national integrated water resources management support

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report

This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents.

Project Number: 43114 March 2013

Lao People’s Democratic Republic: National Integrated Water Resources Management Support Project (Cofinanced by the Government of Australia and the Spanish

Cooperation Fund for Technical Assistance)

Prepared by: RTI International North Carolina, United States For: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Department of Water Resources National University of Laos (Water Resources Engineering Department)

*RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute

Support for IWRM Education at the National

University of Laos

National Integrated Water Resources Management Support

Program: Package 4

Final Report

SUBMITTED TO: Director, Water Resources Engineering Department and Project Implementation Unit Faculty of Engineering, National University of Laos Tad Thong, Lao PDR

DEVELOPED BY: RTI International* P.O. Box 12194 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194 Telephone: 919-541-6000

Contract No. COSO/100152-S41730 RTI Project No. 0213231.000.000

Date: March 2013

NIWRMSP: Package 4 Support for IWRM Education at NUOL

Draft Final Report March 2013 ii

Table of Contents

Section Page

List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... viii

List of Figures ...................................................................................................................... viii

Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... ix

Knowledge Summary ....................................................................................................... KS-1

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 1

1. Support for IWRM Education at NUOL ........................................................................... 10

1.1 Background ............................................................................................................ 10

1.2 Terms of Reference ................................................................................................ 10

1.3 Conduct of the Project ............................................................................................ 11

1.3.1 Timing and Administration .......................................................................... 11

1.3.2 Advisory Committee ................................................................................... 11

1.4 Reporting ................................................................................................................ 11

1.4.1 Reporting Schedule .................................................................................... 11

2. Project Approach and Activities ..................................................................................... 13

2.1 Objectives............................................................................................................... 13

2.2 Approach to IWRM Education ................................................................................ 13

2.3 Background WRED 2008 Funding Submission ...................................................... 13

2.4 Project Activities ..................................................................................................... 14

2.4.1 Summary of Activities ................................................................................. 14

2.4.2 Inception Workshop .................................................................................... 14

2.4.3 IWRM Seminars 1 and 2 ............................................................................ 15

2.4.4 Training in GIS and RS ............................................................................... 16

2.4.5 Training in Hydrographic Measurement ..................................................... 17

2.4.6 Strategic Planning Workshops ................................................................... 18

2.5 The Study Tour....................................................................................................... 19

2.5.1 Concept ...................................................................................................... 19

2.5.2 Study Tour Program ................................................................................... 20


Draft Final Report March 2013 iii

2.5.3 Cooperation with International Institutions .................................................. 22

3. Water Management and IWRM ........................................................................................ 24

3.1 Use of Terms .......................................................................................................... 24

3.2 Water Management Issues Facing Laos ................................................................ 24

3.3 Definition of IWRM Education ................................................................................ 25

3.4 IWRM Education in Laos ........................................................................................ 26

4. Education at the National University .............................................................................. 27

4.1 Background to NUOL ............................................................................................. 27

4.2 Academic Policies and Standards .......................................................................... 27

4.3 Faculties at NUOL and Water Management .......................................................... 27

4.4 Engineering Faculty ................................................................................................ 28

4.5 The Water Resources Engineering Department .................................................... 29

4.5.1 Background to the Department ................................................................... 29

4.5.2 WRED Staff and Facilities .......................................................................... 29

4.5.3 WRED Staff ................................................................................................ 30

4.5.4 Origin of Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management ........ 30

4.5.5 Future of WRED ......................................................................................... 30

4.5.6 Staff Capacity ............................................................................................. 31

5. Water Resources Curriculum at NUOL ........................................................................... 32

5.1 Background to Water Resources Curriculum ......................................................... 32

5.1.1 Report on IWRM Curriculum 2008 ............................................................. 32

5.1.2 Academic Programs in NUOL .................................................................... 32

5.1.3 Government Policy on Tertiary Education .................................................. 32

5.1.4 Bachelor of Engineering: Water Resources Management ........................ 33

5.1.5 Scope of the WRE Program ....................................................................... 33

5.2 Situation Analysis for Current Curriculum .............................................................. 33

5.3 Curriculum Review ................................................................................................. 34

5.3.1 General ....................................................................................................... 34

5.3.2 Specializations ............................................................................................ 35

5.3.3 Possible New Specialization: Flood Management ..................................... 36

5.3.4 Developing and Supporting the Curriculum ................................................ 36

5.4 The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management ........................... 36

5.4.1 General Structure of Curriculum. ................................................................ 36


Draft Final Report March 2013 iv

5.4.2 Subjects Requiring Attention ...................................................................... 37

5.4.3 The Importance of Hydrology ..................................................................... 38

5.4.4 Water Resources Information ..................................................................... 39

5.4.5 Integrated Flood Risk Management Management as a Specialization ...... 39

5.4.6 Climate Change Curriculum ....................................................................... 39

5.4.7 Review of Course Descriptions .................................................................. 39

5.4.8 Flexibility of Course Structure within NUOL ............................................... 40

5.4.9 River Basin Management and Watershed Management ............................ 41

5.4.10 Climatology and Meteorology ..................................................................... 41

5.4.11 Combined Degree in Water Resources ...................................................... 41

5.5 New Subject Areas for Development ..................................................................... 42

5.5.1 Summary .................................................................................................... 42

5.5.2 IWRM Principles ......................................................................................... 42

5.5.3 Water Resources Information and Data Management ............................... 42

5.5.4 Water Rights, Allocation, and Use .............................................................. 43

5.5.5 Water Allocation Course Outline ................................................................ 43

5.6 Curriculum and Climate Change ............................................................................ 45

5.7 Strategic Questions for the Curriculum .................................................................. 47

5.7.1 Combined Programs with Other Faculties .................................................. 47

5.7.2 Inter-disciplinary Program on Water Resources Management ................... 47

5.7.3 Post-graduate Studies ................................................................................ 47

5.7.4 Complex Subject Material ........................................................................... 48

5.7.5 Cooperation with the Faculty of Engineering and the University ................ 48

5.7.6 The Extent of Water Quality Coverage in the Program .............................. 48

6. Capacity Building for IWRM Education .......................................................................... 49

6.1 Inputs to the Review ............................................................................................... 49

6.2 Training Needs Assessment (TNA) ........................................................................ 49

6.2.1 Conduct of TNA .......................................................................................... 49

6.2.2 TNA Issues and Findings ........................................................................... 49

6.2.3 TNA Findings .............................................................................................. 50

6.3 Staff Capacity Development ................................................................................... 50

6.3.1 Developing Depth in Technical and Other Areas ....................................... 50

6.3.2 Research Capacity ..................................................................................... 51

6.3.3 Gender ........................................................................................................ 51


Draft Final Report March 2013 v

6.3.4 Opportunity to Update Skills and Knowledge ............................................. 51

6.3.5 Current Knowledge of Academic Staff ........................................................ 51

6.4 Undergraduate Specializations .............................................................................. 52

6.5 Department Facilities and Equipment .................................................................... 52

6.6 Library .................................................................................................................... 52

6.7 Gender Mainstreaming ........................................................................................... 53

6.8 Language Proficiency ............................................................................................. 53

6.9 Teaching and Learning ........................................................................................... 54

6.9.1 Discussions with Staff of WRED ................................................................. 54

6.10 Understanding of IWRM Theory and Principles ..................................................... 55

6.10.1 Areas for Capacity Building ........................................................................ 55

6.10.2 Post-graduate Qualifications for Departmental Staff .................................. 56

6.11 Workshops in Curriculum ....................................................................................... 56

6.12 Pedagogy, Teaching and Learning ........................................................................ 56

6.12.1 Teaching Methods ...................................................................................... 56

6.12.2 Student Placement and Experience ........................................................... 58

6.12.3 Field Activities and Case Studies ............................................................... 58

7. Post-graduate Program .................................................................................................... 59

7.1 Developing a Master's Program ............................................................................. 59

7.1.1 Prerequisites for a Master's Degree Course .............................................. 59

7.1.2 Staff Qualifications ...................................................................................... 59

7.1.3 NUOL Academic Policy .............................................................................. 59

7.1.4 Areas of Specialization ............................................................................... 60

7.1.5 Research Facilities ..................................................................................... 60

7.1.6 Academic Quality ........................................................................................ 60

7.2 Need to Identify Focus of Program ......................................................................... 60

7.3 Putting Together a Post-graduate Program ........................................................... 61

7.4 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 61

8. Cooperation ...................................................................................................................... 63

8.1 General................................................................................................................... 63

8.2 Twinning with International Institutions ................................................................... 63

8.3 International Universities and Institutions ............................................................... 63

8.3.1 Universities ................................................................................................. 63

8.3.2 Other International and Regional Agencies ................................................ 64


Draft Final Report March 2013 vi

8.4 Coordination within NUOL ...................................................................................... 64

8.5 Government and the Private Sector in Laos .......................................................... 65

8.5.1 Ministries and Departments ........................................................................ 65

8.5.2 Private Sector in Laos ................................................................................ 65

9. Promoting Water Management Education ..................................................................... 66

9.1 Demand for Water Management Graduates .......................................................... 66

9.2 Government Agencies ............................................................................................ 66

9.3 Non-government and Private-Sector Employment ................................................. 68

9.4 Promoting Water Management Studies ................................................................. 69

9.4.1 Reasons for Promotion ............................................................................... 69

9.4.2 Awareness of Water Management ............................................................. 69

9.4.3 Scope of Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management ....... 70

9.4.4 Employer Awareness .................................................................................. 70

9.5 Biennial Conference on Water Management Education ........................................ 70

10. Strategies and Action Plan ............................................................................................ 72

10.1 Strategic Action Plan for Curriculum Support ......................................................... 72

10.2 The WRED Strategic Plan and Actions Taken Since 2006 .................................... 72

10.3 Strategies and Action Plan ..................................................................................... 72

10.4 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework ................................................................... 73

11. Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 74

Appendix 1. Strategies and Action Plan for Water Management and IWRM Education at NUOL and WRED .................................................................................... 76

Appendix 2. Action Plan for Water Management Education at NUOL ............................. 78

Appendix 3. Administrative Arrangements ....................................................................... 96

Appendix 4. Initial Work Plan .............................................................................................. 98

Appendix 5. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework ...................................................... 100

Appendix 6. List of Reports and Papers .......................................................................... 105

Appendix 7. Reference Archive ........................................................................................ 106

Appendix 8. Subject List for Flood Management Specialization ................................... 107

Appendix 9. River Basin Management ............................................................................. 109


Draft Final Report March 2013 vii

Appendix 10. Water Resources Information and Data Management ............................. 111

Appendix 11. Summary of Current Curriculum ............................................................... 113


Draft Final Report March 2013 viii

List of Tables

Number Page

Table 1: Reporting schedule....................................................................................................................... 11 Table 2: Schedule for IWRM Seminars ....................................................................................................... 15 Table 3: Schedule for GIS/RS Training Course ............................................................................................ 16 Table 4: Schedule for Training Course in Hydrographic Measurement ..................................................... 17 Table 5: Participants in Study Tour to Thailand ......................................................................................... 19 Table 6: Study Tour Program ..................................................................................................................... 20 Table 7: Subjects Requiring Attention ....................................................................................................... 37 Table 8: Related Subjects Offered by Other Faculties ............................................................................... 40 Table 9: Outline of Course Material for Water Allocation ......................................................................... 43 Table 10. Outline of Subject Climate Change ............................................................................................ 46 Table 11: Knowledge Elements in Academic Curriculum (WRM) .............................................................. 57 Table 12: Government Agencies Seeking Water Management Graduates ............................................... 66

List of Figures

Number Page

Figure 1: Structure of Faculty of Engineering ............................................................................................ 28 Figure 2: Management Arrangements for Package 4 ................................................................................ 96

............................................................................................................................................


Draft Final Report March 2013 ix

Abbreviations

ADB Asian Development Bank

AIT Asian Institute of Technology

AusAID Australian Agency for International Development

Component 4 NIWRMSP component “Supporting IWRM Education” to 2014

CU Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

DMH Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, MONRE

DMO Disaster Management Office

DWR Department of Water Resources, MONRE

FE Faculty of Engineering, NUOL

FRM Flood risk management

GIS Geographic information systems

HWRU Hanoi Water Resources University

ICEWaRM International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management, Australia

IFRM Integrated flood risk management

IRBM Integrated river basin management

IWRM Integrated water resources management

KKU Khon Kaen University, Thailand

KU Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

LP Linear programming

MONRE Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

MRC Mekong River Commission

MSU Mahsarakhan University, Thailand

NDMO National Disaster Management Office of Laos

NIWRMSP National Integrated Water Resources Management Support Program

NREI Natural Resources and Environment Institute (of MONRE)

NUOL National University of Laos

Package 4 TA project: Support for IWRM Education at NUOL 2011-2012

PIU Project implementation unit

PMU Project management unit

RBM River basin management

RS Remote sensing

TA Technical assistance


Draft Final Report March 2013 x

TNA Training needs analysis

TOR Terms of reference

UNESCO-IHE International Water Center of UNESCO (United Nations)

UNU United Nations University

WERI Water and Environment Research Institute, MONRE

WRED Water Resources Engineering Department

WRM Water resources management


Draft Final Report March 2013 KS-1

Knowledge Summary

A number of development and natural resources issues are driving a push to develop integrated water resources management (IWRM) capabilities in Laos. In 2007, the former Water Resources Committee Secretariat conducted an intensive IWRM training course for staff of the Water Resources Engineering Department (WRED). Subsequently, funds were allocated under the Nam Ngum River Basin Development Project of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a report into the IWRM curriculum at WRED. That report was provided in 2008, and it made specific proposals for curriculum development, including further work to support the implementation of the changes. This report documents that work and identifies additional challenges and opportunities in implementing IWRM curriculum at the National University of Laos (NUOL).

Topics in IWRM education at NUOL are currently confined mainly to the Faculty of Engineering and the WRED in the Bachelor of Civil Engineering: Water Resources Management program, although there is some overlap with other departments including Forestry. Using the core classes from this curriculum along with other key course topics still needing development (listed in the final report) would provide NUOL with a credible undergraduate program in IWRM. It is believed that this is within the means of the university to undertake in the short term if adequate funding is obtained to develop course materials.

Providing a graduate-level offering in IWRM, however, is beyond the ability of NUOL currently and for the short term, because of limitations in equipment, materials, supplies, and the knowledge level of the staff. This lack of physical facilities could be addressed through investment by donor organizations in geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), analytical capabilities, modeling software, and the computers to run them. Staff capabilities and capacity can be improved through increased twinning opportunities and topic-specific training activities, which are considered critical needs. The practice of negotiating and conducting exchanges and course sharing with regional universities, in particular, Khon Kaen University (KKU) in northern Thailand should be accelerated and longer-term twinning arrangements entered into. In-principle cooperation has already been arranged between the Faculty of Engineering at NUOL and Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand, an institution with a strong engineering program, on water management programming. A similar agreement should be made with KKU in northern Thailand that would involve a long-term cooperation program.

A number of course offerings were identified as important for inclusion in the curriculum:

IWRM principles and approaches integrated flood risk management flood and drought assessment and technology (course outline developed by the project) water resources information and data management (course outline developed by the

project) water rights, allocation, and use river basin management hydrology integrated flood risk management climate change


Draft Final Report March 2013 KS-2

Improving the physical facilities, preparing course materials, providing gender-neutral opportunities to faculty and students, and building the capacity of the faculty to offer a bachelor’s degree in IWRM will take considerable effort; however, the benefits of developing in-country expertise through credible educational programs is necessary to address the complex slate of IWRM issues in Laos.


Draft Final Report March 2013 1

Executive Summary

Education in integrated water resources management (IWRM) is important for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) because of the rapid pace of water-related development and social infrastructure that is affected by water. Lao PDR is embarking on a major development phase for hydropower; large dams are being built and operated with joint ventures and private-sector funds and operators. This development is having significant effects on rivers and will have a more significant effect in the future. Additionally the growth of mining is affecting water quality, and thirdly, Laos suffers from various types of flooding. Apart from these three main water management challenges, there are some areas in the south of the country that experience seasonal water shortages to the extent that basic water needs become temporarily difficult to meet.

There is a desire in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and at the National University of Laos (NUOL) to develop well-qualified professionals in Laos who are capable of meeting the water resources challenges and supporting both government and the private sector accordingly, instead of relying exclusively on overseas studies. As a result, support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for IWRM education at NUOL was welcomed, in the hope that the capacity of NUOL and the Water Resources Engineering Department (WRED), in particular, would be strengthened and in the future capable of providing graduates who have an appropriate understanding of water management.

The purpose of the project was to improve education in IWRM and more broadly in water management, covering fields of study that reflect contemporary approaches to water resources. It was found that WRED’s academic staff, as a group but by no means in all cases, have limited experience and familiarity with IWRM and related aspects of water management. Part of the project activities were therefore designed to better familiarize WRED staff with such concepts as river basin management, integrated flood risk management (IFRM), and elements of a mature water management regimes such as laws, institutions, and allocative and regulatory functions.

However, the technical aspects of water management were not ignored, because water data and information, hydrology, and spatial planning provide the basis on which water management decisions should be made if they are to be made from an informed basis. Water management is both a technical and a management discipline or set of disciplines.

NUOL has expanded rapidly since 1995 but came from a low base of coverage and academic capacity. In particular, the qualifications of staff need to be upgraded over time, and the quality of pedagogy should be improved. Teaching methods have centered on lecturing but with minimal written teaching materials and resources. For this reason, the project attempted to (i) develop case studies and discuss alternative and hands-on approaches for students in the subject material and (ii) develop an archive of resource materials in water management subjects. Access to information is also limited by the lack of competency in English among some academic staff, which needs to be considered in future planning.

The need for locally educated professional in the field of IWRM is critical in addressing the significant and growing water development issues faced by Laos.

Tertiary education from low level, NUOL expanding rapidly but standards need raising



The undergraduate course in water resources engineering is the program most closely related to IWRM and water management, although it includes engineering subjects as well. This program was adopted in line with the 2008 report on water

management curriculum funded by ADB. The first group of students undertaking this course completed their studies in 2012 and will graduate in 2013. WRED has been following the curriculum’s outline and so far has not modified it in any way. The project assessed the outline curriculum and after considerable discussion with WRED recommended a number of changes, which are explained in the (separate) report on the IWRM curriculum.

IWRM education at NUOL is confined mainly to the Faculty of Engineering (FE) and WRED in the program Bachelor of Civil Engineering: Water Resources Management. The bachelor’s program is based on a 2008 report that proposed a broad undergraduate program with three specializations in the final year. WRED adopted the initial recommendations of that study without change but also without developing the materials in that report to the level required in many subjects that are new to the engineering faculty. The program scope is broad, but the detail in the subject content is very brief. Although the curriculum attempts to cover all aspects of engineering related to IWRM and all relevant aspects of IWRM, it does not cover flood management to the degree that it could. The curriculum also attempts to cram too many subjects, in some cases at too high a level, into the final semester of the 5-year program under the three specializations. The ordering of subjects in some core areas could be improved, namely with respect to water resources data and information management and hydrology, which is the core stream of subject material.

Material on management aspects of IWRM is very limited, and such areas as water law, policy, and river basin management require some restructuring and development of material.

Other faculties at NUOL that cover IWRM-related material are the Faculty of Forestry, which has considerable coverage of watershed management, and the faculty of Environmental Sciences, whose undergraduate programs are in preliminary stages of development. This faculty covers, in principle, water quality management, ecology (which would include water-dependent ecosystems), and climate change. However, these subject areas are not yet well established.

Curriculum development at NUOL is largely the responsibility of faculties and departments. Although NUOL has an academic office at the central and faculty levels, they set out general policy on the numbers of units and overall structure of courses, but the actual curriculum is decided by departments, such as WRED. Currently, a matter of concern to the academic offices is the standard of curriculum and teaching and student competencies. The government wishes NUOL to raise its standards to be comparable to universities in regional countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. Raising the standards will not occur immediately. At present, a curriculum may consist of a very general outline description only.

Some of the curriculum recommendations are as follows:

Advanced subjects that cannot be taught with current facilities should be taken from the undergraduate program and assigned to post-graduate studies.

specialization should occur earlier than the final semester of the final year. There needs to be rationalization of the order and stage of some subjects. Explicit IWRM material should be covered in the second year of the program. Some subjects could be added to the current program, in particular, on water

resources information, flood management, and water rights and allocation.

Water resources curriculum review and recommendations

Current curriculum situation overview



A subject devoted to climate change should be added to the curriculum.

Such changes, if adopted by WRED, cannot be introduced immediately but may be included after the graduation of the first two groups of student (after 2014).

WRED agreed that a new subject on climate change in the undergraduate curriculum was warranted, and an outline for that subject was designed by the project. Until now, climate change has been referred to briefly in two subjects of the curriculum: climate and hydrometeorology, and water resources and environmental systems. In addition, field activities, cooperation with agencies, and reference materials have been identified to support this field of study.

The capacity of academic staff to cover subjects in a number of areas of study is limited. The first intake of students to the bachelor’s of water resources engineering program did not receive the full curriculum. Eight subjects could not be taught, because staff did not have the knowledge to teach them; in addition, some student learning events, such as workshops, were not conducted to provide the learning that the curriculum intended. This remains the case for the second year’s intake of students because some of the subjects require substantial knowledge to teach properly (such as erosion and sedimentation). Bringing the academic staff to the point where all of the curriculum can be covered competently is a priority for the Department, but it will require more than short courses and familiarization.

Teaching and learning methodology, or pedagogy, was also identified as an important question. Until now, lecturing without much student interaction has been the order of the day. The project developed proposals for field activities to be conducted by students (that involve more than visiting a location and being briefed) and case studies. In addition, WRED needs to develop ways to evaluate student competencies. This is in line with the University’s policy on quality assurance to improve the standard of both tuition, and student outcomes.

WRED agreed that field study and practical work need to be enhanced in the water resources engineering program. A severe limitation in this regard is the lack of equipment, in particular, computing equipment. For this reason, students may not learn basic skills such as using spreadsheets and geographic information systems (GIS), which means in turn that they are not well prepared to use basic hydrographs and associated models.

The lack of equipment and supporting material is a critical problem for the undergraduate water resources engineering program at WRED. Students have limited opportunity to undertake practical tasks such as hydrographic flow measurement, water quality testing, or even computer access for practicing with GIS and remote sensing data. Overcoming these restrictions is one of the highest priorities for the Department in the next 3 to 5 years.

Another area in which serious limitations occur is the lack of proficiency in English among the staff and students, combined with limited written material in the Lao language. More material is available in the Thai language, which can be understood by Lao language-speaking staff and students. However, NUOL faces a dilemma in regard to information resources, reports, and the like, so much of which is written in English. Over time, it is expected that students will be given more competency in the English language, but technical subjects are not easy to master in non-native languages.

Climate change subject to be added to curriculum

Not all subjects in the current curriculum can be taught yet

Teaching and learning methods are important to good student outcomes

Lack of equipment is a severe limitation on learning

Language limitations for access to learning resources



The development of WRED staff was a major focus of the project. Staff development proposals included in the action plan were the following: in the area of qualifications, qualifying in areas more closely related to water resources management and obtaining post-graduate qualifications, obtaining experience in relevant areas, and increasing the linkages with related institutions and also within NUOL.

There is considerable work to be done in gender mainstreaming. Only 16% of the academic staff in the water management program are women. However, no female staff have post-graduate qualifications. A number of strategies are proposed: (i) including a minimum number of female staff in the post-graduate study program, (ii) recruiting more female staff members at the entry level, (iii) ensuring that adequate numbers of women are included in short courses for academic staff, (iv) providing support programs to broaden women’s knowledge, and (v) implementing confidence-building programs for women in the academic sphere. These proposals are included in the action plan for the development of WRED.

