Needs assessment of forestry education in Laos: the case of Souphanouvong University

Managing forest resources can be realized when the social conditions, including institutional arrangements and social capacity, are adequately prepared. Human capacity is one of the key conditions required for sustainable forest management. Higher education institutions in developing countries offer forestry programs to build human capacity for sustainable forest management. As society undergoes social and economic changes, forestry professionals must adapt to the appropriate expertise required for new roles. This paper aims to assess the needs of higher education in forestry to revise forestry curriculum at Souphanouvong University towards improving specific and general capacity of forestry professionals in the Laos. The expected expertise of forestry professionals and gaps in forestry curriculum were assessed by a questionnaire survey with university faculty members and forestry governmental officials. Priority in importance and adequacy of curriculum contents necessary for forestry-specific and generic competencies was measured. The study showed the needs of the forestry curriculum at Souphanouvong University in the Laos with the following four areas of competencies: (1) comprehensive forest management considering multiple forest services and global negotiations, (2) forest management planning technology, (3) field skills and teamwork, and (4) problem solving and social relations. The proposed changes of forestry curriculum to meet the needs of forestry higher education can be applied for revising forestry curriculum in Laos and other countries.