Minsai Center Japan’s education support project is being run in the provinces of Sekong and Khammouan in southern Laos. There are 1,152 villages in these two provinces, 628 of which have elementary schools. Most of these schools have a very simple construction, without walls or floors. When it rains, water leaks into the buildings. During heavy storms, the buildings are at risk of collapsing.

Only 199 of the schools in Sekong and Kammouan can provide education up to the fifth grade, the final year of elementary school in Laos. The other 429 schools are branch schools; they provide education only up to the second or third grade. As students advance to higher grade levels, they must travel further and further from their villages to attend school. Because of this, 80% to 90% of children don’t graduate from elementary school, even though it is compulsory in Laos.

The table below shows the situation in Sekong and Khammouan, as compared with that of Vientiane. As the data shows, the number of classrooms, teachers, and students for the number of schools is much lower in Sekong and Khammouan than in Vientiane, and the percentage of students who graduate from elementary school is significantly lower than in Vientiane. In 2005 we also started the project in a neighboring province of Savanaket which has the same difficulties as the above two provinces.

Number of Schools Number of Classrooms Number of Teachers Number of Students Average Percentage of Graduating Students Vientiane 428 2,734 2,803 92,551 50% Sekong 63 198 148 5,555 10% Khammouan 450 1,571 1,200 40,189 20%

Source: Ministry of Education 1994 to 1995

Although a five-year elementary school education is compulsory in Laos, many students cannot complete their program of study. To improve the current situation, first it is necessary to build schools where students can learn. Also, the school environment should make it easier for them to learn.

Various organizations from different countries are currently building schools in Laos. However, schools constructed according to the standard of the Laotian government are designed in Europe; their windows are so small that their ventilation and natural light are limited. This design is not suitable to Laos’ hot environment, since such things as electricity, lighting, and cooling equipment are not available. As well, once schools have been built, oftentimes no plans are made to maintain them. As a result, many of the buildings deteriorate in few years.

To improve these conditions, we carry out our elementary school construction project following these principles:

• Schools are built that provide space where children, who are the future of Laos, can enjoy learning.
• When building schools, Laos’ environmental conditions are considered.
• School buildings are durable, with the expectation that they will be used for a prolonged period of time. Local people in Laos participate in constructing, maintaining, and repairing the buildings so that once the schools are built, they can be kept in good condition without outside support.
• Schools are built cost-effectively to allow for the building of as many grade-appropriate schools as possible.
• Contribution to development of construction technology and architect study in Laos.

Eminent Japanese architects joined the Minsai Center Japan as volunteers and traveled to Laos to survey the situation. They then designed schools in line with the principles stated above. Their designs are based on the following ideas:

• When building walls, lay the bricks without a coating of mortar.
• Schools should have fewer walls and more windows
• Schools with good ventilation do not need a ceiling.
• In order to maximize ventilation and an abundance of natural light, windows should be built up high in the schools. At the same time, a long roof should be built to block direct sunlight.

To build the schools, Interlocking blocks are used for the walls so that local people can participate in the construction, maintenance, and repair of the buildings, and so they can repair the buildings later by themselves. The blocks are made by mixing the reddish soil at the site with a small amount of cement and then compressing the mixture. There is no need to bake the blocks; this helps conserve forests, since no wood is needed as fuel for a baking process. The blocks are inexpensively produced at the site, and villagers are taught how to produce blocks for walls and roof material. In addition, construction professionals from Japan travel to the site to help instruct the local people on construction principles involving the site itself. As a result, the villagers can maintain and manage the school buildings themselves for several years. They also gain a great love for, and pride in, the school building through their hands-on work with it. Finally, they also come to recognize the importance of education.

Scholarships, provided through the generous support of donors at a cost of 10,000 yen per year for one student, are given to elementary school students in the schools.

(Volunteer architects: Mr. Takahisa Kato, the architect who designed Saint Luke's Tower, the Shinjuku NS Building, the head-office building of the East Japan Railways Company; Mr. Toshifumi Matusmoto, the structural-design engineer responsible for lots of structural calculations by applying the Japanese strict standard)

Target Area

The target areas for the school building project are the provinces of Khammouan, Sekong, and Savannakhet. We chose these areas because the people living in them want very much for their children to go to elementary school, and want to be involved in the process of school-building.

Note: The start and end construction times may vary depending on weather.

Budget

Total Cost for 1 wing with 6 rooms   Approx. 6.45 million yen Construction Costs: This is the cost of building the school initially. Approx. 4.2 million yen Maintenance Costs: This cost includes the purchasing of block producing machine used to build school building and will be used for the maintenance of school building by the villagers under the supervision of Provincial Education Committee. The const of the paint to be restored for maintenance is also included. Approx. 0.35 million yen Management Costs: These are the indirect expenses related to construction, such as selecting a construction company; creating documents; the bidding procedure; a labor site supervisor; sending Japanese architects to the sites; instructing local people on how to manage the site; management personnel at the site; coordination at the site; transporting test machines; and producing machines, etc. Approx. 1.4 million yen Equipment Costs: These are the costs for school equipment such as desks, chairs, book shelves, black boards, and bulletin boards. These also include costs for commemorative plates, etc. Approx. 0.5 million yen