Japanese industries invest in Lao children's future
Japanese industries invest in Lao children's future
The Japan Federation of Basic Industry Workers' Unions (JBU), known as KIKAN ROREN in Japanese, will work with the Ministry of Education and Sports after reaching agreement on the construction of a new primary school in Vientiane province.
The cost of the new primary school is US$69,381, funded by JBU. The new facility will be built in Phasang village of Feuang district, Vientiane province, which will be the 24th school built by the Commission for Solidarity with the Asian underprivileged (CSA).
A memorandum of understanding on the project was signed on Friday by the JBU's Acting President Mr Kazuo Sawada and the ministry's Primary and Pre-school Education Department Director General, Dr Mithong Souvanvixay.
The document was countersigned by the CSA's General Secretary Ms Hinako Watanabe and Inthone Construction Company's Director Mr Chanphouviengchit Phengsavang.
The signing ceremony was presided over by Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Mr Lytou Bouapao, representatives from involved sectors and other invited guests.
Under the project, locally-based Inthone Construction Company will carry out the building of the school and a logo at the village, while other works under the project will be undertaken by local authorities and residents.
Work on the single-storey building will kick off soon and will take six months to complete. It will have five classrooms, a teacher's room and a toilet. The classrooms will be able to cater for over 200 children.
Speaking during the ceremony, Mr Sawada said JBU is pleased to be a part of education supporting activities, and it would like to continue these for the sake of fraternal relations between Laos and Japan by enlarging its social responsibility involvement.
“A good school will help to provide children here with a better education environment,” Mr Sawada said at the signing ceremony.
“We are very happy to deliver a better future for the schoolchildren of this village; we hope that local people and the authorities will work together to protect and maintain the school as much as possible.”
Mr Sawada emphasised that the idea of supporting education in Laos by building a primary school was taken up as a project to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its foundation.
The project committee to celebrate the 10th anniversary studied many potential projects and finally decided to take up the one requiring the building of a primary school and donating it to the Lao people through the CSA.
Dr Mithong said the construction of a new primary school was in line with the ministry, aiming to improve the quality of basic education in Laos.
“Improving primary education would help to develop children's knowledge and abilities. The development of human resources is fundamental to economic progress, Laos needs to further strengthen human resources development through improvements to the education system,” said Dr Mithong.
Under the support from JBU, many primary schools were already built in Vientiane and the provinces of Bokeo, Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Xayaboury.
JBU is a free and domestic trade union organisation in Japan, uniting many workers in various basic industries, from iron and steel production, shipbuilding and non-ferrous metal mining to aviation, aerospace, industrial machines, refining, metal processing, information related and distribution industries.
On September 3, 2003, a major works federation in the iron and steel industry, and other various basic industries were merged into one consolidated body which founded the JBU at it is now.
In all the 42 prefectures in Japan, they have headquarters or centres, and their members consist of 400 unions (760 organisations) with over 255,000 trade union members.
vientiane times
