Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Dr Daravone Kittiphan, representatives of Luang Prabang province’s Administration Committee and Education and Sports Department, teachers and students on Tuesday attend a ceremony to mark the start of the 2026-2027 school year.                          --Photo Education Science and Sport News

Khammuan province’s Education and Sports Department officials, teachers and other officials, and secondary school students in Thakhaek district attend a ceremony to mark the start of the 2026-2027 school year.                                         --Photo Khammuan News

Traffic police escort children across a road outside Vientiane Secondary School on the first day of the new school year.                  --Photo Education Science and Sport News

The management of Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public (BCEL), led by the bank’s Deputy Managing Director Mr Nanthalath Keopaseuth (left), and Head of Mastercard Direct Services, Asia Pacific, based in Singapore, Ms Lou-Ellen Hoskinson (right) on Friday launch the BCEL Mastercard Platinum SmartPay card, a new di-mension of spending that meets every lifestyle need, with special interest rates in Vientiane to respond to the demands of a new lifestyle through financial innovation via a cost-effective installment credit card that enhances convenience in spending.