Digital education platform to boost children’s learning
 
Education authorities have launched the country’s first national digital teaching and learning platform ‘Khang Panya Lao’ to support children’s learning during the Covid pandemic.
Khang Panya Lao has been developed with the support of UNICEF and in collaboration with the European Union and the Global Partnership for Education.
The Ministry of Education and Sports on Tuesday officially launched the Khang Panya Lao platform.
The platform has been developed to facilitate distance learning for students and teachers to ensure the continuity of learning during the Covid-19 pandemic and other emergencies.

It is also designed as a supplementary teaching resource for use in face-to-face classes.
The platform can be accessed online either via the web or as an app for Android devices, which enables users to access content without an internet connection.
Minister of Education and Sports, Associate Prof. Dr Phouth Simmalavong, thanked development partners for their support in developing Khang Panya Lao. With a wide selection of teaching and learning materials, the platform will be an invaluable resource for both students and teachers.
Khang Panya Lao includes digitalised official curriculum textbooks for Grades 1-12 and pre-primary curriculum materials, as well as resources on Covid-19 and online safety practices. It also contains other learning materials developed by various partners.
In addition, Khang Panya Lao contains international learning resources on topics such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which are available in both Lao and English.
New content is continuously being added, with the platform now having over 23 different learning categories and over 4,400 lessons.
UNICEF Representative in Laos, Dr Pia Rebello Britto, said “Khang Panya Lao represents our efforts to leverage the Covid-19 recovery process and transform the education system, adapting it to the new-normal and actually going beyond - to rebound and reimagine how education can work for children.”
“It will help expand learning for Lao students beyond the walls of the classroom and promote digital literacy among Lao students and teachers,” Dr Britto said.
Khang Panya Lao also contains curriculum-based teaching materials and resources to promote the professional development of teachers, ranging from teacher guides to online courses.
Trainings for teachers on how to use the platform for blended learning and in-classroom teaching have already been conducted in Vientiane as well as in the provinces of Vientiane and Xieng Khuang, with more training planned in other provinces.
Furthermore, UNICEF, the Global Partnership for Education and the EU will support the education ministry with the provision of tablets and other IT equipment for schools in Laos.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update October 6, 2021)