During the project, familiarization and training were conducted in technical and less technical areas for WRED staff and for some participants from other organizations that included ministries and the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Activities were:

IWRM Seminar 1 (February 2012) by Package 4

IWRM

Water law, policy and administration

River basin management

Water resources planning

IFRM

Consultation in water management

Training in hydro-measurement (October 2012) in Lao language (by Department of Meteorology and Hydrology [DMH] staff)

Training in GIS and RS (October 2012) in Lao language by Package 4 consultants

IWRM Seminar 2 (November 2012) by Package 4 consultants

River basin management


Community flood planning

Water and environment

Hydraulic works regulation

Conflict management in water resources

Two strategic planning workshops

Development of academic staff

Gender mainstreaming is an important area for attention

Workshops and seminars on IWRM topics during the project



Presentations used in these activities were made available to WRED for further use. Discussion of teaching options, case studies, and student activities occurred as part of the events. Possible case studies and field activities are provided in an attachment to the main report.

A reference archive of water resources management materials was compiled and produced as a CD. The same information was also deposited in the cloud for Internet access. The description of the archive is given in the main report.

The project organized and led a study tour to Thailand in June 2012. The study tour report is separate from the main report. The study tour members were from the NUOL central Academic Office; the deputy dean and others of the FE; and WRED, including the Director and senior staff.

Three tertiary institutions were visited: Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University (KU), and the Asian Institute of technology (AIT). A memorandum of understanding was signed between the FE of NUOL and each of the three institutions visited. The following areas of potential cooperation were discussed:

access to teaching and learning resource materials (library, documents in the Thai language)

exchanges of teaching staff for lecturing student exchanges offers of joint cooperation on post-graduate studies (KU and AIT)

Recommendations are made about twinning with other institutions. NUOL has general memoranda of understanding with regional international universities. The study tour enabled closer and more specific twinning arrangements to be made with specific institutions. Until now, exchanges and courses have been negotiated with regional universities, in particular Khon Kaen University (KKU) in northern Thailand, but longer-term twinning arrangements should be entered into. In principle, the FE at NUOL and KU in Thailand, an institution with a strong engineering program, have already agreed to cooperate on water management programming. A similar agreement should be made with KKU in northern Thailand that involves a long-term cooperation program. Looking further afield, because of the disparity in levels of capacity between NUOL, FE/WRED, and international universities offering water management programs, useful twinning as such is a little way off.

Closer links are needed between WRED and other departments of the FE and other faculties of NUOL, where academic staff are working on water-related research projects and have important water-related capacity, for instance, in modeling. Similarly, WRED should participate in regional research programs as much as possible to improve staff capacity.

Further, the report recommends more active and formally designed contacts between WRED and agencies of the government of Laos, in particular MONRE and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Student and staff work experience at ministries and government departments has been attempted before, but without success because a work experience plan was not made, and appropriate tasks were not given. The lesson is that negotiation and agreement with external agencies, or in the future with private companies, for staff or students should be based on pre-agreed work plans and assessments by both sides.

Reference material on web and CD

Study tour to universities in Thailand for long-term cooperation

Twinning proposals between NUOL and regional universities

Closer links with agencies in Laos and within NUOL



The question of possible student placement with employers is discussed in the main report. If WRED decides to go down this path, it is vital that it be designed and negotiated well to ensure that it produces benefits for students.

WRED wishes to start a post-graduate study program, a matter that was referred to in the TOR for Package 4. A survey of master’s courses in IWRM was conducted and found the following:

There is not a broad core IWRM curriculum, beyond the IWRM material as is promoted by organizations such as the Global Water Partnership, and master’s programs tend to reflect the academic orientation of the host universities.

Frequently a large number of specializations are offered in various disciplines depending on the disciplines available at the universities in question.

The structure of master’s programs in this field (often designed in developed countries for students for developing nations) tends to be between 18 and 24 months with an initial period of tuition followed by a thesis.

A master’s program in water resources management or IWRM could be constructed along these lines, but it is not possible for WRED to initiate a program at this time, because of its staff capacity and resource limitations. The project concluded the following:

Offering a full-fledged master’s program is not possible immediately or in the short term given WRED’s state of preparedness.

Cooperation with KU (subject to successful negotiation) on a related post-graduate program could provide WRED with the opportunity to contribute some staff inputs and students to a joint program conducted mainly at KU.

If that proves useful and successful, WRED could, over time, expand its contribution to such a program to create a more equally balanced program.

A master’s program in water management or IWRM could include many potential subjects; therefore, it is important to decide what to focus on.

Supervisors for master’s students must have a doctorate. WRED needs to plan for and support the relevant staff to become qualified at this level (in line with its identified focus).

Learning resources and equipment are a major limitation for WRED, and without an improved library and student access to digital technology and learning/research resources, WRED cannot offer post-graduate students a realistic opportunity to qualify at that level.

NUOL academic policy requires a minimum of 2 years of students qualifying at the undergraduate level before NUOL will approve a master’s program. Two years of students qualifying as graduates of the water resource engineering course seems to be an absolute basic minimum, and realistically WRED needs to gain more experience before a master’s program can be a credible offering.

WRED has also indicated that it wishes to develop applied research capacity. A first step in this direction will be to identify the specific areas of strength where WRED will be capable of providing expertise for research in water management cases within Laos. This is closely tied to the plan for upgrading the qualifications of WRED academic staff. At this time, WRED does not have other facilities that would be required for a research role, except where individual staff become involved in research projects. These facilities include access to a good reference library.

Post-graduate studies in water management require further development and preparation



WRED agrees that the core proficiency in water resources management is hydrology, as an engineering-related subject. Therefore, a logical progression of related subjects needs to be developed to bring students up to a level where they are capable, in their final year, of basic modeling. At the same time, other advanced subjects, such as stochastic modeling, should not be included in the undergraduate program.

Two issues for water management studies at NUOL are (i) the level of interest by potential students in studying in this field and (ii) the demand for graduates in Laos.

WRED is experiencing difficulty in attracting students, in part because the recently upgraded entry examination requirements have eliminated many applicants, particularly from rural areas. Note that WRED has grown out of the former irrigation school and offers two irrigation engineering courses. Its bachelor of science in engineering in water resources engineering program is not well enough known. Meanwhile, the environmental faculty, which offers some related studies, is quite popular. There is, therefore, a need to promote the water resources management studies more actively.

Investigation of graduate demand indicates that there is a reasonable future demand for graduates with water resources engineering and management qualifications by the government, but also the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It appears that the private sector in hydropower and mining is interested in employing locally qualified engineers with a water resources background. Given the rapid expansion of hydropower dams and mining operations, this demand is set to increase. In both cases, hydrography (flow measurement and analysis) and hydrology are important.

The project undertook strategic planning to develop an action plan for further development of water management education capacity at WRED. A 2-day strategic planning meeting was held, and the action plan that resulted is provided in Appendix A of the main report.

The strategic plan identifies curriculum development as one key area, along with staff development and learning resources as the other important areas for attention.

External funding is needed to accomplish important elements of the plan, but the following activities can be conducted internally:

planning for staff capacity development planned placements of students with government and private-sector agencies national seminar on water management education (alumni funded) field and/or demonstration sites for WRED to be developed

Activities that donors might be interested in supporting are

an annual or biennial conference on water management education to which international contributors are invited;

an annual workshop for 5 years on teaching method and pedagogy;

a discussion forum on water resources graduate demand and placement with the university and public-private employers, with emphasis on water-sector industries in mining, hydropower, and industrial water use;

support for staff attendance at international short courses and to obtain post-graduate qualifications in water management;

upgrading of the water resources library; and

Public and private-sector job demand assessment

Strategies and action plan for further development of water management education at NUOL

Follow-up and recommendations for future funding



equipment: computers, hydrographic equipment, portable water quality testing equipment.

This project offers the following recommendations:

WRED should continue to develop its curriculum and academic programs in line with becoming a potential water resources management institution.

The water management curriculum, structure, and individual subjects should be revised in line with the detailed proposals in this report upon completion of the second batch of water resources engineering graduates.

WRED should develop student outcomes and competencies for all subjects and evaluate the quality of student performance accordingly.

WRED should develop a 10-year plan to strengthen its capacity in hydrology with a view to offering a high-quality education in this field.

Flood hydrology and flood management should be considered as a possible future specialization for the water resources management undergraduate program.

Attention should be given in the next 5 years to collecting and developing learning material and reference resources.

WRED should participate actively in regional higher education quality assurance programs conducted by the ASEAN University Network–Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) and organize training for its staff.

Attention should be given to broadening the teaching and learning methods used, with emphasis on interactive learning, involving practical exercises, discussion, experiences, and challenges for students.

The FE should support WRED with academic staff who have qualifications and expertise in areas not currently covered by WRED and in strengthening administrative staff.

WRED should continue its program of upgrading the qualifications of staff in post-graduate qualifications and five women should be included in the higher degree program in the next 5 years if suitable candidates are available.

WRED should take a more proactive role in linking and coordinating with other departments in NUOL and with regional and international academic, research, and funding organizations.

The value and scope of water management education at WRED should be more widely and actively promoted and advertised, including to schools.

Cooperation initiated with international institutions should be pursued, in particular, with exchanges of students and lecturers with the support of the FE.1

Increased cooperation and communication with organizations in Laos would benefit WRED within NUOL with government ministries and departments and other related agencies.

The FE should organize a biennial conference on water management education with regional and international participation.

Alumni-supported national water management education events should be organized annually or biennially.

1 Formal agreements with external organizations must be made at the faculty level of NUOL.



An annual meeting should be held between WRED and industrial employer groups to discuss curriculum and student performance for future employment.

Field activities should be designed and more actively used in each student year to provide students with practical experience in information collection and analysis.

Donor natural resources support programs that target mining and hydropower sectors should be linked also with water resources education.

Donors should consider the value of water management education and information and provide appropriate support.



1. Support for IWRM Education at NUOL

1.1 Background

The project “Support for Integrated water resources management (IWRM) Education at the National University of Laos (NUOL)” is one of eight component projects of the National Integrated Water Resources Management Support Program (NIWRMSP) for Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), being jointly funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank. The IWRM education support project, Package 4, is funded by ADB, along with Packages 1 through 3, dealing with capacity building for water resources management, basin planning in the Nam Ngum River basin, and groundwater management.

Package 4 arose out of concern that national capacity in the professional and technical fields required to manage water resources needed strengthening to reduce reliance on outside support in the future. The government of Laos continues to benefit from technical support provided by the secretariat of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), particularly in advanced technology and facilities. At the same time, there are well-qualified people in technical fields in Laos, but the future will bring greater water resources challenges for several reasons. The Water Resources Engineering Department (WRED) of the Faculty of Engineering (FE) at NUOL is the training ground for qualified graduates with expertise in water resources management. However, WRED’s capacity is at an early stage of development.

1.2 Terms of Reference

The consultant terms of reference (TOR) for Package 4 state the scope of services is “to help the Water Resources and Engineering Department (WRED) of NUOL to establish graduate and postgraduate education in IWRM.” According to the TOR, the technical assistance (TA) is to

review the curricula of regional universities and institutes offering specialist IWRM courses;

implement a study tour for senior WRED staff;

facilitate a twinning agreement with one of more universities and/or institutes;

with staff of WRED, prepare a strategic plan and detailed proposal for implementing the curriculum; and

prepare a design and monitoring framework (DMF) and detailed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan.

There was a difference between the consultant TOR and the DMF for the NIWRMSP, which included other (additional) elements. This caused some people to become confused at times.



1.3 Conduct of the Project

1.3.1 Timing and Administration

Consulting inputs to Package 4, “Support for IWRM Education at NUOL,” commenced in October 2011 and were originally intended to finish in June 2012. Administrative factors caused the project to extend to December 2012. The consultants were

Mr. Kanya Souksakoun, National Water Resources Management Specialist;

Mr. Mone Nuan, National Climate Change Specialist;

Ms. Senmanichanh Sonchanghmavong, National Capacity Building Specialist; and

Mr. Paul Taylor, International Curriculum Development and Water Management Specialist.

All were intermittently engaged on the project.

Package 4 was one of four consulting packages of the NIWRMSP and came under a coordinating system where a Chief Technical Advisor was located as team leader of Package 1, while a project implementation unit (PIU) and a project management unit (PMU) were responsible for developing the local funding work plans and submitting them for the approval of ADB. The work plan is shown in Appendix 4.

1.3.2 Advisory Committee

The TOR for the project included an advisory committee or steering committee to oversee the work of the consultants. The advisory committee was developed and approved in the inception period (November 2011). The advisory committee was discussed with the FE, the Academic Office of NUOL, WRED, and the technical institute at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), before being further discussed at the inception workshop, and it was agreed that its members would be those individuals listed in Appendix 3

1.4 Reporting

1.4.1 Reporting Schedule

Reports required under the contract are listed in Table 1.

Table 1: Reporting Schedule

Report Date delivered

Inception report November 23, 2011

Monthly progress reports Monthly to November 2012

Study tour report June 28, 2012

Draft final report (final schedule) December 2012



The original time frame for this project was from October 2011 to June 2012. The final date was extended several times due to complications arising from the need to coordinate the activities of other packages and the inability of financial arrangements to be resolved satisfactorily. The number of monthly reports that were required multiplied with the progressive extension of the end date of the project.



2. Project Approach and Activities

2.1 Objectives

The focus of the consultants was

to review the IWRM curriculum within WRED, meaning the curriculum for the undergraduate degree program in water resources engineering, and a possible master’s degree program, and

to identify the limitations in WRED’s capacity and develop measures to overcome them over time, namely (i) cooperating with other faculties of NUOL and other universities and (ii) developing an action plan with realistic steps toward WRED’s expressed goals.

In performing these tasks, the project considered the formal curriculum approved by the University and reviewed it and international courses in the same or similar subjects.

2.2 Approach to IWRM Education

Integrated water resources management is a conceptual approach to managing water resources. As illustrated by a review of post-graduate courses offered internationally, understanding of IWRM varies from place to place. However, certain underlying ideas are commonly accepted. IWRM is a narrower field of study than water resources management, which has generally been considered to include technical study in mathematically based fields, such as surface water hydrology, hydrogeology, water chemistry, and biology and environmental sciences. IWRM is concerned with the management aspects of water resources and the combination of concepts and processes that have a legal and institutional character, falling into the category of governance. Interest in IWRM grew partly because hydraulic schemes and development projects were found not to be working on the ground, were not well coordinated with other schemes, or were found to have unintended side effects so that governance and management became the focus of attention.

Introducing IWRM to the teaching curriculum, or strengthening it, is one part of the support that WRED needs, but it is very closely connected with the curriculum as a whole, so closely linked, in fact, that it is difficult to separate the two. It might be of some use to provide materials that explain IWRM, and there are many of these, but the Department needs support in two general areas: (i) the curriculum as a whole and (ii) the academic standards and proficiency of the Department and its staff. For these reasons, the project consultants tackled the total curriculum, to the extent they were able, including mainstreaming IWRM concepts and climate change within it. IWRM education is discussed in a separate report.

2.3 Background WRED 2008 Funding Submission

In 2008, in line with the IWRM curriculum report, WRED made a funding submission addressed to the Water Resources Coordination Committee of Laos to support the capacity of WRED to implement the new curriculum. The funding submission is discussed because this project was designed around Phase 1 of that submission, which included a proposed study tour for senior staff, support for twinning arrangements with other universities, and a strategic plan for capacity development. Phase 2 of the proposal involved sending WRED staff to other universities to be



trained in the areas covered by new subjects in the curriculum. That proposal was designed to start in 2009 and run over 4 years. This project contains the same elements as Phase 1 of the 2008 funding submission.

Practical priorities changed between the date of the original proposal that led to Package 4 and 2011 when it started up. WRED had initiated cooperative arrangements with two universities in Thailand: Mahsarakhan University (MSU) and Khon Kaen University (KKU). WRED staff attended these universities for short periods to obtain the background needed for new subjects, and WRED proposed to continue this arrangement as far as its own funding permitted. Staff have also been attending for short periods at Hanoi Water Resources University (HWRU), where some of them have obtained degree qualifications.

For these reasons, WRED was initially opposed to conducting a study tour but later agreed. The tour was conducted in June 2012.

2.4 Project Activities

2.4.1 Summary of Activities

The following workshops and meetings were conducted:

inception workshop (November 18, 2011)

IWMR seminar (February 21–25, 2012)

study tour (June 1-4, 2012)

training in hydrographic measurement (October 1–4, 2012)

training in GIS and remote sensing (October 1–3, 2012)

strategic planning workshop for water management education (October 29–30, 2012)

second IWRM seminar (November 12–14, 26–27, 2012)

final workshop (November 30, 2012)

Summary details are given below. However, there are separate reports on each of the activities.

2.4.2 Inception Workshop

An inception workshop was held in Vientiane on November 18, 2011, attended by participants from WRED, other departments and faculties of NUOL and staff of MONRE, and a few donor representatives. A working session was also held by WRED senior staff and the project consultants to discuss the program. WRED made the following main points:

There is no need to change or add new subjects to the undergraduate curriculum for the water resources engineering degree for the purposes of implementing IWRM, because this has already been done in the 2008 report and in WRED’s earlier work.

There is a lack of desire to add any further courses to those already in the curriculum because the present curriculum is as much as WRED can readily cover.

WRED’s immediate need is to develop course material and train staff for subjects that have already been approved for the curriculum.



The current final-year students are the first under the new curriculum, but WRED is not adequately prepared to deliver all of the new curriculum.

WRED does not see the study tour as a priority and wishes the funds allocated to the study tour to be re-assigned to sending staff members to be trained in the new subjects.

The details of the workshop are given in the workshop report.

2.4.3 IWRM Seminars 1 and 2

At WRED’s request, the consultants conducted two IWRM seminars of 5 days each during the project. These seminars were designed for WRED staff and focused on water resources management issues for curriculum development. They were also intended to familiarize WRED academic staff with IWRM concepts and water management. In addition to the consultants conducting the seminars, one case study was presented by an official of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The schedule for the seminars is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Schedule for IWRM Seminars

First IWRM Seminar

Day Date Subject Notes

Day 1 Feb 20 Water Resources Planning

Planning approaches and cycle, types of water resources plan

Day 2 Feb 21 River Basin Management

General introduction, institutional options and methods, trans-boundary issues

Day 3 Feb 22 Integrated Flood Risk Management

General concepts of comprehensive flood management, risk, hazard exposure and vulnerability

Day 4 Feb 23 Water Law, Policy and Administration

General roles and patterns in water law, policy and institutional structures for water management, coordination

Day 5 Feb 24 Water and Environment Definition of environmental water, methodologies for designing environmental flow

Second IWRM Seminar


Day 1 Nov 12 River Basin Management

Assessing river basin health, judging what are appropriate coordination arrangements in a river basin. Nem Ngum River basin case study

Day 2 Nov 13 Water Resources Planning

Matters of concern in making and implementing water resources plans,




linking with other plans. Murray-Darling Basin case study

Day 3 Nov 14 Community Flood Management

Community role in flood planning and response, factors involved in reduction of vulnerability, develop community flood plan

Water and Environment Philosophy on environmental water, contemporary approaches to ecosystem and habitat maintenance

Day 4 Nov 26 Hydraulics Works Regulation

Factors involved in management and control of dams and hydraulic works and river

Day 5 Nov 27 Water Resources Conflict resolution

Role play on river valley stakeholders and proposal to raise a dam wall upstream

A total of 25 participants attended the seminars. These were chiefly from WRED, as the focus of the presentation and discussion pertained mostly to them. Some participants from other agencies were invited to the second IWRM seminar at the insistence of the PMU.

During the seminars, examples of possible case studies, field activities, and practical exercises for students were identified. The outcomes of the seminars were twofold:

familiarization with concepts and material in contemporary water management and IWRM and

development of teaching and learning material and approaches for the water management curriculum.

Details of the training and training material are given in the seminar reports. Presentation material is available on the archive CD and in the cloud archive. In the archive are also related manuals and reports for reference purposes.

2.4.4 Training in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS)

Training was provided by consultant Mr. Kanya Souksakoun in GIS and RS concepts and practice. The schedule is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Schedule for GIS/RS Training Course

Day Subject matter covered

Day 1 AM Introduction for geographic information system, remote sensing and global positioning system. Computer and program preparation

PM Programs introduction, installation and program demonstration for participants in geographic information system: ArcGIS, Quantum GIS;




remote sensing: Envi; global positioning system: GPS TrackMaker, Google Earth, MapSource

GPS Photo database: GpiSyn, LOCR

Day 2 AM Quantum GIS introduction, Using the Fetch Python Plugin, Open Layer to overlay GIS with Google Earth online for better view Qgis data entry, map edit, map Layout and map printing

PM Transfer data from ArcGIS, Qgis and GoogleEarth, Basic ArcGIS, and map projection. Map input, map edit and map layout, GIS, and watershed study

Day 3 AM GPS introduction, GPS program introduction, GPS trackMaker, Mapsource, GPS Phoyouto database, how to link photo with GPS surveys

PM Field survey, practice for GPS database

Day 4 AM Remote sensing introduction, using Envi 4.4 for analysis of Landsat data

PM Layout and export data, Share imagery with ArcGIS, question-and-answer session

The GIS/RS course was attended exclusively by WRED staff. The following conclusions were drawn from the course and participant feedback:

The student level of accomplishment in spatial technology is very low, including Microsoft Access and Excel database software, even at the end of the bachelor’s course, partly because of the lack of computers at WRED.

The mastery of these skills and knowledge is essential to more advanced practice in hydrographic and hydrology.

The details of the training are given in a separate report.

2.4.5 Training in Hydrographic Measurement

A 5-day course in hydrographic measurement was conducted at the request of WRED. Hydrographic information is a key input to surface water management and hydrologic analysis. The training was conducted by professional staff of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH). The training schedule is shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Schedule for Training Course in Hydrographic Measurement


Day 1 AM Opening Importance of hydrological data and measurement, review of hydrological process, water balance

PM Principles of discharge measurement, velocity distribution with depth




and along the channel, cross-sectional area

Day 2 AM Rainfall observation, rainfall data presentation and analysis, rainfall data analysis, Thiesen method, isohyetal method, and arithmetic method

PM Exercise on rainfall analysis, presentation of the result and discussion

Day 3 AM Introduction to tools and hydrological instruments, calculation and analysis of stream flow, current meter and float

PM Field practice/exercise on hydro data collection, Nam Song River

Day 4 AM Exercise/group work, computation of stream flow gathered in field and group presentation

PM Stream flow measurement using staff gauge, development of rating curve and exercise on rating curve

Day 5 Wrap up and return home

A total of 20 participants were trained from WRED and government agencies in Vientiane and provincial locations. This type of training is fundamental to the development of skills in surface water flow measurement and data collection and interpretation.

2.4.6 Strategic Planning Workshops

WRED made a strategic plan in 2005 to run until 2015. In view of the need to make an action plan, the WRED strategic plan was taken as a starting point for developing strategies and actions to develop capacity for water management education.

