specialized field than Specialization Level I.
- A credit: shall refer to a volumetric unit of learning and teaching for each subject [in a curriculum].
- A dissertation: shall refer to a summary of theoretical and practical knowledge on a given specialized topic.
- 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
- A dissertation inspector: shall refer to a person who checks the accuracy and quality of a dissertation.
- 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.
-
Table of Contents
Descriptions 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 ...............................5
4. Chapter IV Specification of Credits and Enrolment ................................5
5. Chapter V Criteria for Teachers and Enrollees ......................................6
6. Chapter VI Student Assessment and Graduation ....................................7
7. Chapter VII Final Provisions .......................................................................7
8. Annexes ....................................................................................9
Download English:Decision on the National Curriculum Standards for Specialization Level II No. 4126/ED.HE/11, dated 03 November 2011
Download Lao:Decision on the National Curriculum Standards for Specialization Level II No. 4126/ED.HE/11, dated 03 November 2011
List Measures Related to Legal Documents
| Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement to approve for the curriculum of Specialization Level II. | The curriculum of Specialization Level II must be approved by Ministry of Education and Sport. | Active |
| Specialization Level II curriculum approval requirement | The curriculum for Specialization Level II must be approved by Ministry of Education and Sport. | Active |