The Lao Railway Vocational and Technical College is a notable achievement of Laos-China cooperation, and it has filled the gap in Laos’ railway technology education, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith said Saturday.
Sisoulith, also the general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, made the remark during an event at the college to celebrate the country’s National Arbour Day as well as International Children's Day.
Lao Minister of Education and Sports Phouth Simmalavong and Wang Chang, chargé d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Laos, also took part in the event.
As the first institution teaching railway engineering in the country, Sisoulith said the college is the result of Belt and Road cooperation between Laos and China, and its establishment serves as a significant milestone in local railway industry development.
The Lao Railway Vocational and Technical College, located in capital Vientiane, is one of the Chinese-aided projects in Laos. It opened last year under the guidance of an expert team from China’s Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College.
Simmalavong, the education minister, praised the Chinese team's contribution.
A team from the Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College had been providing training to help set up the Lao institute since 2023, and it will continue to provide assistance over the next four years to strengthen its teaching and management systems.
The project intends to cultivate more talent to meet the China-Laos railway system's construction and operational needs.
