Asia Education Summit on Flexible Learning Strategies Children February 2016 Bangkok Thailand The Lao Equivalency Programme (EP) for Lower Secondary Non Formal Education Department Ministry of Education and Sport Lao PDR

Background Information Lao PDR force in a global initiative to better identify which children are excluded from school and why in order to develop the policies needed to reach them in year 2015 national report present the latest statistical evidence form administrative data and household surveys as well as policy analysis from leading experts Based on a series of studies in different province, the report proposes a new approach in using data to overcome the education barriers facing children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school ages. By identifying the policies and financial resources needed to get them in classroom

Background Information Ministry of Education and Sports is implementing EFA FTI program to contributes of achievement of Universal completion primary education - Specific objective is to increase primary school enrollment and completion in the poorest districts in Lao PDR. - support the Government of Lao PDR to increase access and improve quality of pre-primary and primary education and -Reaching the EFA goals under a harmonized approach with development partners Regarding the vision of the Education and Sports Development 2030 and the ESDP strategy, MOES expand compulsory education to include lower secondary education with the assurance that all have access to education to be ready to work for socio-economic development

 National Education Strategic Vision up to 2020  The National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy (NGPES)  The Revised Education Law 2008/2015  The 8 th Five-Year Plan of National Socio-economic Development  The 8 th Five-year plan of Lao PDR has goals to move out of the LDC status as -Strive to bring out the central features of LDC graduation by 2020, the date set by 6 th Party ‘s Congress and reiterated in 10 th Party’s Congress.  The revised Non-Formal Strategic Plans  EP Regulation for Implementation.  Strategic Plan For the Lower Secondary Equivalency Programme in Lao PDR Content Mechanism

Target group of learners The learners over 15 year old who lack of the opportunity to receive formal Education service - Drop out youth - Interested population literacy and EP primary Education Completer

On going FLS programes Mobile teachers program Department of Non Formal Education (DNFE) develop and implement primary equivalency program through mobile teachers for unreach,out-of school children aged 6-14 year old living in poorest and most remote villages Increasing equitable access to the lower secondary EP, 1) Increase enrollment numbers of the lower secondary EP learners, especially for the year-old population, up to a total of 300,000 persons, and increase the completion rate of the lower secondary EP leaner's up to 90%, and 2) Reduce the cost barriers for education by providing a per-head subsidy/operating costs to the DESB for procuring writing materials for all lower secondary EP learners, and eliminating the informal measurement and graduation fees.

On going FLS programmes Potential learners of the lower secondary EP can be estimated at 1.1 million Current enrollment and the graduates of the lower secondary EP are only 166,305 persons. Thus, there is a need to increase and expand the enrolment number and learning groups of learners, particularly in educationally disadvantaged districts Increase enrollment numbers of the lower secondary EP learner, especially for the year-old population, to a total of 300,000 persons by the year Increase the completion rate of the lower secondary EP learners to 90% by the year (Current completion rate is around 78.7 %.)

2014 considering the demographics, year-old population was estimated at 36% of the total population or around 2,520,000 persons , there were 72,664 lower secondary EP learners (with 38,265 female learners). The numbers of graduates were48,558 persons (with 25,589 female graduates). The completion rate was about 78.7% , enrollment number of EP learners will be around 39,519 persons, with 19,411 female learners.

lower secondary EP has been in operation regularly nationwide since have made steady progress in increasing enrollment of EP learners, especially for the year-old population. 59 out of 148 districts have uplifted the education level of all year-oldsthrough out the districts. The accumulated numbers of lower secondary EP graduates are 126,786 persons (with 63,305 female graduates).

Curriculum and text books Curriculum requires a total of 1,920 learning hours, not less than 2 years before the examination. They have taught the 12 fundamental subjects and three subjects including Basic Vocation, Quality of Life Improvement and Social and Community Development Learners’ books for all 15 subjects have been developed and published corresponding to the curriculum since 2013 the year 2014, DNFE published and distributed textbooks for fundamental subjects at around 10,000 copies per subject.

Service delivery mechanism In each learning group of lower secondary EP learners, there are around learners with around 6-8 EP teachers. Most of lower secondary EP teachers are formal secondary school teachers. Assessment for EP lower secondary education for people over compulsory ages. Learners can apply for assessment based on the setting criteria Learners can pass through testing and being interviewed by t appointed provincial and district level team ;and their learning profile meet the criteria, Learner can receive certificates equivalent to education formal system at that level which issues at provincial level( PES )

Location for delivery EP course Formal lower secondary education schools Non Formal Education Centers ( provincial NFE, District NFE centers Community Learning centers CLC Other facilities of interested learners such as Line Ministries institutions

challenges for EP implementation Bridging between the formal and non-formal education system is weak or non-existent. Recognition between formal and non-formal secondary education is another issue proportion of the government budget that has been allocated,is very limited human resources is a critical shortage of DNFE officials at the national level. current NFEMIS at all levels has limited outputs and cannot support relevant, reliable and accurate data and information for use in programme planning and management.

EP moving the programme forward successfully Within the framework of the “Gender sensitive, flexible and alternative learning programmes in Lao PDR project since 2008 Lao PDR has made significant efforts with technical support and professional assistance of UNESCO Bangkok in the development of the lower secondary equivalency programme (EP) 2015, UNESCO Bangkok has provided technical support to the DNFE in developing a strategic plan for the scaling up of the lower secondary EP and moving the programme forward successfully This is to create the main planning and management instruments for the DNFE and PESSs to scale up the lower secondary EP effectively over the next five years EP strategic plan has been developed on a relevant, comprehensive and participatory basis, and in line with the vision and directions of the MOES and Sector Development Plan (ESDP) lower secondary EP strategic plan is expected to support the MOES vision as well as the ESDP strategy By the year 2020, DNFE and the PESSs will increase the lower secondary education opportunity for the Lao population, especially the year-old population,

Strategy vision focus on 3 missions including Expand and promote lower-secondary education opportunities for youths and adults who are part of the workforce through quality lower secondary EP Improve the quality and relevance of the lower secondary EP -to ensure the lower secondary EP graduates have sufficient knowledge and basic skills to either continue their education at higher levels or enter the workforce, in line with national socio-economic development condition

Strategy vision -Developing lower secondary EP curriculum, providing efficient, quality teaching-learning materials, -strengthening EP teachers as well as relevant officials’ capacities, -and improving the EP measurement system, Strengthen the lower secondary EP planning and management through better and widespread use of relevant, reliable and accurate data

Khop Chai Thank you