Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday reaffirmed Australia’s
commitment to maintaining a strong relationship with Laos and supporting the
country’s development.
The prime minister confirmed
Australia’s enduring support to Laos during a visit to Homneua Primary School
in Pafang village, Hadxaifong district, Vientiane.
Ms Gillard and her delegation
came to Laos for the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit this week and visited the
school after the two-day summit ended.
Prior to the summit, Ms Gillard
met with Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong on Sunday. The meeting was
particularly significant because this year marks the 60th anniversary of
diplomatic relations between Laos and Australia.
During her visit, Ms Gillard announced
two new Australian government assistance programmes for Laos.
The first is a rural livelihoods
development programme worth 332 billion kip (AU$41.5 million) and an additional
AU$20 million to establish a Laos-Australia Institute.
“The new rural livelihoods
programme will help thousands of the country’s poorest families generate
thriving small enterprises and raise their incomes,” Ms Gillard said.
The rural livelihoods programme
is scheduled to commence in late 2012, aiming to provide rural men and women
with greater access to cash transfers, financial services and opportunities to
generate income through small businesses.
It will also continue Australia’s
support for the clearance of unexploded ordnance, focusing on impoverished
communities which are in need of safe agricultural land.
Ms Gillard was enthusiastic about
the Laos-Australia Institute, which will contribute to furthering the
relationship between the two countries.
“The new Laos-Australia Institute
will deliver training to government agencies, the public sector and civil
society organisations, aiming to equip professionals with the necessary skills
to tackle key development challenges facing Laos, including programmes that
support women’s empowerment and people with disabilities,” she said.
The Laos-Australia Institute,
which is scheduled to open in late 2013, will build on the success of
Australia’s existing scholarships programme by providing additional
comprehensive training to government, civil society and private sector
personnel, helping to improve the delivery of basic services in Laos.
The Institute will also provide
at least 280 scholarships to students from disadvantaged rural backgrounds,
giving them the chance to further their education in Laos.
Minister of Education an d Sports
Dr Phankham Viphavanh said the people and government of Australia have provided
generous support for many projects in the education sector, focusing on human
resource development and the provision of scholarships for Lao students to
study in Australia.
“This assistance supports Lao
government policies in education, in particular ‘education for all’, as well as
our target to achieve the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015. By then,
both boys and girls must enjoy equal enrolment in schools,” Dr Phankham said.
He noted that Australian
government support has contributed to socio-economic and human resource
development in Laos.
Many former scholarship
recipients are now actively involved in government and private sector
programmes, at both the central and provincial levels. Australian alumni are
now using their knowledge and abilities, working in various fields throughout
Laos.
During her visit to Homneua
Primary School, Ms Gillard was accompanied by the Australian Ambassador to
Laos, Ms Lynda Worthaisong.
Ms Worthaisong took the
opportunity to announce that Australia would replace the school’s roof at a
cost of 332 million kip (AU$40,000), to be funded by the embassy’s Direct Aid
Programme.
The school’s Director, Mr Somvang
Sithongbay, thanked the embassy for their support, saying they will greatly
appreciate the new roof, as the existing one is rusty and deteriorating.” The
new roof is set to be in place next year and we will maintain it as best as we
can,” he said.
Mr Somvang especially thanked Ms
Gillard for her short visit, which was a first for the school, and the children
can now proudly say they have met with a foreign prime minister.
The principal noted that the new
roof will make the classrooms cooler, saying that a better learning environment
is central to improving educational outcomes.
Phaisythong Chandara
Source: Vientiane Times
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