The Learning Crisis in LAO PDR : Challenges and Policy Priorities
Improving student learning is now the most pressing education challenge facing Lao PDR. While Lao PDR has made impressive advancements in providing children with schooling, levels of student learning have remained low and the quality of education d...
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/614771609858026464/The-Learning-Crisis-in-LAO-PDR-Challenges-and-Policy-Priorities http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34968 |
| Summary: | Improving student learning is now the
most pressing education challenge facing Lao PDR. While Lao
PDR has made impressive advancements in providing children
with schooling, levels of student learning have remained low
and the quality of education delivery is poor. In 2017, the
World Bank conducted the SABER Service Delivery (SABER SD)
survey to support the Ministry of Education and Sports
(MoES) in its efforts to improve education outcomes. Survey
results reveal that student learning in Lao PDR is very low.
SABER SD survey results indicate that insufficient student
learning leaves the majority of students unprepared for
secondary school, as most students are not attaining the
knowledge required for the secondary school curriculum. In
addition, significant numbers of students are not achieving
even the most basic levels of literacy and numeracy. This
data support the findings of previous studies that low
levels of learning at the primary school level are a major
reason parents allow children to drop out of school in early
grades or never enroll them in school at all. While alarming
results for student learning spanned all ethnicities, the
SABER SD survey revealed an urgent need to improve
educational equity for students whose mother tongue is not
Lao-Tai. Non-Lao-Tai students were also significantly more
likely to lack basic skills in literacy and numeracy. The
gap in performance between students in rural schools and
urban schools is also significant. In summary, continuing to
expand school provision will address some of the needs of
Lao PDR children, but achieving goals for enrollment,
retention, and learning outcomes in those schools requires
concerted focus by all education service providers and new
investments in improving learning for all children. |
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