USAID’s Learn to Read scheme gathers folktales from rural communities

More children now have access to storybooks at school and can also borrow books from the local Kum Arn reading group to read during their spare time.

Children read a storybook as part of a programme supported by USAID Laos.   --Photo USAID Laos

The Learn to Read initiative has printed and distributed over 800,000 textbooks for Grades 1 and 2, along with 1 million storybooks for children.
These resources will reach 1,161 pre-primary and primary schools nationwide. 
The programme is designed to improve classroom instruction, teacher training, and community engagement, fostering a culture of reading among children and enhancing the quality of basic education in Laos.
It specifically targets children from non-Lao speaking households and those with disabilities. 
To leverage Laos’ rich oral storytelling heritage, Learn to Read developed a mechanism for community story collection.
In November and December, four workshops were conducted in the provinces of Xieng Khuang, Vientiane, Attapeu and Champassak, training participants on how to interview and document stories effectively. 
A total of 70 stories were collected, with the final workshop held in Pakxe district and attended by 20 participants. After the training sessions, participants visited villages, marketplaces and temples to identify and listen to storytellers, including parents, grandparents, teachers and monks.
The stories collected will be carefully reviewed and adapted into culturally relevant storybooks for children.
By preserving and sharing traditional tales, the initiative not only promotes literacy but also strengthens the connection between young readers and their cultural heritage.
Learn to Read is an early grade reading project in Laos implemented by a consortium led by Save the Children in partnership with Room to Read and Humanity & Inclusion.
The goal of Learn to Read is to improve the reading skills of children in pre-primary, Grades 1 and 2 in the target provinces, with particular attention to non-Lao-speaking children and children with disabilities.
Learn to Read strengthens the Lao education system by providing high quality and inclusive supplemental storybooks and other teaching and learning materials, training teachers how to use these materials effectively in the classroom, and engaging families and communities to support their children to read outside of school.
With continued success, USAID Learn to Read envisions scaling this initiative nationwide, fostering sustainable literacy practices across Laos.
To achieve the Ministry of Education and Sports’s literacy goals for children in Laos, the programme is providing training on reading storybooks via loudspeakers and distributing storybooks to villages.
It is committed to ensuring that no child is left behind, believing that all children in Laos deserve timely access to education.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update December 24, 2024)