A 2-day strategic planning workshop was held on October 25–26, 2012, with 46 participants from WRED and other organizations, and a second follow-up workshop to confirm the earlier discussion and action plan was held on November, 30, 2012, some 2 working days before the final inputs of the consultants. NUOL senior staff attended the second workshop, and the meeting was chaired by the Vice-rector of the University. The issues discussed at the workshop were based in part on WRED’s strategic plan, which was adopted in 2005, and partly on issues identified by the consultants in discussion with WRED. The following headings were identified for discussion, with the agreement of senior staff of WRED:

the water resources curriculum

development and capacity of teaching staff

teaching materials, resources, and equipment

links with other departments and institutions

job opportunities and marketing

introducing a higher degree program (master’s in water resources management)

(the future of WRED as a faculty)



The strategies and action plan based on these headings were developed from the discussion at the first workshop and confirmed at the second workshop.

WRED wishes to become a faculty of water resources management. Although this is a worthy goal, it is outside the scope of Package 4 to consider in detail. However, it is clear that this goal requires considerable upgrading and capacity improvement at WRED before it will be feasible.

2.5 The Study Tour

2.5.1 Concept

The study tour was included in the original TOR issued by ADB for this project. However, at first, WRED indicated that the tour was a low priority compared with developing urgent subject material for the undergraduate program and providing training to staff to deliver that material. WRED later agreed to support the tour. Objectives of the study tour were

to familiarize WRED staff with related or similar institutions and courses and

to initiate or further develop cooperation and exchange or twinning arrangements.

The project budget provided for a limited study tour only to a regional country. WRED supported a tour to Thailand for senior staff of the Department and other University officials to provide background on the possible cooperation that may be established in the future. One advantage of visiting Thailand was that Lao speakers could understand the language. Because all members of the tour were Lao speakers, the tour was conducted in the Thai language at the two Thai universities but in English at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

A study tour was conducted in the first week of June 2012 to Thailand from Monday June 4 to Friday June 8 with the nine participants listed in Table 5.

Table 5: Participants in Study Tour to Thailand

No Name and surname Position Organization

Assoc. Prof. Keooudome Senesavath

Vice Dean of Engineering faculty

WRED/FE, NOUL

Assoc. Prof. Ouanma Thammavong

Director of WRED WRED/FE, NOUL

Mr. Bounhom Silimanotham

Deputy Director of WRED

WRED/FE, NOUL

Mr. Chinsamouth Keosoutha

Head of Water Resources Engineering Unit

WRED/FE, NOUL

Mr. Sounthone Nuanthalangsy

Head of Academic Unit

WRED/FE, NOUL

Mr. Bounyom Thoummavong

Program Coordinator of WRED; PIU

WRED/FE, NOUL

Mr. Kanya Souksakoun Technical Assistant, IWRM Specialist, Tour

RTI



No Name and surname Position Organization

Organizer

Ms. Thinphear Inthavong Lecturer WRED/FE; NOUL

Ms. Somsanouk Silybounthan

Lecturer WRED/FE; NOUL

2.5.2 Study Tour Program

The study tour program (Table 6) is shown below. Senior staff members (Vice Dean of FE, Director and Vice-Director of WRED, and senior staff) returned after the first 3 days, while other tour members revisited the institutions to obtain materials and documents from libraries and other resources.

Table 6: Study Tour Program

Date Position Location

Monday June 4 Travel Vientiane to Bangkok

Tuesday June 5 AM

Chulalongkorn University, Department of Water Resources Engineering, Meet Dean

Chulalongkorn University

Presentations, research, and teaching discussions

PM Department visit, hydraulic and coastal laboratory technical tour

Signing cooperation agreement

Wednesday June 6 AM

Kasetsart University, meet Dean of Engineering faculty, sign cooperation agreement

Kasetsart University

PM Visit Department of Water Resources Engineering, library and resource centre

Thursday June 7 AM

AIT, senior staff meeting, and discussion for cooperation

AIT

PM Visit library and technical facilities

Senior tour members return to Vientiane

Friday June 8 Return to Kasetsart University and AIT for resources and

KU and AIT



Date Position Location

documents

Saturday 9 June Return to Vientiane

The tour visited three institutions: Chulalongkorn University (CU), Kasetsart University (KU), and AIT. Several issues were raised by the participants during the discussion, and the results of the discussion are summarized briefly as follows:

WRED/Engineering Faculty of NOUL urgently needs support for retraining teaching staff who are going to teach new subjects so that they can both gain the knowledge and develop the teaching materials on specific subjects.

Capacity building for WRED should consider human resource capacity as a priority.

Some technical subjects are considered very advanced for an undergraduate program, and if they are to be retained, a justification of the subject outline is needed to fit with the appropriate level.

Textbooks obtained from the study tour should be reproduced to make four or five sets so that both students and teaching staff can access them.

The Advisory Committee recommended that a “Water Law” subject should be introduced in the curriculum.

NIWRMSP representatives suggested that “IWRM” should be included as a subject in the existing curriculum.

The existing curriculum should be continued, and it is not necessary to revise it to follow all the aspects of other university curricula.

The Dean of the Engineering Faculty commented that WRED teaching staff could access many sources of scholarships, but the criteria and requirements are high; therefore, it is difficult for staff to obtain qualifications through such scholarships.

Benefits of the study tour can be summarized as follows:

initiating personal contact with academic staff of counterpart universities

visiting teaching facilities and investigating resource material

establishing the potential for future cooperation in human resource and curriculum development

gathering information about opportunities for Lao students and teaching staff to apply for scholarships for master’s and PhD programs through the Thai government and universities

obtaining textbooks both in the Thai and English languages and the water resources engineering syllabus from KU and CU

obtaining teaching materials in electronic files from counterpart’s academic staff

According to the evaluation forms, participants recommended that

similar activities should be implemented again;



WRED should cooperate with one or more counterpart universities for its future master’s program;

Support is needed for short-course training for some subjects;

WRED needs English language training for staff; and

WRED’s staff need to upgrade their qualifications through higher degree programs.

Some proposals cannot be decided by tour members but need to be considered by higher management levels on both sides before formal cooperation can be made. The likelihood and success of such cooperation will depend on how actively WRED coordinates with these universities and institutes and how NOUL’s higher management board decides to take opportunities for future cooperation. Other issues arose from the study tour:

Counterparts suggested various sources of scholarships and how WRED might encourage staff to apply and strengthen their capacity to gain higher qualifications.

A follow-up plan is needed.

There is potential for a joint integrated bachelor-master program between NOUL-AIT and NOUL-KU.

Capacity building for WRED goes beyond the study tour and obtaining supporting material and requires the retraining of the teaching staff to develop teaching texts and long-term education scholarships in specific subjects.

The evaluation form analysis result indicated the desire for a similar study tour in the future.

The partners from three institutions agreed to support the provision of technical assistance for curriculum development, the master’s program, teaching materials, and opportunities for higher education for WRED staff.

The results of the study tour will be a key input to strategic planning for WRED.

2.5.3 Cooperation with International Institutions

All institutions visited by the study tour had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NUOL already. NUOL has some 70 MOUs with international institutions, although in many cases there may not be actual activities yet. Under the administrative arrangements for NUOL, a department is not authorized to enter into agreements directly with other agencies or international organizations. Agreements may be made at faculty level, the FE in this case.

In-principle cooperation agreements were signed with each of the institutions visited and each lists areas of possible cooperation. These agreements enable WRED to pursue joint activities and exchanges with the universities and AIT.

Since the original WRED proposal was made in 2008, WRED has established relationships with two universities in Thailand: MSU in northern Thailand (Engineering Institute) and KKU at Khon Kaen, also in the northeast of Thailand. WRED staff have attended these universities to receive training so they can deliver some of the new subjects in the water resources engineering undergraduate program. Other WRED staff have been to HWRU.

Possible activities include

long-term and short-term exchanges and visits by lecturers;



mentoring of WRED staff by academic staff from other universities;

visits by post-graduate students who may contribute to coursework while they conduct research or work on theses (as is occurring in the Faculty of Forestry);

student exchange, in particular, WRED students to visit other universities;

possible joint coursework and curriculum development;

general sharing of knowledge, information, and facilities; and

making written material and reference documents available.

There may be opportunities to link NUOL and WRED with universities in countries other than Thailand and the immediate region. This should be pursued by WRED through NUOL. The key issue is seeking and finding funding sources.



3. Water Management and IWRM

3.1 Use of Terms

In this report, the following definitions are used:

Hydrography/hydrographic: the collection and storage of surface water data, in particular, streamflow data, and the technical science accompanying that function

Hydrology: the analysis of surface water flow including modeling

Hydrogeology: embraces the study of and data about the occurrence, behavior, movement, quality, and recharge of groundwater

In Laos, the term hydrology tends to embrace hydrography and hydrology without distinction and sometimes aspects of meteorology (data collection). The distinction is made in this report for clarity.

3.2 Water Management Issues Facing Laos

There is a perception that Laos is a country with plenty of water, but Laos is entering a period of accelerated development of its water resources. Several activities are affecting water resources in Laos:

The hydropower program is constructing new dams on rivers where dams already exist and on newly developed rivers. In some river basins, there will be dam cascades; for instance, in the Nam Ngum River basin, five dams are planned (three in addition to the existing two) so that river regulation will become a serious water management challenge.

Water quality is deteriorating because of mining and industrial development; uncontrolled discharge of water from enterprises, tailings water, and water from mining excavation is polluting rivers.

Flooding occurs that includes the Mekong, major rivers, and flash floods, but in some cases, there is a connection between dam operation and the level of the flood peak (as in Nam Ngum in 2010).

Water scarcity has been experienced in some southern locations in increasing severity, in part because of watershed degradation, and with the possibility that climatic changes will cause water to become more scarce.

These are the four most important water management issues facing Laos at the present time. There are others, including erosion and excavation, and upland catchment degradation, which, in turn, is partly responsible for both increased flooding and scarcity in some areas. Upland degradation is the focus of watershed programs, which are covered extensively by the Faculty of Forestry at NUOL, which has received much financial support over the years from German aid sources. There is a question as to what extent the WRED program should touch on or include watershed subject material. This is discussed in sub-section 5.4.9.

Until now the MRC has provided support for water resources information and technical systems in Laos and Cambodia to an extent that will not be continued into the indefinite future. There is a positive and a negative side to this support. On the positive side, much technology has been



developed for Laos, which might not have been introduced otherwise. On the negative side, there has been a tendency until now to rely on MRC-funded programs for activities that the government of Laos itself should be providing for. This applies to hydrographic, hydrology, and flood warning systems, in particular. Therefore, it is important that national capacity in water resources management and technology be developed.

3.3 Definition of IWRM Education

IWRM is a concept that promotes integration of water activities between sectors and the management of water resources. It emphasizes processes used to bring about a unified system of management through coordinated planning with the participation of all actors with an interest in the water resource. Literature devoted specifically to IWRM, published by the Global Water Partnership and others, explains these principles and ideas. However, the reach of IWRM is not universally agreed upon, and there is confusion and overlap in understanding the term IWRM.

IWRM education is taken to include the following:

IWRM principles and concepts: The principles of IWRM, particularly as defined by international organizations and promoted by water resources professionals, along with supporting material on water management

Managing water as a resource: The range of knowledge and understanding in the most important aspects of water as a natural resource and how it can be managed

Technical fields in managing water: The technical knowledge and skills in disciplines central to resources management, covering the following areas:

o meteorology, hydrology, and hydrometric data/information

o surface water hydrology and flood hydrology and hydro-informatics

o geology, hydrogeology, and groundwater data/information

o water chemistry

o environmental sciences related to water, biology, and aquatic limnology

o geomorphology, fluvial morphology, and fluid dynamics

Engineering water development: Engineering design, construction and operation of hydraulic works, utility schemes for irrigation, urban and domestic water supply, urban and domestic sanitation, and hydropower

Of these four general areas, engineering for water development is the foundational field, most of which requires no review, because the material is familiar to WRED staff and to the FE at the University and is not particularly new.

The project is to support IWRM education, which could be considered a narrower field of study than water management education. IWRM education is defined as education that applies the principles of IWRM to the study of water. That means it includes technical disciplines but in the context of the management of water resources.

To explain further, the fields of study that should form the technical core for surface water management and groundwater management are

hydrography and hydrology for surface water management and

hydrogeology for groundwater management.



3.4 IWRM Education in Laos

Qualified graduates from within Lao PDR are important to support national requirements for the future of water in the country. Not so long ago, it was the prevailing opinion in Laos that there is plenty of water and that the main challenge was how to develop it for economic purposes. That opinion has started to change in recognizing that the country faces important water resources challenges. Important and emerging water resource problems are

serious flooding and increased drought events in some parts of the country (southern areas);

the extension of impacts of hydropower development on rivers, such as erosion and changes in river channel configuration due to the changeability of downstream flow and resettlement concerns for project-affected people; and

pollution of waterways by mining activities.

In response to water management problems, a number of administrative and legal developments have occurred including that:

the national government is starting to implement the comprehensive water laws that were established in 2001;

the establishment of river basin organizations to plan and coordinate water issues; and

the likely increased regulation of activities affecting water, namely pollution control (permit system) and water allocation regulation.

In addition, the MRC is proposing to transfer some of the technical functions it has been supporting to riparian countries, including Laos.

Taken together, these developments create the need for people with tertiary qualifications in a number of important fields under the general focus of water management, and it is desirable that they can be trained within Laos if possible.



4. Education at the National University

4.1 Background to NUOL

NUOL was established in 1995 at the campus occupied by the national teaching institute. Before that, some colleges offered diplomas and certificate qualifications but not full bachelor’s degrees. Since 1995, NUOL has grown considerably and now includes many faculties. Some faculties are at a rudimentary stage, for instance, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, while others are better established, including the Faculty of Forest Sciences and the FE.

The rapid growth of faculties and departments has meant that within some parts of the university the courses and academic standards are not as well consolidated as they are expected to be eventually.

4.2 Academic Policies and Standards

NUOL has a central Academic Office and each faculty has its own academic office also. The roles of these offices are to develop policies for academic study; develop the general structure of courses, such as the number of units per year; and review course proposals from departments. In practice, the academic offices do not review course material, relying on departments to develop it according to their own expertise. Only the general structure of courses is considered at this time, meaning the number of units allowable per semester and in total for courses.

4.3 Faculties at NUOL and Water Management

Four faculties at NUOL cover water resources management and/or related subjects:

Faculty of Science,

Faculty of Environmental Sciences (bachelor’s of environmental science),

Faculty of Forestry (bachelor’s program covers watershed management and climate/meteorology), and

Environmental Engineering Department at the FE.

Within these faculties and departments, a number of water resources-related subjects are taught, including water resources management, watershed management, hydrology, freshwater biology, climate and meteorology, geomorphology, climate change (may not have a water focus), wetland management, and water pollution.

WRED is one of several departments within the FE. Of these, the Environmental Engineering Department covers subjects that are also included in WRED’s bachelor’s program, mainly in the engineering aspects of water treatment.

Relevant course subjects provided by these faculties need to be linked to the IWRM program because they make up important parts of the totality of water resources management. .



4.4 Engineering Faculty

WRED is located within the FE. The Faculty has eight departments but is planning to add three departments by separating out specializations, as shown in Figure 1. The dotted lines in the figure denote sub-departments that will become new departments in the future.

The Civil Engineering Department includes sub-departments in environmental engineering and geology and mining engineering. These will be separated out to become independent departments. Similarly, hydropower engineering is located within the Department of Electrical Engineering but will be a separate department.

Figure 1: Structure of Faculty of Engineering

The relationship of the three new departments to water resources is as follows:

Department of Environmental Engineering: The focus is on wastewater treatment for sewage and other discharges, including the design and construction of waste water treatment plants. Some subjects in the programs of this department overlap with subjects in WRED’s engineering program. Neither department covers water quality from an ambient water management perspective.

Department of Geology and Mining: Deals with geology mainly from an engineering and exploitation perspective. However, the basic geology that it covers would be relevant to any groundwater management program. There is no earth sciences faculty at NUOL, and this department appears to have the most active geological science curriculum that so far exists in Laos.

Dean of Faculty

Vice Dean Academic

Vice Dean Administration

Vice Dean Student Affairs

Civil Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Electronic and Telecommunicati

Environmental Engineering

Water Resources Engineering

Road, Bridge and Transport

IT and Computer

Vocational Teacher Education

Departments

Hydropower Geology and Mining



Hydropower Department: The focus of this department is power generation and associated hydraulic works. Material on sustainable hydropower should be included in future courses, which would mean considering hydrologic impacts of hydropower development and operation. This sub-department is to become a separate department within the Faculty.

4.5 The Water Resources Engineering Department

4.5.1 Background to the Department

WRED is one of seven departments in the FE at NOUL. It is located on its own campus at Tadthong, some 30 kilometers from Vientiane, and is not geographically connected to any other department of the University.

WRED is located at a different campus from all the other departments and attempts to maintain some separation and autonomy. It was originally the irrigation college and joined NUOL as an existing institution. However, its separation also brings isolation, which is discussed elsewhere in this report.

WRED was originally the Irrigation College under the Ministry of Agriculture. The former college delivered engineering diplomas and higher diploma qualifications, below the level of the bachelor’s degree. In 1995, the school joined the National University and became the Department of Irrigation Engineering within the FE, which presently has seven departments. The Department upgraded its engineering courses to the bachelor’s degree level, creating a Bachelor of Irrigation Engineering. However, the Department remained in its original campus at Tadthong, separate from the other departments in the FE and isolated geographically from other NUOL faculties and departments. Tadthong is about 30 km outside Vientiane, although it is considered to be an outlying part of the city, and is likely to become developed and more closely connected to Vientiane in coming years. In 2006, the Department broadened its scope to become the Department of Water Resources Engineering and at the same time introduced the third undergraduate degree program, the Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management. This program forms the core of WRED’s water management

WRED has three bachelor’s degree programs: irrigation engineering, irrigation management, and bachelor of engineering in water resources management. The bachelor’s is the degree program that covers IWRM, and its curriculum is the main focus of this project. In fact, the WRED undergraduate curriculum was adopted only in 2009 for second-year students (who had completed their first year of basic subjects). This program is very new and not fully implemented. The first intake of students completed their final year in 2012 and will graduate in 2013, but some of the subjects included in the program have not been fully developed.

4.5.2 WRED Staff and Facilities

The age profile of the staff is a combination of long-serving lecturers who have been trained in irrigation engineering and a much younger cohort of recently qualified staff with much less experience. At the same time, in the past 5 years, the Department has attempted to broaden its academic range from an irrigation engineering focus to water resources.



4.5.3 WRED Staff

In general, and based on discussions with staff and experiences during the project, it appears that because NUOL has expanded rapidly from a limited base, the depth of experience and academic quality are catching up with the structure of the institution.

For instance, WRED has introduced the bachelor’s program in water resources management while the exposure of the Department’s staff to water resources management is limited, although some staff have received academic instruction through post-graduate qualifications obtained overseas. The level of knowledge and familiarity with water resources management principles, concepts, and practices remains limited. This is also the case because the water management function in the government administration of Laos is at a developmental stage. Certain functions and systems that will be needed in the future (and are needed now) have not been designed or created, for instance, a water rights system capable of regulating the operation of large dams, as exists in most developed countries.

4.5.4 Origin of the Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management

ADB funded a technical assistance investigation to develop the curriculum for a degree program in water resources engineering. The report, entitled IWRM-Based Curriculum in Water Resources Management, May 2008, was undertaken by Professor Das Gupta (with the AIT in Bangkok) and Dr. Bounthan of NUOL. They laid out a 5-year program in water resources engineering (including the first year in basic subjects), which was then put to the academic office of NUOL by WRED and subsequently approved.

WRED adopted the report on the IWRM curriculum without change, and its structure, subjects, and subject content were not altered or adapted in any way. However, some subjects contained elements that were not familiar to WRED staff, and the key focus of attention then was to obtain background for the academic staff through training and qualifications in relevant areas.

4.5.5 Future of WRED

WRED now wishes to become a faculty of water management. Its proposals are at a preliminary stage, but it would move away from an engineering–based program toward a water management base. In short, WRED’s long-term aims are to

become the faculty of water resources management separate from the FE,

create a research facility within the department/faculty, and

offer post-graduate studies in water resources management, starting with a master’s program.

These are very ambitious goals that go far beyond the scope of the present capacity-building effort of Package 4. They do clearly indicate an intention to become a water management-focused institution and less engineering based. Therefore, their efforts to become an academic department focusing on water management should be supported. There is a need to balance the engineering aspects of the program, which require that the graduates be qualified as engineers, with the water resources management coverage, some of which is not central to other engineering programs. WRED will determine the scope of the engineering coverage to ensure that the program delivers an adequate engineering qualification, while also including IWRM and other water management areas of study.



4.5.6 Staff Capacity

The current capacity of WRED staff needs strengthening in the following areas:

academic background in some subjects that need to be taught in the water resources bachelor’s program

background in irrigation engineering, but not familiarity with a water resources management program

teaching method based too exclusively on lecture format without student interaction and practical application

Other limitations are due to limited equipment and computing so that students do not obtain hands-on practice that is needed for them to become proficient in skills such as using spreadsheet software and GIS, which are prerequisites for hydrology and, in later years, modeling. These limitations also extend to the laboratory and field activity, in particular, for measuring water flow and observing water levels in rivers. These need to be rectified by providing portable and fixed measuring equipment.



5. Water Resources Curriculum at NUOL

5.1 Background to Water Resources Curriculum

5.1.1 Report on IWRM Curriculum 2008

In 2007, the former Water Resources Committee Secretariat conducted an intensive IWRM training course for WRED staff. Subsequently, funds were allocated under ADB’s Nam Ngum River Basin Development Project for a report into the IWRM curriculum at WRED. That report, provided in 2008, made specific proposals for curriculum development, including further work to support the implementation of the changes. Since then, the government has reorganized the administration for water resources in Laos so that new challenges have arisen. The recommendations in the report form the foundation for the current curriculum of WRED in water resources engineering.

5.1.2 Academic Programs in NUOL

NUOL is only now starting to offer higher degrees in any numbers. NUOL offers three doctorate programs and a larger number of master’s degree programs, including engineering, but many academic staff teaching undergraduate degrees do not have higher degrees themselves. For this reason, the University has as an objective in its strategic plan to increase the level of qualifications of academic staff. Because WRED would like to increase the level of qualifications of its staff, there is a great need to strengthen capacity, especially with respect to new courses and subjects.

5.1.3 Government Policy on Tertiary Education

Three recent policy changes have affected the undergraduate student intakes and courses.

Shortening of undergraduate program

The original 5-year university undergraduate degree program used to be 5 years, but the secondary school curriculum was recently increased by 1 year from 6 years to 7, partly to be consistent with neighboring Thailand, and the university programs reduced by 1 year at the same time. The undergraduate programs have now been reduced to 4 years, which will be reviewed in 2016. Basic subjects were dropped from the first year of the course in the expectation that first-year students would already have a higher level of knowledge of basic subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.

It is not certain that accepting students from a 7-year high school program means that they are ready to tackle the first year of basic university subjects. It may be that the level of student accomplishment is actually behind the former end-of-first-year university students.

Higher entry examination requirements

NUOL has introduced an entry examination that students must pass before admittance to university courses, and the examination ranks the applicants. Applicants also choose their preferred faculty and department for study. Many students who chose WRED recently, with an interest in irrigation or water resources engineering, have not been able to pass the exam with sufficient marks to meet the entry requirements, because it is a competitive system. Some



45,000 students applied in 2012, and only 4,500 places were available at NUOL. As a result, the numbers of students entering WRED has been limited.

Consistency with regional education systems

It is government policy that the educational system in Laos be as consistent as possible with the educational systems of regional Asian countries. This policy mainly means raising the educational standards for higher education to meet those of neighboring countries. Part of the reason is so that graduates’ undergraduate qualifications are seen as equivalent in the other countries so bachelor’s graduates can enter post-graduate courses overseas. This policy allows students to switch or complete studies part way through the undergraduate program in neighboring countries (mainly Thailand and Vietnam).

