NEWSLETTER_CIEDII VOL.1

2

CIEDII Newsletter Community Initiative for Education

Development Project Phase 2 (CIEDII)

January, 2013

Vol.1

JICA backs Education Development at District Level! Community Initiatives for Education The project introduced and promoted issues but also family and community Development project (CIED), which a cycle of planning, implementing, issues as well. We strongly believe the finished in December, 2011, returns reviewing and evaluation of School commitment of each community and to to support 4 southern Development Plans (SDP) through their school for education is necessary provinces as Community Initiatives for community initiatives. At the to encourage enrollment and to Education Development Project phase completion of the CIED Project, school minimize dropout rates. 2 (CIEDII). environment and education statistics Local administration plays an in target schools have been improved What is CIEDII? important role to support analyzing dramatically. The Government of the Lao PDR is and solving various education striving to achieve the target of As a next step, the CIED II Project problems differ from family and village Education for All (EFA) by 2015 aims to improve the access and to another. CIEDII Project aims to through improving equitable access, quality of primary education in the build strong local governmental quality and relevance, and effective southern 4 provinces through officials capable to support each management of education. While the strengthening the capacity of school’s needs based on each Net Enrolment Rate has risen to education administration - both at circumstances. 95.2% in 2011, a high Repetition Rate central and local levels - to support all Main Activities of CIEDII of 10.5% and a high Dropout Rate of schools in the target area to be “self- CIEDII Project conducts 3 main 7.1% lead to the low Completion Rate developing school with quality”. activities to achieve the above of only 67.2%. Furthermore, the What is the Aim of CIEDII? purposes. educational disparity between urban, As advocated in the Education Sector 1. Develop and establish various rural and remote areas still remains. Development Plan, EFA and training modules and systems from In the CIED Project, JICA supported Millennium Development Goals the central to the school level. 90 target schools in 6 districts in 3 (MDGs), the goal and policy of the Lao 2. Provide on the job training for the southern provinces, , government/CIEDII is that ”All Lao above training modules and and . Net Enrollment Rates children in our villages, districts, systems to Provincial Education were quite low, and for 4 years from provinces and the country enroll and and Sports Services (PES) and 2007 the project improved the complete at least primary education”. District Education and Sports education environment of primary There are still many children not being Bureaus (DEB). schools that faced a lack of education enrolled in schools and students not 3. Provide necessary trainings for infrastructure, materials and quality of completing primary education. This prioritized schools. teachers through communities’ effort. may not only be a result of school NEWSLETTER_CIEDII VOL.1

Target area of CIEDII schools with low educational statistics Visits to 4 PESs and 10 DEBs and allocated necessary budget to CIEDII Project targets 10 districts in After the Official Launch Meeting, achieve the project purpose, through 4 provinces in the south. project experts visited 4 PESs and 10 clearly mentioning the situation and DEBs in the beginning of December concrete solutions into the Annual 2012 for more detailed explanation of Provincial and District Education the project. Development Plan. A participant

pointed out that “the foremost Five members from Pre-school and concern is low Completion Rate and Primary Education Division, Teacher

Survival Rate of primary schools. Development Division, Statistic and Survival Rate of 70% is far from the Planning Division, Finance Division,

project purpose of 95%. DEB and and Personnel Division were assigned Village Education Development as trainers for the PESs. At the same

Committees (VEDCs) will be a key time, seven members from Pre-school player to achieve the purpose with and Primary Education Unit, Teacher

micro-level influences”. Development Unit, Statistic and Planning Unit, Finance Unit, Personnel １．Champasack Province Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Unit, and 2 Pedagogical Advisors were Champasack District TOGAWA said “I strongly believe that assigned as trainers for the DEBs. For Soukhouma District CIEDII Project contributes to the Lao the future, these same people will government to achieve EFA and MDGs serve as provincial/ district trainers to Khong District by strengthening the capacity of train school principals, teachers, and ２． Province central, provincial, and district levels VEDC members to make schools to be Artsaphangthong District as well as to the VEDCs”. Vice Minister “self-development schools”. BOUAPAO also encouraged Xaybouly District participants and said “many parents The visits also revealed noticeable ３． still do not understand the importance local characteristics and issues to us. Lakhonpheng District of education for their children and PESs concerned that the districts - Khongxedon District many students drop out of school to except the 56 Education Poorest ４． help around the house and paddy Districts – tend to be neglected from Lamam District fields. Without receiving basic attention and support by the education, job prospects are limited government and donors. The CIEDII Official Launch Meeting was held because it will not be possible to make project will select schools with serious The official launch meeting of the a living only from natural resources problems and support the schools as a th project was held on 19 November anymore. VEDC will be a key priority in the target districts which 2012 in , Champasack Province mechanism to raise parents’ are not in Education Poorest Districts. and included 47 participants as awareness of the importance of follows: Mr. Lytou BOUAPAO, Vice education, and it is a responsibility of

Minister of Education and Sports the DEB to encourage VEDCs to work

(MoES), Mr. Masato TOGAWA, Chief on it. CIEDII project is an important representative of JICA, provincial and project that supports the realization of district representatives from target policy based on a rich experience from areas, Directors of 4 PESs and 10 CIEDI Project. I have high hopes that DEBs, members from related new target districts will learn more departments in MoES, such as from the project and will successfully

Department of Pre-school and Primary achieve the purposes.” he said. Education (DPPE), Department of Planning (DP), