Vientiane, September 3, 2021 ¨C ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº and the Government of Lao PDR yesterday announced the launch of a $47 million project aimed at improving pre-school and primary education performance and enhancing educational systems nationwide.
The seeks to strengthen learning along three tracks. Firstly, pre-school classes will allow children to enter school ready to learn thanks to community child development groups, a reading readiness program, and screening to help provide extra resources to children with disabilities, Secondly, targeted teacher training will prepare and motivate instructors, and thirdly, school-based management systems will improve the environment for teaching and learning.
The initiative represents a major investment in human capital for Laos, said Dr. Phout Simmalavong Minister of Education and Sport. ¡°This project will help get our new Education and Sport Sector Development Plan for 2021-25 off to a running start,¡± he said. ¡°Effective and measurable improvements in pupil and teacher performance are a priority and this effort will help us achieve those goals.¡±
While some of the project¡¯s activities will be nationwide, others will be focused on specific districts. The initiative incorporates features designed to make up for learning time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
¡°We know that people¡¯s whole lives depend upon what they learn before their fifth birthday,¡± said World Bank Lao PDR Country Manager Alex Kremer, ¡°so this project will give a preschool education to children aged three to five in over 1,300 Lao villages.¡±
The Lao population is young, with one in two people below the age of 24. While national school enrollment rates are high, learning levels are currently low, so a strong focus on improving results in early grades is seen as an important component of the project and a long-term investment in the country¡¯s future. The Ministry of Education and Sport will implement the initiative, which complements other partnerships between Laos and the World Bank on early learning.
ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº¡¯s International Development Association will provide $30 million in funding for the project and financing worth almost $17 million will come in the form of a grant from the .