5.1.4 Bachelor of Engineering: Water Resources Management

The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resource Management is a 4-year (originally 5-year) program in which the first year is devoted to basic subjects. In 2012, the Department changed the course designation from the earlier “bachelor of water resources engineering” to the current title. After the first year, students are taught civil engineering basic subjects with a water-sector orientation (hydraulic works, water supply). Added to those subjects are two other sets of subjects: (i) water resources information and hydrology-related subjects and (ii) water resources management subjects. Both of these groupings are relatively unfamiliar to the long-standing staff of WRED whose backgrounds have been civil and irrigation engineering.

The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management specializes in the second semester of the final year in three areas: hydrology, water resources planning, and water and environment. The water and environment specialization, however, focuses on water treatment rather than the environmental aspects of water in nature.

5.1.5 Scope of the WRE Program

The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management program, as presently designed, covers a large number of subject areas. Although the main focus is on surface water management, the program includes one subject on groundwater management. It covers some engineering design subjects and overviews water services such as water supply, wastewater treatment (sewerage), and hydropower in individual subjects. It has one subject dealing with sedimentation and erosion.

The program attempts to cover a large number of different areas that have a technical basis and, therefore, can address those areas only at an introductory level. Erosion and sedimentation, for instance, can only be introduced in a single subject.

There WRE program has three specializations, which are discussed further below:

water resources planning

hydrology

water and environment

5.2 Situation Analysis for Current Curriculum

The current curriculum (prior to commencement of Package 4) is based on the proposals made in the 2008 report IWRM-Based Curriculum in Water Resources Management, referred to



above. Relevant sections of that report are included in Appendix 11. WRED took the recommendations of the report and applied them without change to its program. This included the summary content statements in addition to the proposed list of subjects in each year, and the subjects assigned to the three specializations in the final year of the program.

The course outline and content is listed and details shown in Appendix 11. Analysis of that curriculum, with respect to the structure and stated content of the subjects, is as follows:

The first year general subjects, is determined by NUOL’s basic requirements; The second year, covering mainly basic engineering subjects, is also determined by the

requirements of the FE and its civil engineering programs; The third and fourth years reflect the 2008 proposals and include subjects dealing with

water resources information, hydrology, and other core disciplines: these subjects are given outlines that vary in extent;

The final year includes subjects assigned to the three specializations, but some are too advanced in concept for undergraduate study and some cannot be delivered beyond initial theory (modeling in particular).

Delivery of the curriculum is limited by the following:

lack of detailed development of subject content in “new” subjects (excluding basic subjects and subjects common to civil engineering courses) and limited information and written material (in any language) to support these subjects;

limited access by students to hands-on practice in using technology, including spreadsheets, GIS and RS, and any basic modeling;

limitations in teaching methodology, which is predominantly lecturing with some notes, but lacks student interaction; and

limited equipment for field activities and practice.

5.3 Curriculum Review

5.3.1 General

The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management program was the focus of the curriculum review. The review considered the curriculum at three levels:

the structure—its inclusions and coverage

the descriptive material outlining the main subject matter in each subject, determinist scope, coverage, and focus

the content within subjects, in particular, those that cover technical fields such as hydrology and water management subjects

Subjects were divided into several categories for the purpose of the review:

basic subjects

standard subjects related to engineering and irrigation

new subjects in well-established technical areas

new subjects in unfamiliar areas

The basic subjects and engineering subjects do not require further consideration because they have traditionally been taught and staff are familiar with them. It is possible for WRED to obtain suitable information and resources from regional universities, particularly in Thailand, where



engineering is taught at Khon Kean University (KKU) and KU. They require support in the form of materials and equipment, however, which are limited by lack of funding.

5.3.2 Specializations

The bachelor’s program includes three specializations as noted above. Some comments are made here.

Hydrology

This specialization should help students become competent at basic hydrologic modeling and be familiar with more advanced types of models (stochastic modeling techniques; three-dimensional models, such as flood routing and fluvial models). At present, this specialization starts in the final semester of the program, so it is not possible to give students more than a passing knowledge of how modeling is done and what different models might do or not do. Students need to operate and modify two-dimensional models and evaluate their outputs.

There is a need to decide which hydrology subjects should be included in the general program and which in the specialization. Precursor subjects, modeling concepts, and the first hydrology subject should be included in the general program for all students. Other hydrology subjects would then form part of the specialization. This would require the specialization to start in the third year (second to last year) of the program.


The project was asked to provide background to water resources planning, which is one of the main activities being entered into by the Department of Water Resources of MONRE at the river basin scale. Numerous types of plans are relevant to the water sector, some dealing with developing water schemes and others relating to managing water resources. It is theoretically possible to introduce some of the sophisticated planning schemes, such as those being applied in parts of Australia, but these schemes rely heavily on a level of technical information and processing that is not available in Laos and therefore would be of academic interest but not useful as tools for use in the Lao context.

The water resources planning field is closely related to legal and regulatory aspects of water management that are missing from the water management function in Laos so far. However, it is important to include the knowledge of water rights and water allocation in relation to planning, because surface water development and large dams is the number one water management issue in Laos, despite the views of many to the contrary. It is important to give students a good background in planning and the control of hydraulic works and their operation, because there is a limited understanding of the issues within government ministries.

Water and environment

This specialization includes a number of subjects that are also offered by the Department of Environmental Engineering at the FE. Its focus is combined water treatment engineering (sanitation and water purification) and some water quality (water chemistry). This specialization needs to cover ambient water quality and its management to a greater degree, although the technology for pollution control should be covered by the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. Some aspects of environmental water management that should be included are international treaties that deal directly or indirectly with water resources (for instance, RAMSAR and declared wetlands).



The widespread view in Laos—that “there is a lot of water”—relates to this aspect of water management; this view implies water for the environment is not an important issue.

The consultants considered that these specializations need to commence in the third year. That opinion was supported at the final (second strategic plan) workshop in November by the Vice-Rector of NUOL and the Dean of the Engineering Faculty.

5.3.3 Possible New Specialization: Flood Management

Because of concern in Laos about flooding (including floods affected by dam operation), WRED supports the development of a specialization in flood management. The project has developed an outline for two related subjects, namely integrated flood risk management (IFRM) and flood technology and management. Elements in these subjects would be expanded to include in-depth coverage of related technology as well as disaster management and flood-related planning. The Faculty of Environmental Sciences includes disaster management in its programs.

5.3.4 Developing and Supporting the Curriculum

In the consultants’ view, the core class offerings that currently exist plus the specializations listed above, provide a good representation of subject areas that address water resources management and the engineering subjects. Three matters should be considered in helping WRED apply a curriculum that offers a well-rounded water management education and applies an IWRM approach:

the general structure and coverage of the curriculum

the subject matter covered in the courses of subjects

the capacity of WRED to teach the subjects effectively

5.4 The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management

The bachelor’s program in water resources management was introduced by the Department as a second undergraduate degree program in 2009, as noted above. WRED adopted the recommendations of the 2008report almost without change. The 5-year program was based on the subject list and definitions of subject contents provided in the report. The program was approved by the Academic Office of NUOL, which ensures that the numbers of credits per year and per semester comply with the University’s academic policies but does not review the actual subject content within the program.

Having obtained approval for the degree program, WRED enrolled the first students in 2009 in the then 5-year course. They completed their final year in 2012 and will formally graduate in August 2013. WRED set about teaching the subjects in the approved course but did not review the program in-depth before adopting it. As a result, there is considerable subject matter that the students are not familiar with.

5.4.1 General Structure of Curriculum

The report by Professor Das Gupta in 2008 proposed a broad water resources management and engineering curriculum that covers all aspects of water resources. Within the curriculum, subjects fall into the following categories:



Basic subjects (mathematics and science) that apply to engineering in general and other disciplines, covered in the first 1 or 2 years of the courses

Engineering subjects that follow standard civil engineering course programs, with emphasis on hydraulic works

Technical subjects related to water management in data, hydrology, and hydrogeology and covering flood, drought, erosion, and river channels

Management subjects dealing with how water resources are used, allocated, conserved, protected, and planned

Embedded within some of these subjects is IWRM, at the level of principles and theory. It could be noted that universally it has been difficult to develop the IWRM approach into specific examples and applications to real-world problems.

Climate change is not specifically included in the current curriculum but is referred to in two subjects. WRED has agreed that a stand-alone climate change subject should be developed. This is an area of technical and management specialization that has only been developed outside climate science in the last decade and is being included in curricula around the world.

The review of the general structure of the curriculum will be undertaken in the last third of the project between May and July. This may seem to be the opposite of what should happen, but the reason is that the more immediate priority at this time is to support the development of priority subjects in the current curriculum and provide capacity support to WRED staff.

5.4.2 Subjects Requiring Attention

Table 7 lists subjects requiring attention. Other subjects require developing course materials and training staff. These subjects were identified in 2008 as requiring specialist input and development of course materials over a 4-year period, but to date they have not been developed. Some of them comprise a title and brief description only. The 2008 proposal involved a long-term plan to send staff for periods of 2 months to other universities to be trained in the course subjects.

Climate and meteorology are taught in the Faculties of Environmental Sciences and Forest Science. The content of these courses will be investigated to see whether they can be covered adequately by staff from the other faculties.

Table 7: Subjects Requiring Attention

Principles of GIS and RS Workshop was conducted during the project for this subject: the level of skill achieved so far is below what is required

Hydropower development

Need to add material on sustainable hydropower, with emphasis on hydrology and the impacts of river diversion and changes to flow caused by operation of hydropower facilities.

Water resources planning I and II

This subject needs, in addition to engineering technical optimization techniques, to introduce ideas about why planning is important in the water sector, the types and nature of various possible water plans, and their interaction (of lack thereof) with local government and other sector activities. This subject was covered in both IWRM seminars.

River basin management This subject has been redesigned for the future, with emphasis on matters relevant to river basins and a focus on river basin



indicators and evaluating institutional and legal arrangements for managing at the river basin level. This subject was covered in both IWRM seminars.

Climate and meteorology This subject needs to come early in the program and to precede information subjects that are precursors to hydrology—see revised list of subjects.

Water use and demand management

The subject needs to be developed further. It was not possible to cover this in detail during the project due to other competing demands on time

Water utility management

Management of water utilities can be a large subject. The regulatory regimes for water utilities were covered in the first IWMR seminar.

5.4.3 The Importance of Hydrology

Hydrology and related information-based subjects are considered by the consultants to be the most important technical area of study for managing surface water resources. This area would include some climate and meteorology and, at a more specialized level, flood hydrology. In Laos, there is an important need for qualified graduates with a good understanding of the behavior of water in rivers and surface water bodies.

According to discussions with WRED, hydrology and associated information management and modeling is the most important area of curriculum yet to be developed. The consultants agree that hydrology should be the core of technical knowledge for surface water management. The approved curriculum includes the following subjects that cover technical aspects of hydrology that have been taught already:

Statistical Methods in Water Resources

Hydrologic Measurement and Data Management

River Hydraulics and Flood Flow

Hydrologic Processes

Concepts of Modeling

Applied Tropical Hydrology

Hydrogeology and Groundwater

Some of these subjects have been taught already but only to a relatively superficial extent. The following remain undeveloped:

Climate and Hydrometeorology

Stochastic hydrology

Water Resources Planning II

Modeling of Water Resources and Environmental Systems

Environmental Hydraulics



5.4.4 Water Resources Information

The basis for all analysis of the behavior of rivers and streamflow is data. Students require a good understanding and appreciation of the value of reliable and comprehensive data whenever possible. For this reason, it is recommended that an additional subject be developed on water resources information and data management. This subject is described, with an outline, later in the report, and with the argument for adding it to the curriculum.

This is the technical area of most importance to the ability of students to use technical data in surface water assessment and allocation, water quality management, and related fields such as groundwater, fluvial morphology (erosion/sedimentation), and flood management. WRED places high priority in obtaining the necessary capacity for its staff to teach these subjects.

5.4.5 Integrated Flood Risk Management as a Specialization

One area of study that was agreed should be developed is flood hydraulics and flood management. This is because of the extreme potential for flood issues to increase dramatically due to the realities of climate change.

Although advanced flood modeling would be beyond the capacity of the undergraduate program, the extent and seriousness of flooding as a water management issue in Laos mean that expertise in flooding technology is important.

The subject Risk, Impact Assessment and Management could be changed to reflect IFRM. In addition, it is recommended that flood hydrology be covered. A flood management specialization could include

IFRM concepts and application,

design flood hydrology,

flood control works design (introductory),

flood hydrology and modeling, and

community flood planning and response.

5.4.6 Climate Change Curriculum

WRED has decided that climate change will be a subject in the future curriculum. It will cover the following:

climate change theory and science, dealing with observed climate trends and changes occurring and predicted, use of climate models and predictive boundaries

climate change impacts in the region and in Laos, with emphasis on water

climate change mitigation, actions to respond to the impacts of climate change-driven effects, such as drought, flood, and the increased severity of climatic events

adaptation measures for climate change of various sectors in Laos and initiative programs

5.4.7 Review of Course Descriptions

There is overlap between elements of various subject descriptions. Some subjects appear to cover a great deal of subject matter (more than is warranted by the number of credits assigned to them) and could be divided into more than one subject. The project reviewed all course



descriptions with a view to rationalizing the content and identifying specific material that needs to be developed. These issues are covered in detail in the report on curriculum.

5.4.8 Flexibility of Course Structure within NUOL

The project has discussed the options for students to take units in other departments and faculties, but at this time it appears that such coordination is not easy. Difficulties in timetabling were put up as barriers. Nowadays, internationally, it is common to allow students to take units from more than one course of study to make a degree program, but at NUOL, this is not the norm and it appears to be difficult. Within the FE, it may be possible to allow students to taken subjects offered by more than one department. However, in the case of WRED, its isolated location makes that difficult. One problem for students is the cost of travel between campuses.

More feasible is to arrange for staff of other faculties to teach at WRED. This has already been organized for some subjects, and the practice should be expanded.Related Subjects Offered by Other Faculties

In several subject areas other faculties offer subjects related to water resources management. Apart from basic subjects (mathematics and science), these are listed in Table 8. This list shows some commonality with the water resources program. The Faculty of Forestry has a Department of Watershed Management and a Department of Ecology and Tourism. These departments cover material relevant to water and forest/vegetation management.

Table 8: Related Subjects Offered by Other Faculties

Subject Faculty Env Sciences

Faculty Forestry

Hydropower Dept., FE

Water resource management

Watershed management

Hydrology

Freshwater biology

Climate/meteorology

Geomorphology

Wetlands

Ecology (aquatic ecosystems)

Pollution management

Water quality

Climate change

Natural disaster preparedness



Subject Faculty Env Sciences

Faculty Forestry

Hydropower Dept., FE

EIA

Integrated land use planning

GIS and RS

5.4.9 River Basin Management and Watershed Management

Watershed management applies to land/vegetation/soil and water relationships and measures to prevent deterioration or remediate degradation. Many watershed management activities are undertaken at the local scale, and it can include the installation of minor hydraulic works to limit erosion and restore streamflow characteristics. It can also involve larger scale activities mainly in forested areas.

River basin management, on the other hand, implies looking at the hydrology of the whole river basin. Although some rivers are small, along with their basins, in general, river basin management targets the major rivers and their basins. These subjects, therefore, cover different aspects of activity and management.

The subject of river basin management at WRED refers to watershed management, but the subject is only covered at a basic level. If students were to be given an option to study watershed management further, it would be logical to coordinate this with the faculty of Forestry.

Watershed management may be outlined in the river basin management subject, as it is now, but it cannot be said that students who take that subject would be anything more than generally familiar with the concept.

5.4.10 Climatology and Meteorology

This subject in the Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management program is introductory, covering the climate cycle and data collection, and prediction of future conditions. It is included as a necessary precursor to streamflow hydrography and hydrology. It is also covered by two other faculties (Forestry and Environmental Sciences). There could be some synergy with teaching staff on this subject. Also, DMH staff, who are the best qualified in this area in Laos, can assist with tuition.

5.4.11 Combined Degree in Water Resources

The idea of a combined water resources degree with either a science or engineering core, has been discussed. Such a bachelor’s course could be provided by combining relevant subjects in the faculties of engineering and environmental sciences. This idea is not currently attractive to some. The intention would be to provide students with coverage of both water quantity and water quality aspects of resources so they can choose to specialize in one or the other. The need for graduates with technical capacity in water quality areas is strong.



5.5 New Subject Areas for Development

5.5.1 Summary

A number of new areas of material were identified as important for inclusion in the curriculum:

IWRM principles and approaches (reference material provided in manuals and other documents—no need to create new material if sufficient material exists)

IFRM (covered in the first IWRM seminar and course outline developed by the project) flood and drought assessment and technology (course outline developed by the project) water resources information and data management (course outline developed by the

project) water rights, allocation, and use river basin management

5.5.2 IWRM Principles

Considerable material on IWRM has been provided to WRED, including one manual on the Lao language. During the seminars, an integrated approach was taken to the material presented to WRED staff and elements of IWRM were covered. Flood and Drought

The consultants suggested that the subject Risk Assessment and Management can be reconfigured to create two subjects:

1. IFRM 2. Flood and Drought Technology

These subjects introduce the management aspects of flood, linking it to disaster management, planning, and regulation, along with a second subject that includes the technology for flood and drought assessment and design of countermeasures. In particular, flood mapping was not included in the existing curriculum.

5.5.3 Water Resources Information and Data Management

A new subject is proposed, to be given in the second year of the 4-year program, entitled Water Resources Information and Data Management. The reason for adding this subject is that officials with responsibility for water resources commonly lack appreciation of the importance of reliable data for decision making. Two common problems are (i) data are not considered important enough to collect, given the cost of maintaining data collection facilities and the human resources costs, and (ii) the need for data standards to apply, so that similar data can be compared, in other words, that the data are not meaningless. Those involved in obtaining data are sometimes unaware of how the data will be used. This issue is more common in the public sector where data are ideally available for planning and policy decisions. Without an understanding of the behavior of water resources, it is not possible to make reliable decisions about these resources.

For these reasons, the consultants believed that students in the bachelor’s program need to become aware, as early as possible, of the importance and nature of water resources data. This knowledge would then be a building block for later subjects covering streamflow, hydrography, and hydrology.



5.5.4 Water Rights, Allocation, and Use

Associate Professor Leokham, who was closely involved in the 2008 curriculum report and the subsequent submission for funding, stressed the importance of addressing water allocation. The term water allocation does not occur in any of the course descriptions, however. Water allocation is, therefore, being specifically addressed as part of a subject course to ensure that it is covered. Water allocation is important because there is the recognition that Laos has surface, and possibly in the future, groundwater water allocation challenges. Despite the limited consumptive development of water and the high rainfall-runoff characteristics of most of its rivers, Laos is developing large hydraulic works that require regulation of their operations, and WRED staff are not generally familiar with water allocation as a field of knowledge, because it is not a well-established field. Additionally, Laos does not have comprehensive water allocation schemes to provide a working model. Therefore, the material for this element of the subject content needs to be developed and located within one of the existing subjects.

The most important aspect of allocation is considered to be the major hydraulics works—dams—that are being planned, designed, and constructed for the national power generation program.

5.5.5 Water Allocation Course Outline

The project developed the general outline for the water scarcity and water allocation subject. Despite the strong perception that water is not scarce in Laos, seasonal water problems are experienced in some southern provinces in areas where streamflow is less reliable, partly due to vegetation and forest clearing and partly due to more extreme climatic conditions in recent years.

The following elements of this material were covered in the IWRM seminars: the introductory exercise on water scarcity (IWRM1), water law and policy (IWRM2), regulation of hydraulic works (IWRM2), and water conflict resolution (IWRM2). The reason for this emphasis is that large hydraulic works and other developments affecting water bodies are being constructed at a rapid rate in Laos, but to date no regulatory scheme is in place to control how they are operated and to mitigate their most serious impacts. In reality, the government of Laos has lost control of its rivers by entering into contracts with dam owners who are unrestricted in how and when they release water into rivers and in some cases divert water between valleys. Students at the university should become familiar with the ways in which water rights can be developed and applied to activities that affect water resources. The outline in Table 9 was developed.

Table 9: Outline of Course Material for Water Allocation

Element Details Hours

Introduction to water allocation

Definitions, purposes, and relation to water management; water allocation and water distribution; defining water scarcity, reasons for a water allocation function, outcomes of the function, harmonizing and organizing water uses

3

Water law and water rights Modern water law in relation to water rights, how rights are established, different forms of water rights, what is (can be) included in water rights, rights and the legal basis for

4




managing water, approval systems, international conventions and rules, use of economic instruments

Nature of water uses and sources

Sectors: irrigation, industry, urban water supply, hydropower; surface water and groundwater, conjunctive use, use patterns and seasonality

2

Regulation of hydraulic works

Regulatory factors for large dams, other hydraulic works, safety, flood and drought/low flow, communication and warning systems, designing regulatory instruments

4

Water rights and availability, variability

Variability in surface water availability, defining rights, variability in water use patterns, seasonality, optimizing rights, assessing water availability

4

Water resource use license or permit systems

Permits and license systems, classes of water use/user, dual purpose for permits/licenses (allocative and regulatory), significance and scale of water uses

3

Institutions and procedures Responsibility for formalizing water rights, procedures, rights of objection and appeal, tribunals, monitoring water uses, sanctions and penalties for excess usage, suspension and cancellation of rights

5

Factors to be considered in water rights/permits

Operational factors for dams/hydraulic works, in-stream and off-stream factors, inter-user priority and optimization, social and environmental factors, features of large dams, protection of natural values, environment

2

Regulation of water resources, permits and licenses

Monitoring systems, responsibilities, technology, periodicity

2

Water planning and water rights

Basin and sub-basin/aquifer planning for water allocation, setting upper limits, use of water plans to define rights and limits, linking water users

2

Related technology Monitoring water use, assessing inter-user impacts, environmental values, planning, assessing water availability

3

Conflict resolution Regulation, mediation, negotiation, and responsibility; approaches to dispute

4




resolution; role of water manager; negotiating methods

Field exercise Field visit to review a large water user/dam operator and identify the possible water rights/allocation factors to be considered, design theoretical water license

10

Water allocation is a subject that lies at the heart of water resources management, yet very little has been written on the subject. Many countries lack a formal regulatory system of water rights; as a result, water uses are authorized in conflict with one another and with third parties. This is currently the case in Laos, where projects are assessed individually without either (i) an understanding of the long-distance impact or (ii) the ability to exert control over the actions of water users once their enterprise is approved. For these reasons, this subject is considered important for the curriculum.

5.6 Curriculum and Climate Change

The current curriculum does not adequately cover climate change. There is a reference to climate change in two subjects, but the references and coverage are not the most appropriate for a water management-oriented program. Climate change impacts in Laos are expected to include

increases in air and ground temperatures to up to 4 degrees by 2040; increased precipitation in the northern parts of Laos, with more intensive rain events and

subsequent increased flash flooding in mountainous areas, resulting in slope and riverbank erosion as well as the immediate impacts of flooding; and

extension of the dry season, which is considered by some to have started already and is being felt in some parts of the southern provinces, where seasonal water scarcity is becoming problematic.

The current curriculum needed to be improved with respect to climate change material. After discussion with WRED, the Department decided that a subject on climate change should be added to the curriculum in place of the current references in other subjects.

