~ AUG 19 2004

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[Editor's Note: The following Advice Column includes e-mails from a single individual in the UK regarding a student's costs of living while studying and the way student's are able to cover their costs. Additionally, it is of particular importance because it raises the issues of (rising) living costs of those in Laos, specifically in Vientiane, and those of students.]

Cost of Living for Students
From: UK
- I have agreed to be a sponsor for a student in Laos. In addition I am considering offering a small monthly allowance. I would be grateful if you could give me an idea of what are the typical / average costs of living per month for a student living in Vientiane.

First off, it's very kind of you to be sponsoring a Lao student's education. You asked a very good question regarding the cost of living specifically for students. Although I do not know the existing specifics of your student's financial, living, transportation, or occupational situation, I will help to give a roundabout cost of living.

The major costs to a student in Laos, in ascending order are: 1) tuition 2) books/supplies 3) transportation 4) food. All figures USD.

By far the biggest complaint we heard from students was the large and ever increasing costs of education, especially in regards to schools owned by foreigners and/or schools that hired skilled foreign teachers. By Western standards, most people would say that the cost of education in Laos is quite cheap but not for most Lao people. The average tuition these days in English speaking colleges, institutes, or vocational training centers is approximately $100-200 per 4 months term. Lao speaking schools tend to be cheaper although the emphasis on English is a little less in those schools.

Financial. Does your student have other financial resources such as a job, family or relatives who help support him/her? If you're certain they are receiving some sort of other assistance from someone else, then indeed you may not need to give them as much. However, even if they are receiving some sort of additional assistance, I would endeavor to say that it is probably very negligible. In fact, even a Lao national's monthly income would not be enough to suffice for tuition in this range (which speaks to how low the majority are paid).

Living. Does he/she live at home, temple, or rental? Remember that one would also need to include food costs (but this is generally very affordable). If there is rent to pay, it is usually quite cheap. In my experience I rarely saw rent, for a Lao national, exceeding $20/month (approx. 200,000 kip) for a nice, well-kept space. If they do not have rent to pay but they live with a relative or family, some students are still expected to help pay house bills if they are earning an income in addition to going to school. For food, let's put the estimate at no more than 30,000 kip ($3/day) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This would put a figure of $60/month based on five days/week of school. Most likely however they are probably eating at least one of their meals at home at no cost.

Transportation. Does he/she have their own car or motorcycle? Do they live near or far from the school? If they do not have their own transportation most likely they use public transportation such as buses which take somewhat long to get anywhere although it is the most affordable choice next to bicycling. Many people will then choose a tuk-tuk out of convenience or especially if they live out of the way of taxis and buses. Riding tuk-tuks, although common, are said to be more expensive by Lao standards. But on a day-to-day basis let's say that generally transportation would not exceed 20,000 kip or approx. $2 riding a tuk-tuk to/from school. This estimate includes the possibility of living somewhat far. So for a month, based on five days/week of school would be $40. If they do have their own car/motorcycle then the only associated costs are repairs. Motorcycles need more repairs then cars as the smaller vehicle doesn't withstand too well the bad quality of Lao roads as well as cars do. Basic repairs for motorcycles usually would be no more than $10 USD over one school term (this varies widely depending on the quality and age of the vehicle).

Books/supplies. The only thing that keeps the costs of textbooks cheap in Laos is that many are pirated and photocopied. Most textbooks are usually around 20-30,000 kip ($2-3) in most schools and bookstores. This would also be the approx. figure if they were photocopying it as well. Pens and notebooks are affordable and usually do not exceed 20,000 kip ($2) combined.

It does not hurt to ask or to get to know the student's financial position before you sponsor him/her - do try to get to know him/her very well. This is to ensure that you are not being dooped or scammed and to give yourself piece of mind knowing that you are truly helping someone who really needs it and will use the money wisely for their education.

Reply:

Many of us asked this same question: how do they afford to pay if Lao nationals earn so little? In fact I posed this question to a few school directors in Laos. Most were ambivalent stating that the tuition they charge is low and that they offer a lot more than what the students pay for. From a foreigner's perspective this is probably true.

In my experience, I noticed that in Laos very few students work while studying. The jobs in Laos pay very low while still requiring full-time hours. Many students find it difficult to keep up with studies if they're required to work full-time (as most places require).

Some students do have jobs although this seems to be rare among most students. Some students have rich family members or relatives. Others have sponsors such as in your student's case. Others will receive scholarships from the school they will/are attending or from some sort of NGO or foreign-government sponsored program. Some schools in Laos are incredibly supportive towards minority and poor students in Laos offering grants or scholarships based on particular agreements or concessions. Some students are workers where their employer is paying their tuition as a human resource development program. Some work first to save up then try to return to school.

It was witnessed that many of the students in private schools, especially colleges, are from rich or upper-middle-class Lao families, have a sponsor or have a scholarship. There are the burgeoning middle to upper-middle class families in Laos. But by far, the country as a majority are poor, to be frank. I'll give you an additional example: Each and every college or vocational school in Vientiane experiences something every term, that is, dropouts. Not so much because the student has given up on his/her studies but because they weren't able to pay for tuition on subsequent terms to continue their studies. The student then returns when they're able to get money from someone (family, work, sponsor, etc.). This is very common among most, if not all, of the schools.

The sad truth is that many in fact cannot afford to go to school at all or don't know how to go about getting scholarships and so fourth. Insofar, the great majority choose Lao owned schools or go to the National University of Laos (NUOL) for higher learning because it is one of the most affordable options. For example, moneywise, a year's worth of learning at NUOL will only get you one term in a private college - essentially $100+. The downside about NUOL is that its education standards are somewhat low, it's difficult to get to because it quite far from the city, and it doesn't use as much English. Although I would like to add that it is getting better, especially its business program.

In Laos there is no direct-to-student government support for education such as grants, scholarships or loans. Family support, depending on the financial situation, is typically minimal or non-existent among most families. Of course with richer or middle-class families the student will receive a great deal of support in their education (almost 100%). In families that are quite large, there will be perhaps only one or two that make it to post-secondary and even fewer who actually complete it.

Many students are also very thrifty with what little money they have which of course is the smartest thing to do. But the hindrance is that they do not get to do what most others their age are doing as well, ie. having a little fun. Remember that anything you give should be seen as a positive. The main cost in education is tuition and you're covering that. Anything more to help them would be very good.

A rule of thumb in sponsoring a student has always been to cover the essentials: tuition, books, supplies. And if needed, transportation and food costs. Remember my estimates in my first reply were only roundabout figures, it could be less or more for any different individual student.