The enrolment rate in primary schools for children in the target age
group in Laos has risen to 95.2 percent in 2012 compared to 79
percent in 2000, the Lao news agency KPL reported, citing figures from
the Global Monitoring Report on Education for All 2012.
KPL quoted Vice Minister of Education and Sports Lytou Bouapao as
saying at the March 13 National Launch of Education for All Global
Monitoring Report that the education sector has been improved
quantitatively and qualitatively since 2000.
The
Vice Minister said that the enrolment rate for early child group aged
between 3 and 5 jumped to 28 percent in 2012, from 8 percent in 2000,
while the secondary gross enrolment rate rose from 46.6 percent to 46.7
percent, and the upper secondary enrolment rate rose from 22.6 percent
to 34.7 percent.
However there are some challenges
remain in the primary education such as high repetition rate at 10.9
percent, and dropout rate, 7.1 percent and low survival rate 70 percent.
Poverty is the main cause, said Lytou, noting that
according to Education for All (EFA) goals as well as MDGs 2 and 3,
primary repetition rate and dropout rate should not be more than 2
percent and survival rate should be 95 percent.
Concerning adult literacy achievement, according to the Lao Social
Indicators survey 2011-2012, the rate among women from 15 to 19 years
old is 72.3 percent and 79 percent for men. The literacy rate among
women aged between 20 and 24 is 64.3 percent and 75.5 percent for men.
Education for All is the international commitment made jointly
by Governments, UN agencies, Development Banks, civil society group and
other multilateral and bilateral development partners.
The EFA is a shared commitment and goal in the way that all society
has a shared responsibility to deliver quality education to all
children, youth and adults by 2015.
The report
emphasises that it is crucial to ensure that the learning need of all
young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate
learning and life skills programmes.-VNA