A climate change subject was developed by the project, with emphasis on the following:

The primary focus is water resource-related aspects of climate change. Three key areas of coverage are the following:

o climate trends, change forecasts and subsequent international responses, including changes to precipitation patterns and intensities;

o the predicted climate changes in Laos and the region, in relation to precipitation and hydrology; and

o adaptation and response measures.

In many ways, the predicted climate changes are reflected in hydrological extremes; this is another reason why hydrology should be strengthened in the curriculum.

The proposed climate change subject outline is shown in Table 10.



Table 10. Outline of Subject Climate Change

Element Course Outline

Introduction to climate change

Basic understanding of the physical science of climate change, the science behind the phenomena, natural and anthropogenic drivers, critical interfaces between humans and the climate system, human causes of climate change, human consequences of climate change, global warming and the greenhouse effect

Climate change impact on water resources

Physical impacts of climate change on hydrology, water quality and quantity, precipitation effects, drought effects, water competition, observed and projected changes in climate related to water, analyzing regional aspects of climate change and water resources, climate change mitigation measures for the water sector, flood and drought, adaptation strategy for water resources management

Impacts of climate change, vulnerability and adaptation

Climate change impacts, human vulnerability to climate change impacts, adaptation to climate change, introduction to adaptive management and adaptive capacity, mitigation strategies and adaptation practices in different sectors on climate change, instruments and techniques for adaptation, awareness and capacity building for planning and adaptation at national and local levels; the climate change impact and adaptation in Laos

Introduction to climate change modeling and assessment tools

Different methods for climate change modeling, mapping, climate change assessment tools (e.g., historical record, climate observations, model simulation), future climate change projections, climatic hazard mapping, vulnerability assessment with modeling

Climate change policy

Current status of international climate change negotiations (e.g., Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), regulatory instruments, ongoing climate change debate and international protocols on climate change, regional and local climate change, the climate change status in Lao PDR, water resources climate change policy and social change, implication for policy and sustainable development for the water sector

The adaptation measures covered in the proposed subject would deal with hydrological factors, water security and scarcity, river flow, and hydrologic response measures.

There is a potential link between this subject and the regulation of hydraulic works, which comes under the heading of water allocation. This link occurs when the changes to river flow resulting from dam operation are likely to cause increased changes to the hydrologic regime when climate change pressures are squeezing the viability and safety of hydraulic structures and are causing extended drier periods.

Climate change is also relevant to wetlands management in Laos. There are two RAMSAR wetlands in the country, and there are some wetlands problems where local uses may threaten ecological values. One example is the use of water from a wetland by local farmers at times that conflict with the wetland’s water needs. This issue has been developed as a case study for teaching.



5.7 Strategic Questions for the Curriculum

Strategic questions were raised about an IWRM-related curriculum. The project team responded to them through discussions and the strategic planning process. The questions and responses are provided below.

5.7.1 Combined Programs with Other Faculties

Should or could a combined course be developed that involves WRED and related courses in other departments and faculties and if so, how could this be organized?

The scope of the WRED curriculum and the curriculum of other faculties have important connections in two areas—namely water quality and hydrogeology, both of which WRED is attempting to cover to some extent. One possible option could have been to develop a joint program with the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, but this does not appear to be a practical proposition at present for the following reasons:

WRED has not yet consolidated its water resources engineering program and the water management elements of the program.

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences has not consolidated some of its relevant undergraduate programs.

The Faculty of Forestry, which offers watershed management, has a fully developed curriculum, but one that stands alone.

Basic geology is an important component of hydrogeologic studies and is covered to an extent in the Department of Civil Engineering, but its emphasis is on soil and rock foundations for civil works construction. At this time, it seems that geological studies at NUOL do not cover some of the desirable elements for hydrogeological specialization. However, it is not recommended that WRED become overly involved in the field of geology as such.

5.7.2 Inter-disciplinary Program on Water Resources Management

Is there a good a case for developing an inter-disciplinary (science based and not primarily engineering based) water resources management undergraduate (bachelor) program, and if so, where should that course be located?

WRED wishes to become a faculty of water resources management and in doing so would develop a program that is not primarily engineering based. Whereas hydrology is often included among subjects in engineering courses, it is, in fact, a statistically based field of study that requires mathematics and science but not engineering as such. Hydraulics (flow in contained structures) is best understood with some engineering knowledge. If WRED achieves its goal and becomes a faculty independent of the FE, it would presumably develop such a course.

5.7.3 Post-graduate Studies

How much effort at this stage should go into developing post-graduate studies – NUOL is developing higher level courses at present, but how prepared is WRED, or could WRED and other departments combine usefully at this stage?

This matter is discussed fully in Section 7. Post-graduate Program. At this time, WRED is not ready to engage in post-graduate study programs, and even in 2015, when the second undergraduate intake will graduate, it seems unlikely WRED will be prepared to develop a post-



graduate program in water resources engineering or water resources management, given the status of academic knowledge and experience in the Department at present.

To conduct a master’s program in water resources management as a credible course and qualification, WRED needs to have either (i) an in-depth knowledge and understanding of water resources law, policy, and institutions or (ii) the capacity to offer advanced technology. These capacities are not yet available to the degree required. If not, the master’s program will become a general course in aspects of water management but not at a post-graduate level of competency.

5.7.4 Complex Subject Material

Where are advanced technology subjects included in the curriculum, such as modeling (hydrodynamic, stochastic, hydrogeologic), but are not actively being taught? To what extent can and should this technology be developed at WRED in the immediate future and what are the practical prerequisites for applying this technology?

At present, two staff at WRED teach hydrologic modeling but only at an introductory or general level. Visiting lecturers can be obtained externally (from the Lao National Mekong Committee, Mekong River Commission, or Natural Resources Environment Institute [NREI]) but conducting an advanced subject requires a member of the academic staff to develop and run such models and to interpret results accurately.

5.7.5 Cooperation with the Faculty of Engineering and the University

How can academic staff in other departments and faculties, who have advanced qualifications and experience in relevant subjects that are not presently achieved by WRED, contribute to the WRED program?

Staff in other departments and faculties, such as the Civil Engineering Department, have in-depth experience in hydrology, for example, and in the case of the Department of Environmental Sciences, related subjects. WRED can and should involve these staff in the undergraduate program, contributing to relevant subjects, particularly in areas where WRED staff have gaps. To date, involving other staff does not seem to have been undertaken as actively as possible.

Visiting lecturers come from other organizations, such as MONRE, MRC, DMH, and INRE, and there has been cooperation with them on a one-to-one basis. Such visitors can contribute but are not able to support the program in the same way as academic staff of the University might.

5.7.6 The Extent of Water Quality Coverage in the Program

How far should WRED go in covering water quality and its management in the water resources engineering program and further in the future?

Water quality is frequently raised as a water management problem, and WRED is encouraged to include it in the water resources program. At present, water quality is a single introductory subject. This seems appropriate for the time being, because water chemistry and other aspects of water quality management, such as pollution control and wastewater control mechanisms, belong with environmental science.

In the future, if WRED decides to make water quality a specialization or to major in this field, a full program should be developed perhaps as a joint program with the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. For the time being, an introduction to the question of water quality, water quality monitoring, and its relation to quantity modeling can be sufficient.



6. Capacity Building for IWRM Education

6.1 Inputs to the Review

It is the current view of the consultants that the curriculum recommended in 2008 is appropriate to the current needs and development steps for NUOL. Therefore, the review is expected to result in some amendment, mainly of course contents, not a new curriculum as such. Inputs to the review were

review of the detail of the formal curriculum in WRED, other departments of the FE, and relevant courses in the Faculties of Environmental Sciences and Forestry;

further review of the extent to which the courses in the formal curriculum for the water resources engineering degree at WRED are being applied, the course notes, reference materials and facilities available and used for teaching and learning;

review of related courses in Departments of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Forestry;

the 2008 report on IWRM-based curriculum for WRED; and

the IWRM analytical review of regional and international courses.

The analytical review of IWRM courses internationally was completed by March 2012 by the international specialist. However, a summary of the current curriculum was prepared in December 2011 and January 2012.

6.2 Training Needs Assessment (TNA)

6.2.1 Conduct of TNA

A TNA was conducted for WRED staff to identify their development needs in the areas of curriculum delivery and coursework. The results of the TNA are summarized in the TNA report.

The TNA was conducted by self-assessment, using a questionnaire administered to WRED staff in December and then compiled in March 2012. The results of the TNA were discussed with WRED staff and contributed to the discussion at the first strategic planning workshop. Human resources development is one of NUOL’s priorities.

WRED has a development plan for academic staff to obtain higher qualifications. At present, some academic staff teaching the bachelor’s program do not have post-graduate qualifications. Further, staff with doctorate-level qualifications are needed if, as proposed, WRED is to introduce a master’s program.

6.2.2 TNA Issues and Findings

The findings of the survey and TNA are not surprising. They reflect that fact that

many staff were recruited at a time when qualifications below the bachelor’s level were the norm (certificate, diploma),

the background of many staff at WRED is irrigation engineering (qualifications obtained in the former Soviet Union or in Vietnam),



background in water resources management is limited for such staff,

bachelor’s degrees are quite common and higher degrees for academic staff are being undertaken only in recent years, and

there are limitations the fact that few materials are available in the Lao language teaching and learning material.

6.2.3 TNA Findings

About half of the respondents to the survey were senior staff aged 43 to 50 years; a quarter were middle professions and a quarter were junior staff Based on the information from the training needs survey and following discussions with WRED staff during the strategic planning process, the following recommendations are made:

Among 55 academic staff, more than half of the teachers hold bachelor’s degrees, 22

teachers hold a post-graduate master-level degree, and only two academic staff have completed doctorates. These figures show that many more academic staff need to upgrade to post-graduate qualifications to transfer knowledge and skills to students at the bachelor’s level.

Academic staff need to be recruited for several new subjects, especially eight new subjects that have not yet been fully taught in the third and fourth years of the academic program.

Teaching staff as a whole need to be qualified or have knowledge of various disciplines across various water resources subjects at the master’s level, the number of master’s and PhD teaching staff should be increased, and more women should be encouraged to upgrade to the post-graduate level.

Overseas IWRM studies should be encouraged by providing assistance to academic staff who wish to apply for scholarships.

Students should be encouraged to participate in specific water resources projects within Laos as case studies.

Middle-level technical staff should be encouraged to take further higher education at the post-graduate level.

6.3 Staff Capacity Development

6.3.1 Developing Depth in Technical and Other Areas

Although staff are being recruited with qualifications in important fields for water management that cover academic areas of the water resources engineering program, there is a difference between staff who are recent graduates, including those who have completed post-graduate studies, and staff with a high level of knowledge and expertise in a given field. Young staff who have recently graduated, even with master’s degrees, may have limited experience in technical areas; although they may be able to teach the subjects, they may need practical experience to help students meet the competency levels that measure up to the Government’s goal of equivalence with regional universities.

There is no real shortcut to achieving a high level of academic performance in a specialized field. This is particularly the case with respect to technology, such as data interpretation, mapping, and modeling, which are all central to understanding the behavior of water and how



development may affect water bodies. Short courses are useful, but they do not automatically qualify a person to teach at a post-graduate level in that subject area.

6.3.2 Research Capacity

WRED asked for emphasis to be given to research methodology and for staff to receive support in this area. The ability to conduct original and useful research is an important academic quality and one that also helps a staff member teach well. However, a staff member having a master’s degree does not always mean that he or she exercised a very high degree of research ability, depending on the degree program and institution in question. WRED is not yet well equipped for a research role, and academic research is only beginning to be contemplated. Ways need to be found for staff to participate in research activities.

6.3.3 Gender

The gender balance at WRED is not positive. Only seven female teaching staff responded among the 28 TNA respondents. The female staff have only bachelor’s degrees; none have post-graduate qualifications. New female academic staff should be recruited, especially for the subjects of management, regulation, law, institutional arrangement and social study, sanitation and water quality, river health, and community awareness on water resources management.Gender balance in the academic staff should be considered to increase the number of female students.

6.3.4 Opportunity to Update Skills and Knowledge

Several internal and external training courses provided by local organizations, such as NUOL, related ministries and international organizations, and other universities in Southeast Asia or Australia, are potentially open only to those staff who can communicate in English. This shows that academic staff who have the potential to gain new knowledge from attending training courses can incorporate their upgraded knowledge and skills into their teaching material.

6.3.5 Current Knowledge of Academic Staff

The first intake of students in the bachelor of water resources engineering program was not taught the following six subjects in the current curriculum, because staff were not able to cover all of the subjects:

1. stochastic hydrology (an advanced subject not suitable for the undergraduate level) 2. hydrologic modeling 3. water resources planning II (which includes technical models for planning) 4. erosion and sedimentation 5. hydrogeology and groundwater 6. river basin management (which includes some technical modeling as presently

designed)

The subject stochastic hydrology would be too advanced for undergraduate students. Even if it could have been taught, the students would not have been prepared for it. The same might have been true of the subject hydrologic modeling, which needs to follow basic modeling subject material. These two subjects are part of the specialization in hydrology, which WRED may not be capable of supporting at this time, because of the limited capacity of staff in this area.



Hydrogeology is a separate field of study from surface water. The subject in the undergraduate course is introductory but would still require good knowledge of the field.

This situation illustrates the general scope and level of capacity at the Department in regard to water resources management.

6.4 Undergraduate Specializations

All three specializations in the undergraduate curriculum pose challenges for WRED staff. For example, hydrology requires technical capacity that is not developed enough to cover the subject matter well. This project promotes the importance of hydrology as a core field of study in surface water resources, but capacity needs to be developed significantly before a good quality specialization is possible. In addition, equipment, including software, is needed for students to practice with.

Water and environment covers a number of subjects that are also offered by the Department of Environmental Engineering and could be given by that department.

6.5 Department Facilities and Equipment

Lack of suitable equipment seriously inhibits student learning. Students from rural areas who do not have their own computers are not able to practice skills needed for hydrography and hydrology and other technical skills. The list of equipment requirements is shown in the Action Plan. It includes

basic water resources equipment mainly for hydrology and water quality testing and analysis,

basic computers to equip for both students and teachers to access further information from electronic files,

flow measurement devices (portable but also fixed in location) for streamflow measurement, and

water resources laboratory equipment, and field laboratory materials and supplies for conducting remote sampling and analysis.

6.6 Library

WRED has a small library, but it is not adequate for the water resources management undergraduate program. It contains only a few technical reference documents. Most of the information is oriented to irrigation engineering. Access to learning and reference documents is important for the water resources engineering program.

The library system should be improved in order to encourage more readers visiting and gain more knowledge and interesting for searching information.

Basic laboratory facilities should be provided for testing and practicing.

Additionally, Lecturers preparing teaching materials and materials for presentations need an LCD projector and laptop computers.



6.7 Additional Comments on Gender Mainstreaming

As mentioned, the numbers of women in the academic staff of WRED are low. In NUOL, generally, the numbers of women in academic roles varies. Some faculties, such as Forestry, have women in director-level positions, while in the FE, no women occupy hold positions at that level.

Among students, the number of female students is relatively low. This may be partly because the department is still seen as an irrigation engineering department, which is viewed as a largely male preserve. With the broadening of the department into water resources, the perception should also become more inclusive. Recommended strategies to increase the representation of women in academic positions and in responsible roles are as follows:

Include three to five women in the WRED staff development plan to obtain post-graduate qualifications in the next 5 years (one female staff member is currently in line for support to do a master’s course).

Set a recruitment target of 25% women for academic staff at the entry level. Ensure that a representative number of women are included in short courses and

training activities for staff.

WRED has already been attempting to increase the number of women on staff but has been hampered by the lack of suitable candidates.

In addition to the inclusion of women in representative numbers in recruitment and development programs, it is also recommended that positive activities be provided for women in the following areas:

Provide for educational broadening for women in areas related to water resources management to improve their general knowledge and experience.

Provide confidence-building programs for women, which might be provided or conducted for women more broadly at NUOL.

Another proposal is to identify a person within WRED who organizes and is responsible for promoting the gender balance, reporting on progress, and putting proposals to the department.

In addition, material has been provided on gender issues in the water resources management program, including train the trainer on (i) gender mainstreaming and IWRM, (ii) gender mainstreaming tools, and (iii) material for gender mainstreaming workshops.

6.8 Language Proficiency

The lack of English language ability has serious implications for the growth of the Department and also within NUOL at this time. Around one-third of academic staff respondents to the survey said that their English-language skills were “poor,” meaning that they could neither read nor write proficiently. Another third indicated “fair,” which means they can understand when reading English but not communicate in English. One-third rated their skills as “good.”

Those who cannot communicate in English are reluctant to apply for international training courses because they are not confident in their ability use the English language materials. They use only translated documents, which are limited, but they are willing to attend and participate in more workshops and meetings if they are conducted in the Lao language in the future.

The language limitation is a recurring theme. Lack of skills in languages other than Lao, particularly English, is a limitation for both staff and for access to information and knowledge.



The unfortunate fact of the contemporary world is that English has become essential for access to the broadest range of information. Research materials and reference documents are often written in English. Access to material from the Internet, for instance, is problematic if their English is not proficient.

At the same time, learning material for the water resources engineering degree program is not very well developed. For some subjects, it consists only of notes made by staff. There are better resources for the long-standing irrigation programs.

6.9 Teaching and Learning

Ensuring high standards for the quality of teaching is critical to the success of IWRM education. Many staff receive only minimal training in teaching and learning techniques. Pedagogy was identified as a major issue because the teaching method in the past consisted mainly of lecturing with little back-up or reference material. Teaching staff make their own notes on the subject matter, which are written in the Lao language and can be shared easily with students.

Concern was raised at the second strategic planning workshop that the value of tuition and student outcomes needed to be increased and that this was a major priority for the university.

6.9.1 Discussions with Staff of WRED

Discussions held with staff from WRED led to the following conclusions:

The key need is to build staff capacity, a goal that WRED and other departments in Engineering and Environmental Sciences are already trying to achieve.

The University is expanding its courses and student body at a significant rate, with considerable numbers of staff presently overseas studying to obtain master’s degrees or doctorates.

For science and engineering, there is a serious lack of facilities such as equipment and laboratory materials.

Both the engineering and environmental science faculties support further review of their curricula in relation to water resources management.

There is nothing to prevent students from taking courses in more than one faculty, or more than one department within the same faculty, but practical difficulties such as coordinating timetables have limited this.

The formal curriculum for all faculties was recently submitted and approved for the reduction of bachelor-degree courses from 5 years to 4 to compensate for the extra school year introduced by the government: these revisions mainly affect the first two years of basic courses in science, mathematics, and other subjects.

Although formal curricula have been approved, actual course subject matter on water management-related subjects is still being developed, for instance, in the environmental science faculty, and assistance is needed.



6.10 Understanding of IWRM Theory and Principles

There is considerable material on IWRM theory and principles. A training manual was developed for Laos in 2009 by the Nam Ngum Support Project of ADB,2 and later the MRC developed a training manual on the same subject for the Mekong region.

Material on IWRM theory and principles forms only one part of an IWRM-related educational program. It deals with the conceptual framework in which water resources management should ideally be carried out, but the difficulty has always been in how to apply IWRM and what applying it actually means. The curriculum will be reviewed to ensure that IWRM principles are included in the subject descriptions and in course material. At the same time, the substance of the water management and engineering subjects holds great importance.

6.10.1 Areas for Capacity Building

The project is as much concerned with capacity building as with reviewing the formal curriculum. Capacity building is needed in a number of areas:

Knowledge and expertise of staff in new subjects need to be provided or strengthened; in some cases, lecturers are only steps ahead of their students in actual coursework.

Teaching materials and course notes have been developed by lecturers themselves and the amount of teaching and reference materials is limited.

Teaching methods that engage students in an interactive way and use student, including structured field activities, should be encouraged.

Access for staff and students to reference materials: Ideally, teaching and reference materials would be translated into the Lao language for students without a good understanding of English in particular, but this is costly and difficult (obtaining translators with a good technical grasp of the material, for instance, is challenging); some material is available in the Thai language, which can be understood in Laos.

Use of case studies: This was recommended in the 2008 report as a way to teach students how to apply learning, and there is much potential for case studies to be applied in Laos: the project will develop some case study outlines for the curriculum.

Teaching staff experience: Direct and indirect exposure of teaching staff to overseas experience is desirable in two areas: (i) academic, to gain perspectives from academics with experience in the relevant fields of study, and (ii) practical experience in management of water resources and water research, which may be limited in Laos at present.3

Staff qualifications: Some staff do not have higher qualifications than the courses they are teaching, and NUOL’s strategic plan is to help teaching staff obtain advanced degrees (above the bachelor’s) by the year 2015. Given that the IWRM curriculum is introducing courses in new areas, this is a critical area to address.

Library services and references: The central library, containing all NUOL student master’s theses for instance, will be made available online for students, but this has not yet been fully realized.

2 By the international specialist for this project

3 For instance, to work with a flood risk management agency or project that is applying flood

mapping or modeling or flood risk planning in a real-life context.



This project was able to make contributions to

training staff in new subjects and developing course material.

The highest priorities that lie outside the scope of this project are

the need for materials, equipment, buildings, and facilities generally and further qualifications for academic staff.

6.10.2 Post-graduate Qualifications for Departmental Staff

A staff plan is needed to outline a 10-year program for staff to obtain post-graduate qualifications in the following areas of need related to the curriculum:

hydrology, GIS/RS, mapping, and modeling flood technology and disaster management water resources information and information management

6.11 Workshops in Curriculum

The present curriculum includes two workshops, one on water resources and one on society and environment, in which students discuss case studies and participate in role plays that reflect water management conflicts. A problem has been that WRED staff are not sufficiently familiar with case studies and role-playing approaches to learning to be able to conduct the workshops effectively.

The curriculum recommendations suggest dropping one of the workshops and replacing it with another subject. One workshop would remain for students in the third (preferably) or fourth year of the program. The staff’s inability to role play on water management is still an issue.

The project developed the outline for a water management role play that involves stakeholder conflict and a water manager responsible for deciding whether a new water development feature, like a dam for example, should proceed. This role play was conducted in 2008 in Laos during a train-the-trainer program under the Nam Ngum River Basin project. Its objective was to illustrate the dilemmas facing water managers in river basins where major development is being planned and how to determine whether such development should be allowed.

6.12 Pedagogy, Teaching, and Learning

6.12.1 Teaching Methods

WRED staff have predominantly used a lecture format for teaching, with little or no student interaction. The Department wished to move to more interactive approaches. The two IWRM seminars attempted to introduce staff to various types of interactive learning, in particular, the use of case studies, discussion analysis, and role play. Written materials were produced by the project to assist WRED in these areas (Table 11).



