According to the Education Law of 2007, early childhood education and care is offered in crèches (for children from 3 months to 3 years old) and kindergartens (or children aged 2-5) (IBE 2011). Enrolment in pre-primary education is relatively low in Lao PDR. The gross enrolment ratio (GER) for pre-primary education in 2008 was 15% (reaching gender parity). In 2010-11, private schools accounted for 16% of the total number of ECCE institutions, however, in the capital, the figure rose to 70%.
Since 2002, pre-primary classes have been added to many existing primary schools in rural and remote areas. As the pilot programmes were found to be successful, a phased nation-wide expansion is under way. The Education Sector Development Plan targets a 39% new admission rate in community-based playgroups, pre-school and kindergarten and a gradual expansion of admissions of 5-year olds into pre-schools to 26% by 2015 (MoE 2009).
There is a growing awareness in Lao PDR that ECCE is vital for child development. However, enrolments in ECCE largely remain limited to urban and wealthy communities. Many children in rural and remote areas, from small non-Lao-Tai ethnic groups, and whose parents cannot afford to send their children to ECCE programmes, continue to be deprived of ECCE. The Government’s plan to establish public and community ECCE programmes in rural, remote and ethnic communities has in the past not succeeded in reducing the gap in enrolment ratios between urban and rural areas (UNESCO 2008).
The percentage of new primary school entrants who have experienced some form of organized ECCE programme is still low, at about 30% in 2010-11. However, this is a vast improvement since 2005-06, where the number was only 10%. Although ECCE programmes have managed to attract more students, Lao PDR is likely to fall short of the 2015 target (17% enrolment rate for 3-4 year-olds in 2015, and 55% enrolment rate for 5 year olds in 2015) set out in the Education for All National Plan of Action 2003-15 (UNESCO 2008). The enrolment rate target have been further downplayed in the Education Sector Development Framework were the 2015 target is 26% for 5 year olds (MoE 2009). If Lao PDR is to achieve the EFA targets, MOES will have to pay particular attention to the expansion of ECCE provisions/programmes to rural and remote areas in the country (UNESCO 2008).
Despite growing awareness, there is a limited understanding of early childhood development related concepts and principles in Lao PDR. In addition, there continues to be a severe shortage of trained pre-school teachers, due to the lack of training provision, technical skills upgrading and funding. The extent of community participation is limited to monetary contribution and physical improvement of school buildings (MoE 2009).
Quality of learning is an issue in Lao PDR due to the fact that the curriculum is often taught in Lao, which is negatively affecting the learning environment for children from minority ethnic groups (UNICEF 2011). The lack of mother tongue instruction often completely excludes children from ethnic minorities from ECCE, and therefore, many ethnic children enter formal school education without a grasp of the Lao language and they are automatically disadvantaged when progressing from grade 1 to grade 2. In addition, children with disabilities are also poorly catered for (MoES 2009).
Public early childhood care and education is managed by the Pre-school Division of the Department of Preschool and primary education is under the Ministry of Education (IBE 2011).
The Lao Government has been working with a number of development partners in order to increase access to pre-primary education. According to the EFA National Plan of Action, the is Government particularly aiming to: (i) promote coordination between the Government, community and private sector (the Government will establish more model pre-schools at the provincial and district level, and promote the private sector to establish these types of pre-schools); (ii) mobilize communities in favor of pre-school education, and promote the development of community pre-school centres; and (iii) promote access of 5 year olds to pre-school education by establishing a special primary school class to prepare them for grade 1, particularly targeting ethnic groups, girls and children from the poorest families, working to develop community based school readiness programmes to expand access (MoE 2005). In addition, the Education Sector Development Plan seeks to abolish instructional fees for early childhood care and education, and reach an enrolment rate of 26% for 5 year-olds by 2015 (MoE 2009).
