Laos Deploys Soldiers as Volunteers to Address Rural Teacher Shortages

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Laos students in rural area (Photo: Bequal Laos)

Laos will recruit 2,000 soldiers to serve as volunteer substitute teachers in remote areas across the country, the Ministry of National Defense announced on 29 June.

The initiative, carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports, is aimed at easing the country’s chronic shortage of teachers, particularly in remote, mountainous, and hard-to-reach villages where basic infrastructure such as roads remains underdeveloped.

The selected military personnel will undergo specialized training before being deployed to classrooms. According to the ministry, incentives for participating soldiers include rank promotions and honorariums.

The shortage of qualified teachers in rural Laos has been a longstanding issue. Low salaries for educators and limited employment opportunities have discouraged many from entering or staying in the profession.

While some young people have served as volunteer teachers in hopes of securing permanent positions, ongoing economic pressures and rising inflation have reduced the likelihood of full-time government employment, leading many volunteers to leave the field altogether.

In some areas, the impact is especially severe. For example, in Savannakhet Province’s Xepon district, there are 109 schools, but only nine are adequately staffed. More than 500 teaching positions remain vacant in that province alone.

The move to enlist soldiers as substitute teachers is part of a broader government strategy to address issues contributing to student dropouts and to provide an immediate solution to the growing number of unfilled teaching posts. 

The effort is guided by a government Resolution, which tasks the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education and Sports with leading the response to the education sector’s staffing crisis.