Table 11: Knowledge Elements in Academic Curriculum (Water Resources Management)

1 Concepts and tools for water resources management, supply and demand analysis, demand management, water as an economic good, environmental aspects, institutional frameworks

2 Understanding the natural (biotic and abiotic) processes governing the occurrence, state, functioning, availability, dependability, and use of the resources and the possible impacts of their use; it would include the tools for describing the processes and predicting effects of measures; surface water and groundwater

3 Understanding water-using activities, such as the role of water in agriculture, domestic use, health, industry, electricity, and the environment; the value of water for these activities, the quantities and quality involved, the dependencies and risks, the efficiencies; the role of the different actors such as women; the impacts of use

4 conceptual design, relates to the design of water storage and conveyance; distribution, irrigation drainage and sewerage systems; treatment of water and waste water; includes the operational and management aspects

5 Structural design, the structural design of infrastructure and systems

6 Planning of water resources use; the formulation of objectives; allocation criteria; goods and services; costs and benefits; impact assessment; the formulation and evaluation of policies, strategies and measures; the analysis of effectiveness of measures and the feasibility of implementation; it involves the use of integrated systems analysis tools; water resources use will often be intertwined with land resources; conjunctive use of water resources

7 Social and environmental considerations governing water use, distribution of water, meeting the demand of different stakeholders and maintaining the environmental integrity of the system

8 Institutional arrangements and legal framework governing the policy-setting and planning processes, the actual use of the resources and the control mechanisms, governing and facilitating the different operators in the water services sector including pricing and accountability

9 Management of water utilities, such as good management practices, operational and financial, the relation between resource managers, water providers, and consumers

10 project assignments covering the above-mentioned subjects in an integrated manner selected on an individual basis, report preparation and presentation

11 seminar, group discussions, and case study presentation and deliberation in specific courses having the element of application of theory, identification of problems, and analysis with field-level data and information



6.12.2 Student Placement and Experience

Students benefit greatly from work experience and placement with government and private-sector organizations. Presently students are placed within the Department of Water Resources. However, arrangements are needed for increasing opportunities for students to be placed in the private-sector, in particular hydropower companies and mining companies may be willing to have students spend time learning on the job.

6.12.3 Field Activities and Case Studies

The project developed some case studies. WRED asked for adequate case studies, and case studies are also mentioned in the 2008 curriculum report course descriptions. A case study, for practical work by students, has been developed for the course on River Basin Management to be conducted in association with the Department of Water Resources of MONRE.



7. Post-graduate Program

7.1 Developing a Master’s Program

7.1.1 Prerequisites for a Master’s Degree Course

WRED is keen to develop a master’s academic program for water resources engineering. A number of prerequisites are needed:

supervisors with doctorates to supervise master’s students and their theses at least 2 years of graduates to complete studies in the field in question, according to

NUOL academic policy at least one area of specialization in which staff have a high level of competency research facilities (or access to such facilities)

7.1.2 Staff Qualifications

Although master’s courses may be taught to some degree by lecturers with no more than a master’s degree, it is necessary to have supervisors with PhDs to oversee the work of the master’s students and their final thesis, in particular. A master’s student is entitled to expect a supervisor with a doctorate. Having supervisors with PhDs would give the study program credibility.

Normally a master’s program involves 12 to 18 months of coursework and 6 months for a thesis. This is the norm for master’s programs in IWRM, according to the survey of such courses internationally.

The three staff at WRED with doctorates have studied modeling (Dr. Inla), and currently two other staff are PhD students in Indonesia and Japan, completing studies in groundwater. There is also a staff development plan to provide doctorate qualifications for WRED staff up to the year 2020. Several of the planned doctorates will be in subjects important to a master’s program in water resources management.

7.1.3 NUOL Academic Policy

The Academic Office of NUOL has issued standards for master’s-level courses, of which there are 27 at the university. A master’s program in IWRM may not be introduced until the current class of undergraduates has graduated in the field of study. This is a minimal condition, and it would be desirable to have more background and experience than two batches of students.

The first batch completed the water resources engineering program at a stage when not all of its subjects had been developed, and some subjects were taught but not at an in-depth level according to the formal curriculum. Thus, the first and possibly the second years’ intake of students will graduate not having fully covered the syllabus and with some areas relatively poorly covered.

Starting higher degree studies before the undergraduate program is well developed would not be a good idea.



7.1.4 Areas of Specialization

At the master’s level, it is expected that teachers will have a higher level of competence and academic capacity than those teaching undergraduate classes. It also implies that there are adequate staff with extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of specialization required of an advanced degree in this field. This is not currently the case.Research Methodology

WRED has not yet employed researchers with experience in current research methodology, except for those who have undertaken master’s and doctorate degree programs, but their experience is limited at this time. The staff development plan includes higher degree qualifications for some staff in research methodology, but there needs to be a general understanding of research requirements among staff responsible for master’s students.

7.1.5 Research Facilities

WRED does not yet possess the research and study infrastructure needed for master’s students. WRED should have a library or equivalent resource access for students complete with hard copy information in the Lao language.

7.1.6 Academic Quality

NUOL’s Academic Office is particularly concerned with the quality of both the curriculum and teaching at the university given the government’s policy of raising the university to be comparable with regional universities. NUOL is not at a level where it can be compared favorably with universities in Thailand or Malaysia, which is understandable, given the university’s very recent origin. The concern about academic quality applies to WRED, and the undergraduate curriculum has not been conducted according to the approved outline, because of the lack of staff with adequate knowledge in some subject areas. This is relevant to the timing of the introduction of a master’s degree program, because post-graduate study is more onerous and academically demanding than undergraduate study, and it is important that the quality of the undergraduate student outcomes be well established before embarking on post-graduate programs.

7.2 Need to Identify Focus of Program

It will be important for WRED to choose at least one area of specialization for a master’s program. It is possible to cover a range of IWRM subject matter, but at the post-graduate level it would be preferable to collect expertise in one or more identifiable areas. IWRM master’s courses are available that cover general areas of study and familiarize students with water management, but these would not be highly regarded.

WRED needs to gain knowledge and expertise in either (i) the management aspects of water, such as law, policy, institutional development, or (ii) a technical field. Hydrology or a hydrology specialization is the obvious area for technical concentration, but WRED is not yet strong in hydrology, having limited staff with good experience and qualifications.

One area with future potential is flood management, both the technology and management aspects, but in this case, it would have to be built up from scratch (started from a base of no expertise). It seems unlikely that staff of WRED will be ready to teach hydrology. In both cases of flood management and hydrology, WRED is not ready to offer subjects at the master’s level, but if the Department makes a strategic decision to pursue these or other areas of expertise, it may be possible to accomplish this once appropriate professionals are engaged.



Another option is inviting external academics and practitioners to teach some of the courses and supervise and evaluate theses.

7.3 Putting Together a Post-graduate Program

It is possible to cover the lectures and tuition for a master’s program by using a combination of lectures from the institution (WRED), visiting lecturers, and attendance by students at other faculties or institutions. This is reasonably commonplace for post-graduate studies in IWRM and water resources management, which involve a number of disciplines. For this reason, IWRM programs may involve several universities combining to offer the curriculum (as in South Australia, for example). The question is whether WRED should try to organize a combined master’s program to which other universities contribute. At this time, WRED would have to be the junior partner in such an arrangement, because its contribution would be limited.

Two possibilities for cooperation are with KU and AIT. AIT already offers post-graduate study in engineering and other fields. AIT indicated a willingness to cooperate with WRED on post-graduate study. The nature of any such cooperation remains to be worked out, if both parties are serious.

Within NUOL, WRED, the faculty of Environmental Sciences (climate change, water quality management, ecology, aquatic biology, pollution control), and the Faculty of Forestry (watershed management) could cooperate. Conclusions

On the one hand, WRED’s intention to introduce a master’s program in water resources management is a good one, and NUOL also appears keen to branch out into post-graduate study in all faculties. On the other hand, it is not possible at this time for WRED to provide the academic staff and student study facilities needed for post-graduate study.

Preferably, the water resources engineering undergraduate program should be well established and its curriculum and staff fully developed before WRED embarks on a post-graduate program in the same field.

Post-graduate programs in IWRM vary widely and reflect the specializations of the institutions that offer them. NUOL and WRED should decide on the area of focus for such a program. If the focus is to be in surface water technology (information and hydrology), then these subjects need to be developed over time at the undergraduate level first. The consultants recommend strengthening hydrology as the core technical strand of the undergraduate program, in which case, much work is needed to raise this field to the quality standard and coverage that is required to offer post-graduate studies.

7.4 Recommendations

As discussed above, it is possible to offer a general water management or IWRM post-graduate program that covers many related subject areas but does not focus in particular on any technical specialization. It may be that WRED is not capable of going beyond the general level of a bachelors’ degree program.

In light of this discussion, WRED should consider the following recommendations:

WRED should not consider commencing post-graduate studies in water resources management until

o the undergraduate program (engineering, water resources management) is fully developed and can be delivered to an acceptable standard,



o at least five student intakes have graduated and the quality of the undergraduate program can be evaluated, and

o WRED has access to suitable research facilities for post-graduate study.

Although Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand has offered to join with NUOL in post-graduate studies and WRED intends to take up the offer, at this time the relative status of the two universities is such that KU would not consider many of WRED’s staff as contributors at an equivalent level to its own staff. Therefore, cooperation would take the form of visiting lecturers and possibly supervision from KU of a program conducted by NUOL. If these conditions are to be met, WRED would be able to commence a post-graduate program in 2017 at the earliest.

WRED should consider in the longer term designing a specialized master’s study program rather than a broad and general program and establishing hydrology as the area of specialization. Such a focus would not be possible until considerable capacity has been built up in the department.



8. Cooperation

8.1 General

WRED’s location outside and separate from the campus of the FE makes it somewhat isolated. In addition, it has not made links with the outside world as much as it could have. WRED has wished to have some autonomy from the rest of the Faculty, but this has also worked against its best interests, because it is not joined closely to the other departments and faculties at NUOL. WRED has also had difficulty attracting both students and funding for its programs.

WRED has, however, linked with three international universities, all in Thailand: Mahidol University (MU), MSU, KU, and KKU. WRED has sent students and staff to these universities for short courses but has not established long-term cooperation arrangements. NUOL has an MOU with all of these universities, as well as others in Thailand (such as CU), in the region (Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia), and with many other international universities.

WRED has sent staff for undergraduate and post-graduate study to universities in Thailand and Vietnam, in particular. WRED has sent staff to HWRU for training under scholarships offered by the government of Vietnam.

8.2 Twinning with International Institutions

During the study tour, agreements were signed with two institutions—KU and AIT—for cooperation at the faculty level. The agreements are in-principle, but they list activities for possible cooperation.

Neither NUOL nor WRED has entered into formal twinning arrangements with any international university. Any official twinning agreement would have to be signed at the central university level at NUOL as a twinning arrangement between universities. Twinning as such needs to be university policy at the central level, and this is not the case at present with any university relevant to the IMWR curriculum.

However, within the agreements established by an MOU, a faculty of NUOL may officially make more detailed agreements with an international university or institution or one of its branches. This type of agreement was accomplished during the study tour. These agreements open the way for long-term collaboration on a planned basis, rather than individual or ad hoc events and studies.

8.3 International Universities and Institutions

8.3.1 Universities

Possible inter-university cooperation is considered. Formal cooperation between WRED and other institutions is possible where NUOL has entered into MOUs for cooperation. As noted earlier, WRED cannot enter into any formal agreement with an international organization, but the FE can sign agreements at the faculty level, provided an MOU with NUOL is already in place.



There are a number of regional universities and tertiary institutions that could cooperate with NUOL and WRED. The project team recommends twinning with other institutions. NUOL has general MOUs with regional international universities. The study tour enabled closer and more specific twinning arrangements to be made with specific institutions. Until now, exchanges and courses have been negotiated with regional universities, in particular, KKU in northern Thailand, but longer-term twinning arrangements should be established. The FE at NUOL and KU in Thailand, an institution with a strong engineering program, already been agreed to in-principle cooperation on water resources management programming. A similar agreement should be made with KKU in northern Thailand that involves a long-term cooperation program. Looking further afield, because of the disparity in the level of capacity between NUOL, FE/WRED and international universities offering water resources management programs, useful twinning is not possible at this time.

A number of universities in the region offer graduate and post-graduate courses in water resources management. Two combined university water resources management programs are offered in Australia at the International Water Centre based in Queensland and the International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management (ICEWaRM) based in South Australia. They offer short courses and post-graduate qualifications in water resources management subjects. WRED staff have attended short courses (some very short) run by ICEWaRM (groundwater management, for instance) under various scholarship and sponsorship arrangements. At this stage, WRED should take advantage of programs conducted by such institutions and there might be opportunities for visiting lecturers to visit WRED, but cooperation in the form of two-way exchanges is not a realistic proposition at the present time.

8.3.2 Other International and Regional Agencies

In the field of IWRM and water resources management, international agencies have developed training and learning materials and offer specialized courses also. These include the Global Water Partnership, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, and the United Nations University. The Global Water Partnership provides some general information about IWRM but is not essentially a training organization. UNESCO-IHE offers technical studies in water management and a master’s degree course, which majors in conflict management. WRED should take as much advantage as possible of courses conducted by these organizations.

The MRC is well known in Laos because its head office is located in Vientiane. The MRC has provided capacity building in the region in the form of education and information as well as more direct support to the water management function of the government of Laos and also to Cambodia. MRC also operates monitoring schemes for river flow, flood warning, and modeling, which could be used to support student activities at WRED.

8.4 Coordination within NUOL

There are opportunities for WRED to take a more active approach to cooperation within NUOL. Within the FE, the Department of Civil Engineering has some hydrology courses, for instance. There are also overlaps between courses on water quality treatment and water utilities offered by WRED and by the Department of Environmental Engineering in FE.



8.5 Government and the Private Sector in Laos

During the project and, in particular, at the second strategic planning workshop, there was concern about linking WRED with government agencies and the private sector. The following linkages are listed in the Action Plan.

8.5.1 Ministries and Departments

The government agencies listed in Table 12 have functions related to water management. In addition to being possible employers of graduates from WRED, they should be able to provide work experience and structured activities that would contribute to student learning in the undergraduate program. Students are already assigned to the Department of Water Resources for work experience.

Links should also be forged more closely with the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology and the Department of Environment for the placement of students in either the public or private sectors. Currently, DMH has staff with superior qualifications to those of WRED in the areas of climate, meteorology, and hydrography (streamflow measurement).

Placements of students need to be organized so that there is formal supervision and predetermined tasks and activities for the students to undertake and reporting on their performance. WRED could design work programs jointly with the agencies to achieve these outcomes.

8.5.2 Private Sector in Laos

There is scope for much more interaction and cooperation with the private sector in Laos on water management education. The three main groups in the private sector are hydropower, mining, and industrial water users. The most critical of these is the hydropower sector. Students in their second, third, and fourth years of the undergraduate program should have opportunities to be placed at dams. In the final year of the course, students should have some knowledge and skills in hydrology-related tasks. In earlier years, students could be given tasks in information management and collection, and hydrography-related areas. Such placements would be very useful in giving students experience and confidence in work related to water resources information, streamflow measurement, reservoir operation, and assessment of dam operation. The dam construction program in Laos involves different owners and operators. However, the Department of Energy in the Ministry of Energy is a coordinating point for discussion of work opportunities with dam operators.

The second sector is mining. Mining is related to water management both in hydrology (hydrography) and water disposal, which is becoming a serious issue in Laos. Students could be given tasks related to monitoring the flow regime and quality of water in mining operations and discharging to rivers. A water quality control system is desperately needed in Laos, but in the meantime, students should be able to contribute to assessing the water security and water quality operations of mining enterprises. Similar placements could be made with industrial enterprises that have significant water uses.



9. Promoting Water Management Education

9.1 Demand for Water Management Graduates

The general justification for emphasizing IWRM is that Lao PDR is starting to experience increased impacts from water resources development, and there is awareness that these need to be tackled actively. Graduates with qualifications in relevant aspects of water management will be needed in both government and the private sector. There is little doubt that MONRE could employ more graduates, although graduates might be obtained from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences as well as WRED, provided they have sufficient water focus in their study programs.

9.2 Government Agencies

Government agencies that are looking to employ graduates with qualifications in water management and related fields are shown in Table 12.

Table 12: Government Agencies Seeking Water Management Graduates

Agency Comment on Relevant Knowledge

Agencies with provincial and district offices or staff

Department of Water Resources (DWR) (MONRE)

Water management in general; river basin management; legal, policy, and technical understanding of water resources (various)

Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) (MONRE)

Water resources information/data, hydrology and hydrography (climate science introductory only limited in current WRED curriculum)

Disaster Management Office (DMO), new agency (provincial staffing being developed)

Flood and drought hydrology and assessment, response and planning

Department of Forest Resource Management (MONRE)

Stream hydrology and watershed management. Note: graduates for this department more likely sought from the Faculty of Forestry, NUOL

Agencies with central office only

MONRE Department of Environment Quality Promotion

Water resources sustainability, environmental flow

Institute for Natural Resources and Environment (INRE) (MONRE) [central only]

Water resources information/data, hydrology, hydrologic modeling, mapping and simulation models

Lao National Mekong Committee Secretariat Water management in general, river basin management, legal, policy, and technical



Agency Comment on Relevant Knowledge

LNMCS understanding of water resources, transboundary water law, and institutions

Department of Environment and Social Impact Assessment (MONRE)

Assessment of impacts on water, hydrology, river flow, environmental flow, and environmental water

Department of Disaster Management and Climate Change (proposed) MONRE

Climate change and hydrology, flood and drought hydrology and response

Government departments with provincial and district offices or officials will require larger numbers of staff with technical backgrounds and understanding of water management. The main candidate for graduates is DWR, which only recently extended its administration to the provincial and district levels. Because local graduates have been recruited from fields other than water management at present, DWR suffers from insufficient staff with a good technical comprehension of water management, given that water management graduates have not been available. This situation should change with the establishment of the water resources management program as a program that provides qualified people with competency in water resources.

It is up to WRED to both (i) ensure that the quality of the undergraduate program is such that its bachelor’s graduates have a good comprehension of water management and (ii) discuss the outcomes and competencies of its students with the agencies seeking qualified graduates.

Comments are offered below on the nature of job requirements in a number of government agencies:

Department of Water Resources (DWR)

DWR needs more staff who are well educated in water management at both the central and provincial levels. In many ways, the provincial function in water management is the most important for Laos because it is the starting level for implementing activities on the ground, whereas the ministry office has a policy function. These functions are still being rolled out and need strengthening. Ideally, WRED graduates will start to take jobs at the provincial level in place of staff with qualifications in other fields. DWR is the agency with the greatest demand for water management graduates.

Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH)

This department has a need for staff training in meteorology and climate science. The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management cannot satisfy the technical requirements of the department in those areas but could provide graduates in the future with an understanding of streamflow measurement and surface water resources data/information, which would be useful to the department. The department could have some demand for such graduates to work with data collection and archiving, as well as hydrologic analysis. DMH has regional staff involved in streamflow and data collection.



Disaster Management Office (DMO)

DMO was recently set up and is still being established. Staff are being appointed to provincial positions. The Office will require flood and drought analysis and planning, involving hydrological understanding, working closely with DMH.

Natural Resources and Environment Institute (NREI)

As the technical arm of MONRE, this institute conducts surveys, mapping, modeling, and other assessment activities. WRED graduates could be employed at NREI in junior positions while they obtain further experience and qualifications. Their knowledge of hydrology would be of value to the Institute. At present, NREI staff include a number of graduates from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, whose technical capacity in modeling was not extensive at the time they were first employed. If WRED graduates have reasonable understanding and hands-on practice in hydrological modeling, mapping, and technical work, they would be suitable for employment at NREI.

Lao National Mekong Committee Secretariat

The Lao National Mekong Committee secretariat’s function is mainly administrative, coordinating and facilitating international transboundary programs and agreements within the MRC’s sphere of activities. Staff with an understanding of water resources management and transboundary water issues would be the most useful to this secretariat. The number of positions available might not be large, but WRED graduates should, in the future, be suited for entry-level employment in preference to people qualified in other areas.

Department of Environment and Social Impact Assessment

The function of this department is to review the impact assessments of major projects, so it requires staff with an understanding of water resources, among other aspects of environmental assessment and social value. Its recommendations are critical to high-level government decisions about whether or in what way large projects should go forward. At present, there may not be a strong complement of staff with such technical backgrounds. WRED should discuss the future need for water management graduates with this department.

Other Possibilities

Although this question was not discussed as such, under the Office of National Assembly of the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos, advisors prepare briefings on important matters for the Assembly, including water resources law, policy, and project proposals for the Assembly to consider. For example, the decision to go ahead with Xayaboury Dam was debated by the Assembly before being commenced by the government. At present, advisors are selected for their experience and qualifications in particular fields, including water and natural resources. In the future, it may be that such advisors will have supporting staff, in which case, graduates with water resources management qualifications would be desirable.

9.3 Non-government and Private-Sector Employment

The non-government sector in Laos can be divided into non-government organizations (NGOs) and water-sector or sector-related companies. International NGOs working in environmental and natural resources fields, such as WWF, UNDP, and others, require national staff, some of



whom would preferably have an understanding of water management. Much work to date in the water sector has focused on water and sanitation at local and other levels (for instance, in support of Millennium goals), rather than water resources management at the larger scale. However, NGOs with an interest in the environment need national staff with an understanding of water resources among other fields of knowledge.

Private activity in the water sector in Laos is dominated by hydropower companies and mining companies, whose needs are somewhat different, but who require staff with knowledge of water resources information/data and hydrology in particular. The operation of large dams requires understanding of reservoir behavior and inflow/outflow effects and impacts. There is a significant present and increasing future demand for WRED graduates if they are capable of working for hydropower companies in these functions.

This job demand links with on-the-job training that can be included in the bachelor’s program, in particular, assigning students to experience at a dam for a short period of time to undertake technical tasks related to reservoir operation.

The mining sector requires staff with an understanding of hydrology but also water quality. Mining uses water and also disposes of wastewater, which in most cases is loaded with mineral compounds that affect aquatic life and human uses of the water body into which the wastewater is discharged. Discussions with the mining sector revealed a strong need and desire for graduates with an understanding of surface water and groundwater behavior, as well as water quality.

WRED should pursue discussions with both the hydropower sector and mining sector to clarify more precisely their job demands over the next 5 years, not only in numbers of graduates but the competencies that they are looking for. WRED should be capable, in due course, of upgrading the quality of nationally qualified people in these areas.

9.4 Promoting Water Management Studies

9.4.1 Reasons for Promotion

Water management studies need to be promoted and explained more actively for several reasons:

to provide a better understanding generally of what water management is, why it is important, and how it adds value to society in Laos

to explain to prospective students, while in high school, what is the range of information included in the undergraduate course and what potential careers it could lead to

to promote to prospective employers the competencies of graduates who complete the undergraduate program

Given these objectives, a number of strategies need to be followed.

9.4.2 Awareness of Water Management

The management of water resources is a subject that is not familiar to most people in Laos and would not be familiar to teachers and students at secondary schools in Laos, for the most part. Community programs in water resources have tended to deal with water supply and sanitation and with watershed management, which is closely related to land and forest/vegetation management at the local scale for the most part. Water resources management is connected



with these fields of knowledge but also includes the broader management of rivers and of water under the ground. Messages about what such management is, why it is done, and how important it is to the country need to be delivered to schools and teachers for their general information. The same information could also be provided to potential employers and their representative groups, explaining the competencies of WRED graduates.

9.4.3 Scope of the Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management Program

WRED is viewed as an irrigation college by some because of its past, and there is not a good understanding of the range of subjects covered in the water resources management in a bachelor’s program. These subjects need to be promoted with information that links the program to current water management problems facing Laos today and that explains the importance of water management to the country. This information would target schools and potential employers.

9.4.4 Employer Awareness

At the second strategic planning workshop, NUOL senior staff insisted that WRED and the faculty of Education should discuss water management education with employers and their representatives. Meeting with the private sector, in particular, the hydropower and mining sectors, was emphasized. Therefore, WRED needs to organize an annual meeting with employer groups to discuss

employer needs and student competencies, evaluation of recent graduates and their work performance, and possible changes to the program in the future and/or development of new areas of study.

The Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management will be reviewed for possible changes in 2015. Discussion with employers should take place as part of that review. However, the first two student graduations (2013 and 2014) will follow the current curriculum, and not all aspects of that curriculum may be fully delivered, based on current staff capabilities. It is not likely that student competencies could be evaluated before 2016 in a meaningful sense.

9.5 Biennial Conference on Water Management Education

The action plan proposes holding an academic conference or symposium on the subject of water management education every 2 years, for regional participation and possibly in the future to include international contributors and participants. The organization and execution of the conference would be the responsibility of the FE for the time being.

Although water management education is not a common subject at conferences, regional interest might be high. The conference could help establish networks or links between institutions in the region and elsewhere. Such an event, if successful, would raise the profile of the faculty and of WRED and the water resources program. Some possible themes for an initial conference could be

the current situation on water management education in the region and existing plans to support and upgrade academic programs;

job demand and competencies in the field;



appropriate technologies for water management in regional countries, given the legal frameworks, institutions, and resources available; and

assessing the quality of water management education and benchmarking.

Such an event would require donor support and realistically would not be held every year.



10. Strategies and Action Plan

10.1 Strategic Action Plan for Curriculum Support

WRED completed a strategic plan in 2006, which was submitted to the University. In that strategic plan, WRED identified seven key results areas. The objective of key result area 4 is to upgrade WRED from a department to a faculty of water resources management with two departments: irrigation engineering and water resources management. NUOL has not accepted this proposal, but it shows WRED’s intended direction.

The project assisted WRED in developing an action plan that focuses on curriculum development and support and capacity building. WRED’s current strategic plan is relevant to that plan. After discussing the plan with WRED staff, the project conducted a strategic planning workshop for WRED in March 2012 that was followed by a later workshop in May or June.

10.2 The WRED Strategic Plan and Actions Taken Since 2006

In 2006, WRED made a strategic plan to operate until 2015, a 9-year period. In that time, WRED has

made a staff development plan that provides for WRED academic staff to obtain post-graduate qualifications and

established links with universities in Thailand for training in short courses for subjects that cannot be covered in the water resources engineering curriculum.

The staff development plan now extends to 2020 and requires department staff to obtain master’s and doctorate qualifications in a variety of subject areas. This education is funded by donors and NUOL and is to be obtained from regional universities in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand for the most part.

10.3 Strategies and Action Plan

The strategies and action plan developed by the project cover some aspects, but not all, of the preexisting WRED strategic plan as well as new areas. The plan was developed through two workshops. At the first workshop, draft ideas for key areas were discussed and agreed upon, as well as discussion of possible actions. Subsequently, the project developed a draft of the plan that was discussed at meetings with senior WRED staff. The resulting document was presented at the second workshop.

The second workshop, held on November 30, 2012, was attended by the Vice-Rector of the University, the Dean of the FE, the Director of WRED, and other senior officials of the University, including the Vice-Director of the Central Academic Office. Donors and NGO representatives were also invited, along with representatives of government agencies. Of the donors invited, AusAID was the only donor that attended the workshop.

At the workshop senior officials gave a number of directions:

the need to raise the quality of the curriculum and academic quality and the policy of the government that NUOL should achieve parity with other regional universities



the need for graduates to be produced not only in quantity but also to increase the quality of their knowledge and competencies

the desire to expand the University’s programs to include water quality management the desire to commence post-graduate studies as soon as possible

Officials from government departments also commented on the need for closer cooperation between the university and the agencies.

10.4 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

The project developed an M&E framework for the action plan to help WRED and NUOL track progress toward fully applying the curriculum (see Appendix 5). The framework was drafted in early 2012 and discussed as part of the strategic plan for WRED. The framework may be relevant to other courses in addition to courses within WRED.



11. Recommendations The following recommendations are made in light of discussions held with WRED, the expressed views of the Head of Department and senior staff, and the outcomes of the inception workshop:

Funds currently allocated to the study tour (and other PIU funds if savings are possible) should be reallocated to a training program for the two highest priority water resources subjects to be taught in the final year of the Bachelor of Engineering in Water Resources Management program for two WRED staff members in each case (total four staff) to attend a 2-month academic training program with the appropriate university, in line with the forthcoming WRED proposal.

Consultant time initially allocated to preparing and executing the study tour should be devoted to producing the content and materials for the course in river basin management and related coursework.

This report’s recommendations are as follows:

WRED should continue to develop its curriculum and academic programs in line with becoming a potential water resources management institution.

The water management curriculum, structure, and individual subjects should be revised in line with the detailed proposals in this report upon completion of the second batch of water resources engineering graduates.

WRED should develop student outcomes and competencies for all subjects and evaluate the quality of student performance accordingly.

WRED should develop a 10-year plan to strengthen its capacity in hydrology with a view to offering a high quality education in this field.

Flood hydrology and flood management should be considered as a possible future specialization for the water resources management undergraduate program.

Attention should be given in the next 5 years to collecting and developing learning materials and reference resources.

WRED should participate actively in regional higher education quality assurance programs conducted by AUN-QA and organize training for its staff.

Attention should be given to broadening the teaching and learning methods used, with emphasis on interactive learning involving practical exercises, discussion, experiences, and challenges for students.

The FE should support WRED with academic staff who have qualifications and expertise in areas not currently covered by WRED and in strengthening administrative staff.

WRED should continue its program of upgrading the qualifications of staff in post-graduate qualifications and five women should be included in the higher degree program in the next 5 years if suitable candidates are available.

WRED should take a more proactive role in linking and coordinating with other departments in NUOL and with regional and international academic, research, and funding organizations.

The value and scope of water management education at WRED should be more widely and actively promoted and advertised, including to schools.



Cooperation initiated with international institutions should be pursued, in particular, with exchanges of students and lecturers with the support of the FE.4

Increased cooperation and communication with organizations in Laos would benefit WRED, within NUOL with government ministries and departments and other related agencies.

The FE should organize a biennial conference on water management education with regional and international participation.

That alumni-supported national water management education events should be organized annually or biennially.

An annual meeting should be held between WRED and industrial employer groups to discuss curriculum and student performance for future employment.

Feld activities should be designed and more actively used in each student year to provide students with exercises in information collection and analysis and practice.

Donor natural resources support programs that target the mining and hydropower sectors should be linked also with water resources education.

Donors should consider the value of water management education and information and provide appropriate support.

.

4 Formal agreements with external organizations must be made at the faculty level of NUOL.


Draft Final Report December 2012 76

Appendix 1. Strategies and Action Plan for Water Management and IWRM Education at NUOL and WRED

Background

These strategies and action plan are to support water management education at NUOL, specifically WRED. The action plan is based in part on the existing WRED strategic plan, but it only covers those parts of the WRED plan that are directly related to water resources education. Other aspects of WRED and its future are outside this plan. This action plan takes into account the discussion at the strategic planning workshop and other discussions held with staff of WRED.

The strategies and action plan have two main purposes:

To guide WRED and NUOL in developing the curriculum and teaching capacity.

To present information to attract funding for future development of water management education in Laos.

The objectives and strategies

Within the general goals of improving water management education, nine objectives were identified. Each has component strategies:

Objective 1 Well qualified and capable staff at WRED

Strategy 1.1 Upgrade the qualifications, knowledge and skills of academic staff

Strategy 1.2 Upgrade the knowledge and skills of administrative staff

Objective 2 High quality of teaching and learning

Strategy 2.1 Extend teaching methods and variety of approaches to student learning

Strategy 2.2 Monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning

Objective 3 Water management curriculum developed and advanced

Strategy 3.1 Review the structure of the water resources curriculum

Strategy 3.2 Improve and rationalize the content of subjects in the water resources program

Strategy 3,3 Improve material and learning resources for the curriculum

Objective 4 Adequate teaching and learning resources and equipment

Strategy 4.1 Develop library of WRED

Strategy 4.2 Provide resources and reference material

Strategy 4.3 Provide equipment and software

Objective 5 More effective national and international cooperation

Strategy 5.1 Make medium and long term plans for student and staff exchanges



Strategy 5.2 Hold events promoting NUOL water management education

Strategy 5.3 Coordinate with ministries and agencies

Strategy 5.4 Link with industry and private sector water stakeholders

Objective 6 Post-graduate study program prepared and initiated

Strategy 6.1 Develop supervisory capacity for post-graduate studies

Strategy 6.2: Design focus for master’s in water resources management

Strategy 6.3 Cooperate with international institutions on post-graduate programs

Objective 7 Effective promotion of water management education

Strategy 7.1 Market water management education to potential students

Strategy 7.2 Market WRED graduates to water sector employers

Strategy 7.3 Link with industry and private sector

Objective 8 Preparation for research capacity

Action 8.1 Decide research focus for WRED

Action 8.2 Make applied research plan

Action 8.3 Approach research funding agencies for project support

Objective 9 Improved gender balance

Action 9.1 Recruit more female staff at entry level

Action 9.2 Higher degree opportunities for female academic staff

Action 9.3 Provide confidence building activities for female staff

Action 9.4 Increase recruitment of female students

In the following action plan there are actions for each strategy. Resources and timing are also given.

78

Appendix 2. Action Plan for Water Management Education at NUOL

Objectives, Strategies and Actions

Objective 1: Well-qualified and capable staff at WRED

Strategy 1.1: Upgrade the qualifications, knowledge, and skills of academic staff

General aim: to improve the ability of teaching staff to provide appropriately qualified and proficient graduates in water management disciplines:

Issue/outcome Action Timing Costs and resources

Upgrade formal qualifications of academic staff

Post-graduate studies in master’s and PhD programs—international universities and institutes/local institutions (FE and other)

According to WRED staff plan

NUOL studies according to plan, other studies by international scholarship (see below)

Provide academic capacity in hydrology and meteorology

Post-graduate studies in hydrology and meteorology: master’s degree

Six staff qualified by 2017

Scholarships for 6 post-graduate degrees/hydrology

Provide academic capacity in groundwater management

Post-graduate studies in groundwater: master’s degree

Three staff qualified by 2017

Scholarships for 3 post-graduate degrees/groundwater

Deepen experience and knowledge of academic staff

Staff participate in regional research programs and projects (through FE, NUOL)

As available Finding more with FE’s strategic plan and NUOL for further close cooperation

Increase staff knowledge in technical fields and disciplines

Short courses and/or work experience in 8 subjects (get details)

According to WRED staff plan by 2015

Eight short courses (costs)

Increase knowledge of IWRM and understanding of water management

Annual workshop on water management education for WRED and invited participants (alumni sponsorship?)

Annually External presenters

Workshop cost (for donors): $15,000

Field visit for staff and others to sites of interest in Laos and region

As suitable (annual or 2 yearly) medium term?

Could be part of workshop above or separate

79


Attendance at regional and international conferences for 5 staff per year

As appropriate Support for regional and international travel and conference attendance

Senior staff effectively managing the department

Provide study programs on management of educational systems

2013 ongoing $3000 per year

Strategy 1.2: Upgrade the knowledge and skills of administrative staff

General aim: to improve the effectiveness of the administrative staff and provide basic familiarity with the water management field


Improve English language ability Language training classes 2013-15 WRED’s staff personnel investment and seeking support from other outside donor ($2,500 per year) (e.g., AUSAID, NZAID— Vientiane College)

Provide computer skills Computer literacy classes and hands-on practice

2013 ongoing Internal funding from FE/NOUL ($1,500 per year)

Provide understanding of water management issues to library staff

Familiarization with basic IWRM and water management material/classes

2013 ongoing Internal resources

Management of the library, librarianship

Training on library management of administration system for librarians

2013 ongoing Internal funding from FE/NOUL

Document management system training for library staff

Librarianship training: basic and advanced Basic training 2013 (4 staff) follow up 2014 for library head

Internal funding from FE/NOUL and or donor fund

Effective business administration and office management, project management, costing

Number of staff 4 for training 2013 ongoing Internal funding from FE/NOUL and or project related (N-IWRSP) and donor fund ($2,500 per year)

80

Objective 2: High quality of teaching and learning (teaching method and academic standards)

Strategy 2.1: Extend teaching methods and variety of approaches to student learning

General aim: to add to traditional methods of teaching by increasing (i) hands-on activity by students and (ii) interactive learning methods.


Academic staff using variety of teaching methods

Hold annual pedagogy event for staff of WRED with external presenter

Annual Internal funding from FE/NOUL and or project related (N-IWRSP) and donor fund ($3,500 per year)

Periodic discussions of teaching methods and resources among staff

As suitable Internal funding WRED

Staff exchange trips with other universities on teaching and learning

2014 ongoing Internal funding from FE/NOUL and or project related (N-IWRSP) and donor fund ($20,000 per year)

Interactive student activities and learning used

Case studies, field studies (not just trips but activities) student presentations at seminars

Start year 2 Internal funding WRED/students’ investment—joint cooperation with other research units or local and international investor

Identified field sites for study visits Plan and identify study sites for field activities

of water resources management students from year to year

Each student batch Travel and accommodation, site facilities and equipment

Develop study guides for student activities at sites

2013 Internal resources

Planned approach to staff development

Make pedagogy/staff development plan 2013 and ongoing Internal development

Strengthened staff capacity in basic engineering subjects

Training in mathematics, physics and chemistry, staff in WRED

2013 ongoing short courses

Internal funding from FE/NOUL and or project related (N-IWRSP) and donor fund ($10,000 per year)

Research method capacity Training in research methodology for staff External cooperation and funding support from donors ($20,000 per

81


year)

Strategy 2.2: Monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning

General aim: to establish a scheme for assessing progress in teaching and learning and identifying how to improve further


Staff awareness of teaching standards

Annual survey of staff on teaching methods and requests

Annual Internal to WRED

Case studies available for use by teaching staff

Progressively develop and record case studies for use in water management programs

Ongoing Internal to WRED

Framework for assessing student and staff performance

Feedback among staff on performance and academic standards/expectations

Ongoing Internal activity and meeting WRED

Teaching and learning materials Develop and record/archive case studies on water management issues relevant to Laos

Ongoing Internal to WRED, maintenance cost ($2,000 per year)

Departmental knowledge of higher education quality standards

Send one staff member to AUN-QA training course per year

2013–2016 and ongoing Cost?

82

Objective 3: The water management curriculum developed and advanced

Strategy 3.1: Review the structure of the water resources curriculum

General aim: to create a logical series of subjects and specialisations to optimize student learning outcomes


Stage of specialization is appropriate

Review stage of course at which specializations occur

2013 for implementation 2014 ongoing

Internal to WRED

Specializations are added as appropriate

Consider specializations in:

flood engineering and management

water quality and groundwater

2013 for implementation 2014 ongoing

Internal to WRED

Upgrade climate change element in curriculum

Add new subject Climate Change

Adopt training material developed by MONRE: create subject outline and content

Commence in 2014 (interim, information added in existing course)

Cooperate with existing project provided by ADB (N-IWRMSp and Climate Change programme—MONRE)—$10,000

Add subject statistics For staff also 2013 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation—$5,000

Progression of subjects leading to hydrologic competence are logical

Organize the subjects in order of increasing complexity

2013 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation—$3,000

Flood management, IFRM curriculum and specialisation

Develop introductory subject content

Develop case studies for practical experience and student field work

2013 for introduction 2014 ongoing

WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation—$10,000

Develop flood management curriculum 2014 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

Watershed management subject added. Could be included in water

Join with Faculty of Forestry for watershed management

2013 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation—

83


resources planning specialization $3,000

Strategy 3.2: Improve and rationalize the content of subjects in the water resources curriculum

General aim: to establish well-considered and organized subjects with appropriate content and descriptive


Ensure subjects cover appropriate amount of content and relevant subject matter

Divide subjects as appropriate, eliminate inappropriate subjects/content from undergraduate programs

Commence 2014 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

Eliminate subject overlap Review subject material by 2015 (see Curriculum Report recommendations)

Commence 2014 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

Strengthened flood risk management

Flood risk management subject redesign 2014 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

River basin management Restructure river basin management subject 2014 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

Watershed management Create link with Faculty of Forestry for input on watershed management

2014 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

Consider whether to add as a separate subject

2013 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation

Groundwater management Review subject groundwater management WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation (C3-N-IWRMSP

84

Strategy 3.3: Improve material and learning resources for the curriculum

General aim: to supply a good depth of teaching knowledge and materials for all subjects in the curriculum


Collect resource material for water management subjects

Use CD and cloud archive of manuals, technical reports, provide copies to students

From 2013 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation (C1-N-IWRMSP)

Improved subject notes and reference materials

Collect and organize reference material Ongoing WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation (C1-N-IWRMSP) ($10,000)

Make standard format for teaching subject notes and develop archive of teaching material

2013-2016 WRED staff time, external resources and cooperation - $3,500

Provide Lao reference material Translate documents into Lao 2013 ongoing Internal staff resources (technical expertise required) funding for translation—$10,000 (10 sets per year)

Objective 4: Adequate teaching and learning resources and equipment

Strategy 4.1: Develop WRED library

General aim: To have a library suitable for advanced learning for students of water management at graduate and post-graduate level

Note: Departments do not normally have an extensive library, but for faculty, post-graduate programs and research an appropriate library is essential. Other libraries such as Engineering Faculty do not cover water resources management extensively, so developing the library will be essential to supporting water management programs.


Digital learning resources available to students

Obtain five computers for library network, including data storage and back-up

2013 $4,500

85


Four computers for reading room 2014-15 $3,800

Collect and organize digital resources for water management issues

Ongoing Internal resources

Develop digital guide to web-sites for student learning

2014 WRED staff time ($3,000)

Library database Establish library database and classification of books/resources

2015 and ongoing Librarian

Initial research library Cooperate with other faculties to establish research library resources in selected fields

Continue ongoing Internal resources

Develop research library resources See actions under library and educational resources

By 2016 Donor to be sought

Develop subject notes for all subjects in water management curriculum

2013 Academic staff

Strategy 4.2: Provide resources and reference material

General aim: to facilitate student practice in use of laboratory and water testing


Student capacity to undertake water quality field testing

Obtain 2 sets of portable water quality testing equipment for field study

2013 $10,000

Chemicals, maintenance of testing equipment 2013 ongoing $2,000 per year

Establish related water quality testing at laboratory of WRED or MONRE

2015 $150,000

Water management resources of other agencies available to

Coordinate with NUOL central library 2013 ongoing

86


students

Improved coordination with external organizations

Cooperate with MONRE, MRC, written resources at DWR and in MONRE

2013 ongoing WRED staff time—MONRE (co-conducting annual meeting for further close cooperation)

Strategy 4.3: Provide equipment and software

General aim: to enable students to undertake field activities in hydrography, meteorology, flood and river management


All students able to access computers of technology practice and learning

Purchase computers for spreadsheet, GIS and other technical learning for all student access (50)

2013-15 $50,000

Field demonstration site developed Identify and develop WRED site for hydrographic streamflow measurement

2013-15 $50,000

Hydraulic laboratory 2014 $40,000

Obtain portable flow/current meters 2013 $15,000

Annual maintenance Ongoing $5,000

Maintain digital flow data archive from demonstration site and other sources

2016 ongoing $1,000 per year

Survey equipment/GPS/theodolite 2013 $30,000

Software for spatial programming (GIS/RS/basic models)

Obtain software, GIS, RS data sets 2013 $10,000

Laboratory instruments Concrete and soil testing 2015 $100,000

Students able to observe and/or practice meteorological

Obtain basic climate station equipment 2013-20 $10,000

87


measurement

Objective 5: More effective national and international cooperation

Strategy 5.1: Make medium and long-term plans for student and staff exchanges

General aim: To improve knowledge by interaction with international institutions


Student exchanges Student exchanges with international universities undergraduate programs

2014 ongoing $10,000

Thailand (short-term 3 months, also long term)

2016-17 and ongoing $20,000

Vietnam (long-term 4 years) 2013 ongoing Seek official sponsorship VN government

Staff exchanges Create visiting international professorships (3 months per year) for undergraduate and post-graduate studies

Annually as opportunity arises

$20,000

Good collection of subject notes on all subjects

Obtain/collect subject notes and manuals from related universities (under cooperation agreements)

2013 -15 $10,000

88

Strategy 5.2: Hold events promoting NUOL/academic seminar with invited speakers

General aim:


Increased profile of WRED in water management education

Organize/host international academic seminar on water management education for staff/students of NUOL with invited international contributors

2016 and every 2/3 years

Donor sponsorship

$50,000

Strategy 5.3: Coordinate with ministries and agencies

General aim: to take advantage of resources and information available in government departments and ministries


Working coordination between WRED and MONRE/DWR/DMH

Annual meeting WRED and MONRE to discuss ministry’s programs and graduate requirements.

2013 and annually Internal resource

Placement of students for practical experience

Placement of students in ministry department according to formal educational plan

2015 Internal resource

WRED assisting government agencies

WRED to form advisory function to disseminate research findings and other information to government departments

2015 ongoing Internal resources

Strategy 5.4: Link with industry and private-sector water stakeholders

General aim: To obtain support and cooperation of private sector in education for water management


Support from hydropower and mining industries

Approach hydropower and mining industries to support water management education

2013 ongoing Internal resources/meetings/travel

89


Better knowledge of education needs for graduates

Meeting with private sector employers and water users on graduate demand

Annual Internal resources/meetings/travel

Field familiarisation with water user sectors

Third years students to visit major dam for familiarisation with operation and management of hydraulic work

2013 ongoing Internal WRED time and external cooperation and support

Placement of students for practical experience

Placement of students at private hydropower dam/s, mines, water supply, rural development sites and others

2014 ongoing Internal WRED time and external cooperation and support

Objective 6: Post-graduate study program prepared and initiated

Strategy 6.1: Develop supervisory capacity for post-graduate studies

General aim: To possess or have access to sufficient staff with doctorates in relevant fields to supervise master’s students.


See under capacity development Obtain doctorate qualifications for staff with relevant specializations

Ongoing – 2 person per year

Included under Objective

External Support

Strategy 6.2: Design focus for master’s in water resources management

General aim: To possess or have access to sufficient staff with doctorates in relevant fields to supervise master’s students.


Post-graduate areas of study decided

Investigate in detail regional and international courses

2013-14 Visits to regional universities/institutions

Post-graduate curriculum designed Decide focus for specialization and coverage of teaching curriculum, subjects to be offered

Planned introduction 2017

Requires

90


External support

Strategy 6.3: Cooperate with international institutions on post-graduate program/s

General aim: to initiate a post-graduate program through cooperating with an international university


Joint study program initiated and in progress at post-graduate level

Cooperation plan with selected international institution visiting professors

Initiate 2013 for start in 2015–16?

$20,000

Objective 7: Effective promotion of water management education

Aim: to make study at WRED attractive to potential students and engage potential employers in support of water management education.

