The Confucius Institute at The National University of Laos (NUOL) has announced the opening of special classes for Lao students who can't return to study in China due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Local students, who are unable to study in China for the Open Chinese language course amid the pandemic restrictions, could take advantage of the classes, according to the Confucius Institute.

The class will run from next Monday for 16 hours per week until China announces it is ready to receive Lao students back into the country, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Thursday.

A student of Xiamen University told the local daily on Wednesday the substitute lessons would be very beneficial for Lao students during the ongoing crisis while also protecting their health.

Lao Ministry of Education and Sports reported last week that 43 Lao students stranded in Wuhan due to the virus outbreak were being assisted as well as 87 more in other provinces.

The Confucius Institute has become increasingly popular among Lao students as the need for employees with Chinese language skills surges, according to the report.