Education sector executives endorse five-year development plan

Education sector executives have endorsed a five-year development plan and overarching outcome plan that is appropriately structured, managed and resourced to create opportunities for all Lao citizens to have equitable access to quality education and sports.
The Education and Sports Sector Development Plan (ESSDP) 2021-2025 aims to contribute to socio-economic development and support Laos graduating from Least Developed Country status by 2025 and progress towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4 - Quality Education.

The ESSDP 2021-2025 was endorsed by the Education Sector Working Group Executive Level Meeting which was held in Vientiane on Tuesday.
The meeting was chaired by Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun and co-chaired by Charge d’Affaires, Australian Embassy to Laos, Mr Paul Stephens and Charge d’Affaires, European Union Delegation to Laos, Mr Bryan Fornari.
For the next step, the ESSDP will be officially endorsed at the Education and Sports Annual Conference on August 27-28.
Mrs Sengdeuane advised each ministry department to focus on its specific responsibility and development projects such as non-formal education, early childhood education, vocational education development projects and others.
“These are to benefit the five-year plan and attain achievements. Each department should have an annual report about project outcomes,” Mrs Sengdeuane said.
During the meeting, a discussion session allowed participants from the Ministry of Education and Sports, line ministries and development partners in Laos to provide their comments on important issues based on their roles and responsibilities.
The meeting was organised face to face and online to discuss and endorse important documents for the ESSDP 2021-2025, endorse the response to the ESSDP 2021-2025 appraisal report and disseminate the ministerial decree on the education sector working group (ESWG) terms of reference (revised version).
According to the Ministry of Education and Sports, the development of the ESSDP 2021-2025 began in August 2019 through consultation with central to sub-national levels including related departments from the ministry, provincial education and sports sector, district education and sports bureaus and schools.
In addition, the process involved educational development partners, and a consultant team (part-time) has been engaged to assist, comprising of senior education policy and planning adviser, senior education adviser, finance specialist, national senior education policy expert and others.
The development of the ESSDP 2021-2025 is based on lessons learned from the implementation of the Education Sector Development Plan 2016-2020.
The meeting also highlighted the accomplishments of the last year with the ministry leveraging many outstanding achievements, including the implementation of the Education Development Plan 2016-2020.
These outcomes are the result of several factors such as effective coordination and collaboration between the ministry and relevant sectors and development partners, especially financial and technical support from international organisations and development partners to implement the plan in each period.

By Keoviengkhone Bounviseth
(Latest Update August 19, 2020)