Strategy 7.1: Market water management education to potential students

General aim: to make water resources programs at WRED attractive to prospective students


School students aware of water resources undergraduate program

Print and distribute attractive information on program for distribution in schools

2013 $4,000 per year

More attractive internet information Upgrade website in NUOL website 2013 $2,400 per year

More widespread knowledge of water management education

Develop mass media advertising 2013 $2,400 per year

91

Strategy 7.2: Market WRED graduates to water-sector employers

General aim: to ensure that WRED’s programs are suitable for and appreciated by private sector in the water sector


Clear identification of skills needed by private sector in core competencies

Review or study the requirements of hydropower sector for hydrology specializations (job fair)

Annually Internal

Strategy 7.3: Link with industry and private sector

General aim: to foster cooperation between industry and NUOL and better design the curriculum for industry needs


Join with industry forum (hydropower and mining)

Approach DWR and industry forum to discuss educational needs

2013 Internal: meeting attendance

Knowledge of suitability of graduates for employment in relevant sectors

Survey employers about graduate competencies

2015 ongoing Cost of survey ($2,000)

Objective 8: Research capacity prepared for

General aim: To provide applied research capacity at NUOL and WRED


Individual research involvements Applications for research grants under NUOL policy

Annually NUOL grant funding

Decide research focus for WRED Need to focus on specific research areas 2014 Internal resources

Make applied research plan Identify research specialization/s NUOL and international organizations

2013 NUOL and WRED internal resources

92


Identify field opportunities for applied research

2013 Internal

Approach research funding agencies for project support

Invite participation of international students/NGOs in field research projects

2015 ongoing Donor funding for projects as available

Objective 9: Improve gender balance

General aim: To increase the numbers of female staff and students at WRED


Female academic staff constitute 30%of all academic staff

Reserve places for female academic staff at entry level

Annual and ongoing No additional costs

Increased percentage of women with post-graduate qualifications

Provide funding for female staff to gain post-graduate qualifications

2013 and ongoing Within existing post-graduate funding of NUOL

More active and knowledgeable women in WRED

Provide special courses and confidence building activities for female academic and administrative staff

2013 and ongoing 10,000 per year

More balanced female to male student ratio

Recruitment of higher numbers of female students and targeted advertising

2013 and ongoing Advertising costs $2,000 per year

93

Financial Summary of Action Plan

Estim

ated

Budget

WRED

Component 4

Exte

rnal

Sch

ola

rsh

ip Mid‐Term Long Term

13 14 15

Total 2013–2015

2016–

2020 2021–

2030

Objective 1 Well qualified and capable staff at WRED x x x

Strategy 1.1 Upgrade the qualifications, knowledge and skills academic staff

18,000

18,000

18,000 54,000

Strategy 1.2 Upgrade the knowledge and skills of administrative staff 6,500

6,500 6,500 19,500

Objective 2 High quality of teaching and learning x x x

Strategy 2.1 Extend teaching methods and variety of approaches to student learning

53,500

53,500

53,500 160,500

212,500

Strategy 2.2 Monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning 2,000

2,000 2,000 6,000

Objective 3 Water management curriculum developed and advanced x

Strategy 3.1 Review the structure of the water resources curriculum

21,000

20,000 ‐ 31,000

Strategy 3.2 Improve and rationalize the content of subjects in the water resources program x ‐ ‐ ‐

Strategy 3.3 Improve material and learning resources for the curriculum

13,500

13,500

13,500 40,500

50,000

Objective 4 Adequate teaching and learning resources and equipment x x x

94

Estim

ated

Budget

WRED

Component 4

Exte

rnal

Sc

ho

lars

hip

Mid‐Term Long Term

Strategy 4.1 Develop library of WRED 8,300

11,300 8,300 27,900

Strategy 4.2 Provide resources and reference material

12,000

12,000

152,000 176,000

Strategy 4.3 Provide equipment and software

126,000

96,000

116,000 338,000

180,000 360,000

Objective 5 Stronger national and international cooperation x x x

Strategy 5.1 Make medium and long term plans for student and staff exchanges

60,000

60,000

60,000 180,000

Strategy 5.2 Hold events promoting NUOL water management education

50,000

Strategy 5.3 Coordinate with ministries and agencies x ‐ ‐ ‐

Strategy 5.4 Joint activities to private sector water users x ‐ ‐ ‐

Objective 6 Post-graduate study program prepared and initiated x x x

Strategy 6.1 Develop supervisory capacity for post-graduate studies x

Strategy 6.2 Cooperate with international institutions on post-graduate programs

20,000 20,000

200,000

Objective 7 Effective promotion of water management education

Strategy 7.1 Market water education to potential students 8,400

8,400 8,400 25,200

Strategy 7.2 Market WRED to water sector employers x

Objective 8 Preparation for research capacity x x x

95

Estim

ated

Budget

WRED

Component 4

Exte

rnal

Sc

ho

lars

hip

Mid‐Term Long Term

Action 8.1 Decide research focus for WRED

Action 8.2 Make research plan x

Action 8.3 Approach research funding agencies for projects using WRED staff

15,000

15,000

15,000 45,000

Action 9.1 Reserve places for female academic staff at entry level

Action 9.2 Provide funding for female staff to gain post-graduate qualifications

Action 9.3 Provide special courses and female academic and administrative staff 10,000 10,000 10,000 30,000

Action 9.4 Recruit more female students and targeted advertising

2.000 2,000 2,000 6,000

TOTAL

356,200

325,200

485,200

695,500

360,000 2,150,100

Infrastructure Around USD 2,200,000


D ft Fi l R t D b 2012 96

Appendix 3. Administrative Arrangements

General

No doubt the same information is available in the reports of Package 1 and was known (more or less) to all the people involved in management. The arrangements are discussed below.

Package 4 was administered as part of the NIWRMSP in which there were originally some ten components. Each component is achieved by a package, for which consulting inputs are hired by the donor responsible for the component. Thus, there is a component and an accompanying package.

The administrative arrangements for package 4 are shown in Figure 2. There is a project implementation unit (PIU) and a project management unit (PMU), since Package 4 is part of the larger NIWRMSP, which is being funded by several donor agencies.

Project Implementation Unit (PIU)

The PIU is located at WRED in the Tadthong campus of NUOL. WRED has provided office space at the campus and the PIU is the organizational unit that facilitates contact between the project and WRED and arranges meetings with key staff members. The project will provide all reports to the PIU.

Project Management Unit (PMU)

The PMU is located in DWR of MONRE, because MONRE is the ministry responsible for the NIWRMSP, of which Package 4 is a part. The project will report to the PMU directly and through the PIU. The role of the PMU is to facilitate the project and review its progress. Monthly reports will be provided to the PMU through the PIU.

Figure 2: Management arrangements for Package 4

Advisory Committee

Package 4: RTI Consulting Team

Project Management Unit (PMU) DWR,

Package 4 Advisory Committee

Project Implementation Unit (PIU) WRED,

Asian Development Bank

Package 1: Coordination and Capacity development

National Integrated Water Resources Management Support Program

DWR (required to approve some things at



The terms of reference for the project included an advisory committee or steering committee to oversee the work of the consultants. The advisory committee was been discussed with the FE, the Academic Office of NUOL, WRED and also with the technical institute at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), before being further discussed at the inception workshop and it was agreed that its members would be as follows, or their representatives:

The Dean of the Engineering Faculty of NUOL

The Director of the Central Academic Office of NUOL

The Director of WRED

The Director General of the Water Resources Department of MONRE

The Director of the Institute for Natural Resources and Environment (INRE), formerly WERI.

The value of the committee was its modification and agreement to the proposed curriculum changes and other proposals that will make it easier for recommendations of the report to be formally adopted by the University in due course. The purpose of the advisory committee was

to provide guidance in developing proposals for IWRM curriculum change,

to review curriculum proposals, and

to review the capacity building proposals for WRED.

Some members of the advisory committee attended key workshops and discussions, namely the inception workshop (March 2012), first strategic planning workshop (October 2012), second strategic planning workshop (November 2012), and the final workshop (November 2012).

Coordination with Other Packages

This project is one of four NIWRMSP packages. In line with standard water management integrating expectations, Package 4 was to coordinate as much as possible with the other packages.

Package 1 involved a training needs analysis and capacity building plan that was coordinated with the TNA for package four. Both were completed by Ms. Sengmanichanh. Package 1 also conducted capacity building training exercises. Therefore, the PMU requested Package 4 to include members of ministries and agencies in the package 4 workshops. This led to some disconnect at times because Package 4 events were focused (not entirely but considerably) on an IWRM curriculum and the teaching and learning aspects of that curriculum, while agency staff had no involvement with the academic focus. It also led to confusion about the training agenda for the climate change workshop, because the PMU requested non-university staff to attend and then questioned the academic orientation of the proposed program because of the non-university participants.

Coordination with Package 2, Nam Ngum River Basin Planning, involved establishing potential links between NUOL and the river basin committee (RBC), with a view to placing students at the RBC office, and other possible cooperation. No interaction took place between this TA and Package 3, groundwater management, which was an extremely intermittent project.

The technical division secretary of the Nam Ngum River basin committee secretariat made a presentation to the second IWRM seminar session on river basin management to present that basin as a case study to participants.



Appendix 4. Initial Work Plan

2011 2012 Total (Weeks)

Month October November December January February March April May June July August

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

37

38

[

Taylor

Kanya

Seng

Mone

Inception report

Curriculum review

Course development

Needs analysis

IWRM review

Climate change

Study tour planning

Study tour

Study tour report

Overseas cooperation

Strategic plan

M&E framework



2011 2012 Total(Weeks)

Draft final report

Final report


Draft Final Report 100

Appendix 5. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Planning matrix for monitoring: Improved water management education at NUOL

Expected Results

(Outcomes & Outputs)

Indicators (with

Baselines &

Indicative Targets)

and Other Key

Areas to Monitor

M&E Event with

Data Collection

Methods

Time or

Schedule and

Frequency

Responsibilit ies

Means of

Verification:

Data Source

and Type

Resources Risks

Outcome 1: high

quality water

management

curriculum at NUOL

1.1 WRE curriculum ref lect s regional quali t y st andards

Baseline:

curriculum not def ined in detail and IWRM principles not suf f icient ly embedded Target : by end 2015, curriculum mat erial ful ly developed and principles embedded

AUN-QA st andards/ assessment appl ied t o WRE curriculum by 2015

Dat a int ernal t o FE/ WRED and assessment by QA t rained evaluators

Init ial assessment 2015

Subsequent assessment s 5 yearly

FE Academic Of f ice and WRED

Curriculum out l ines, not es, resources mat erials and st udent compet ency st at ement s

Int ernal resources t o WRED and qualif ied assessor (no cost assigned)

Incomplete development of compet ency st at ement s in al l aspect s of t he curriculum, lack of t raining of WRED st af f

1.2 Full coverage of water management curriculum

Baseline: some curriculum areas not current ly covered

Target : al l curriculum covered by 2015

Review of curriculum out l ines, not es and t eaching materials

Review of curriculum coverage at end 2014 and 2014

WRED academic st af f and academic of f ice

Direct assessment

Int ernal resources t o WRED

Development of curriculum not consist ent across subj ect areas



Expected Results


Indicators (with

Baselines &

Indicative Targets)

and Other Key

Areas to Monitor

M&E Event with

Data Collection

Methods

Time or

Schedule and

Frequency

Responsibilit ies

Means of

Verification:

Data Source

and Type

Resources Risks

1.3 Field applicat ion of WRE curriculum is advanced

Baseline: minimal f i led applicat ion of knowledge areas

Target : accomplishment of 3 f ield act ivit ies per st udent year (2-4) wit h associat ed analyt ical exercises

Review of f ield act ivit ies by st udent year, including assessment of st udent act ivit ies and relat ed t asks

First review in 2014, second review 2015, t hird review 2016

WRED st af f Direct assessment of f i led act ivit y report ing, wit h review of st udent relat ed t asks and out comes

WRED nominat ed st af f member

(a) Field act ivit ies not adequately designed,

(b) Field act ivit ies do not require st udent pract ice or analysis

Outcome 2: High

quality of teaching and

learning for water

management

curriculum

2.1 WRED staf f capable of covering al l of WRE curriculum

Baseline: t echnical and IWRM subj ect mat t er not able t o be covered by WRED staf f

Target : 100% of curriculum covered by WRED staf f by 2015

Survey quest ionnaire for WRED st af f

First survey 2015 and every 3 years t hereaf t er

WRED nominat ed st af f member

Random fol low-up int erviews wit h st af f members

WRED st af f member

Some t echnical subj ect not able t o be covered by 2015

2.2 Assured quali t y of t eaching of WRE curriculum

Baseline: few act ivit ies out side formal lect uring

Target : good mix of int eract ive

(a) Review of st af f t eaching methods, by quest ionnaire survey and

Annual—report t o be made t o FE/ WRED (NUOL Academic

FE/ WRED assessor/ s

Direct class review, review of writ t en material and int erviews wit h

0.25 person t ime

Pedagogic expert ise not available or insuf f icient in addit ion t o st andard



Expected Results


Indicators (with

Baselines &

Indicative Targets)

and Other Key

Areas to Monitor

M&E Event with

Data Collection

Methods

Time or

Schedule and

Frequency

Responsibilit ies

Means of

Verification:

Data Source

and Type

Resources Risks

learning and pract ical act ivit ies for st udent s

int erview

(b) class assessment of pedagogy

Of f ice) st af f dut ies

2.3 WRE graduat es have good underst anding of water management applicat ion t o nat ional chal lenges

Baseline: current level of underst anding not yet t ested Target : by 2015, 95% of st udent s achieve t his compet ency

St udent t est ing against IWRM curriculum in relat ion t o Water management issues in Laos

Annually in November for f inal year WRE st udent s

WRED academic st af f wit h review by Academic Of f ice of FE

St udent responses t o universit y t est ing (t o be incorporat ed in f inal year examinat ions

No addit ional resources—wit hin academic act ivit ies

Inadequate compet ency t est design

Outcome 3: WRE

graduates suited to

employer requirements

3.1 Employer requirement s clear t o NUOL

Baseline: l i t t le knowledge current ly exist s at NUOL

Target: specif ical ly st at ed employer requirement s

Discussions wit h employer represent at ives, public and privat e

Annual meet ing t o discuss employment requirement s

FE/ WRED top organize

Discussion out comes – need t o be accurat ely recorded and specif ic informat ion sought and obt ained

Meet ing cost s ($500 per year)

Meet ings not well enough designed and conduct ed t o el icit useful informat ion

3.2 Employers sat isf ied wit h graduat e performance and compet encies

Baseline: not graduat es yet employed

Target : 80%

Survey by quest ionnaire of public and privat e

Annual WRED t o administ er

Employer response informat ion

Cost $800 Low response rat e by employers: quali t at ive



Expected Results


Indicators (with

Baselines &

Indicative Targets)

and Other Key

Areas to Monitor

M&E Event with

Data Collection

Methods

Time or

Schedule and

Frequency

Responsibilit ies

Means of

Verification:

Data Source

and Type

Resources Risks

sat isfact ion rat e among employers

employers dat a not provided

Outcome 4: Active

twinning arrangements

with one to two

international

universities/ institutions

1.4 Twinning program commenced wit h an int ernat ional universit y

Baseline: ad hoc and in-principle agreements in place wit h t wo universit ies

Target : long-t erm cooperat ive programs in place

Exist ence of long-t erm agreement and j oint programs in operat ion

From 2015 FE (WRED) t o ent er int o agreement ; WRED t o part icipat e in j oint programs

(a) detailed agreement

(b) evidence of act ive j oint program/ s, exchanges, visit ing lect urers

Int ernal review

No signif icant risk

Outcome 5: Improved gender balance achieved for st af f and st udent s

5.1 Improved st af f gender balance

Baseline: 25% female st af f

Target : 40% female st af f by 2017

St af f gender dat a

Annual dat a col lect ion

WRED NUOL employment records

Int ernal t o WRED

No assessment risk

5.2 Student gender balance

Baseline: Female st udent s 18%

Target : Female

St udent gender dat a

Annual dat a col lect ion

WRED NUOL, WRED st udent dat a

Int ernal t o WRED

No assessment risk



Expected Results


Indicators (with

Baselines &

Indicative Targets)

and Other Key

Areas to Monitor

M&E Event with

Data Collection

Methods

Time or

Schedule and

Frequency

Responsibilit ies

Means of

Verification:

Data Source

and Type

Resources Risks

st udent s 45% by 2017



Appendix 6. List of Reports and Papers

The following reports and papers were produced during the project:

Inception Report Mid Term Review Report Study Tour Report Training Needs Analysis Report Curriculum Report Reports on training activities

First IWRM Seminar Second IWRM Seminar Training in GIS and RS Training in Hydro-meteorological Measurement Strategic Planning Workshops

Survey of Regional and International IWRM courses Discussion paper: What is IWRM Education?



Appendix 7. Reference Archive

A reference archive has been developed for water resources management and IWRM. It consists of

a CD with all the reference documents collected during the project and a cloud-based archive with the reference documents and presentations from training

workshops and seminars.

The CD was reproduced and 50 copies given to the Department of Water Resources Engineering with a further 20 copies for other departments and faculties of the National Universities. The CD may be freely copied.

The cloud archive is accessible via a dedicated access link, which has been given to WRED.

The archive structure is as follows:

Introduction to the material Subject development for Water Resources Engineering program Subject areas:

IWRM (manuals and related documents, references to useful websites) Water resources management River Basin management Integrated Flood Risk Management Water Resources planning Riverine and fluvial processes Water and Environment Water law, policy and institutions Water scarcity and allocation Water and floodplains

Case studies, role plays and filed activities.



Appendix 8. Subject List for Flood Management Specialization

The consultants suggested a future specialization in flood management. Work has been done to expand the subjects covering flood-related information in the general program. Based on that outline, the following subjects are suggested as part of a specialization in flood management and related technology:

Subjects Proposed Outline

Disaster management Introduction to flood management: causes of flood, effects of floods, control of floods, benefits of flooding; flood disaster management;

Damage, losses and need assessment: Principles for response, planning, assessment objectives, need assessment, organization’s role and responsibilities: rescue, evacuation and recovery, safety and security emphasis on flood and drought response,

Flood mapping Introduction to flood mapping; Flood mapping procedures and data requirement; flood mapping methods (GIS and RS); flood mapping types: flood depth map, flood extension map, flood danger map, flood risk map, availability and application of flood map; flood mapping quality and standard; Make a flood map showing flood periodicity for a limited area where flood data is available

Community flood plans Disaster preparedness before disaster: Risk analysis, planning, institutional framework, information system and network, response system and mechanism, resources base, public education and training, warning information; local flood risk planning; case study: field visit to flood prone area to make a community flood plan in line with a template for flood preparedness

Floodplain plans and land use

Definition of floodplain and land use; land use planning and flood management; development management techniques for flood hazard context; legal and institutional framework; legal and technical aspects of a floodplain plan, based on flood model or mapping

Infrastructure design and building codes

Risk identification: Hazard assessment, vulnerability; risk prevention: structural prevention, non-structural prevention; risk mitigation: structural mitigation and non-structural mitigation; risk treatment: risk control, risk reduction, risk financing, risk governance, risk evaluation, risk response, risk retention, economic and environmental impact assessment for decision-making, developing more integrated flood control policies assessment, detailed consideration of building design and calculation of flood passage requirements in roads,



bridges, transport links.

Flood modeling Introduction to flood modeling: definition of flood modeling, types of flood models, basic knowledge and skill for flood modeling; dataset and processes for flood modeling: meteorological inputs, rainfall-runoff processes; flood modeling methods and techniques: rainfall-runoff modeling, catchment modeling, flood routing and urban flood modeling, validation of flood modeling and interpretation of the modeling results; Case study: Use of a flood model for a location in Laos, with assessment of alternative scenarios

Note that the project has provided a further outline for a field activity that could involve students in making or assisting in making a community flood response plan.



Appendix 9. River Basin Management

Redesign of subject: river basin management

Review of courses and programs entitled “river basin management” often shows a curriculum that could just as well be entitled “water resources management”; except that water management is considered at the river basin or sub-basin scale. Some courses pay particular attention to trans-boundary questions because river basin boundaries are almost never consistent with administrative boundaries.5 But, many (actually most) courses simply take the whole gamut of water resources management and squeeze it into a river basin shape.

The consultants on this project have decided to design a subject that contains subject content as relevant as possible to the river basin. For this reason we have cut out much of what was formerly in the subject description and replaced it will a more condensed set of elements, which are:

Geographic features of river basins Assessing geo-spatial water resources and water uses in the connected river

(drainage) basin system Basin scale: major basin and local sub-basin area, similarities and differences for

management River basin performance indicators Coordination methods within-basin: legal, administrative and inter-jurisdictional: river

basin organizations Assessment of RBOs: how to judge whether a river basin organization will be useful

and if so what type of organization it should be (10 functions) Case study: assessment of functions and capability of Lao river basin organizations River basin information systems Consultation at river basin scale Planning: river basin and watershed—similarities and differences [River basin management case study] Information provided to develop this subject includes: Presentation and reference material on river basin indicators The criteria for assessing the type of RBO appropriate to a river basin (10 functions) Reference material on river basin organizations

Further detail is provided below:

River basin management subject outline

Three credits: 32 hours of face to face and learning time, 16 weeks of 2 hours per week

Course objective: building on the concepts underlying river basin management, enable students to investigate and evaluate technical, informational, legal, organizational and social aspects of managing water at the river basin or sub-basin scale.

Student learning outcomes:

Understand the river basin and its importance as the unit of surface water hydrology;

5 Except in New Zealand since 1991 with the creation of natural resources councils and the

reconfiguration of local governments.



Know the major challenges in managing water at the basin and sub-basin scale and the governance options, including organizational options for managing the water problems;

Have investigated a river basin issue and stakeholder participation

River Basin Management

Geographic features of river basins and related social and economic activities, in upland watersheds, tributaries, middle and lower reaches, lowlands, floodplains and estuaries

2

Methods for assessing water and water use, evaluating geo-spatial questions and links between activities and impacts

2

Performance indicators for river basins 2

Methods for coordinating water uses on a geographical basis 1

Legal aspects 2

River basin organizations 3

International river basins 1

Scale – coordination from river basin to local level 1

Case Study: assessment of appropriate RBO structure for selected river basin in Laos (based on learning in element 4)

2

River basin information systems 3

Consultation at river basin scale 1

Consultative bodies 2

Matters for consultation 2

Examples of consultative processes 2

Watershed and basin plans and management - general concept 1

Basin plans, detailed application 3

Case study in river basin management 2

International example

Lao example

Total hours 32



Appendix 10. Water Resources Information and Data Management

A new subject on water resources information and data management is designed and proposed to be introduced to the Water Resources Engineering Curriculum at an appropriate time. A reason for proposing this subject is that a good understanding of water data is not always evident among practitioners. Sometimes data is collected without an appreciation of what it is for and how it needs to be accurately measured. Often data is not properly recorded and organized or stored in ways that make it accessible. And finally, data is often not properly looked after and safely kept for future uses.

The objectives of the subject are that students should

understand the importance of reliable data and information to all aspects of water management;

be familiar with the most important types of data and how they are collected; understand data concepts such as time-series, frequency, reliability and consistency; be able to identify ways in which data should be collected, organized, recorded and

stored, to ensure its reliability and consistency; be able to record data consistently and comparably; and be familiar with and able to create basic databases for recording and archiving water

resources information.

The proposed outline is shown below. The most important concepts in this subject should be communicated to students at an early stage in the program in the second year. If this subject is not introduced immediately, it would be desirable to consider key elements in other related subjects.

Subject: Water Information and Data Management

Water data management Proposed course outline (2 Credits) Hrs

Introduction to water data management

Importance and objectives of data and data management, different types of hydrological data, purposes and uses of data in water services and water management;

3

Data collection: Remote sensing, telemetric systems, data storage system, data integration format standardization; time series water-related data and quality assurance, up-to-date data availability;

4

Data quality: Definition, importance of data quality, data standards and consistency, validating data, data profiling, comparability between data sets, standardizing data configuration;

5

Data management: Database concepts, management system, design and development; supporting equipment for data management; resource capacity;

4

Database exercise: Creation and development of a database, evaluation of data provided.

4

Data services and sharing: Data security and privacy systems, data service procedures and regulation, responsibility for data,

4



data custodianship, access rules and sharing



Appendix 11. Summary of Current Curriculum

national integrated water resources management support

Documents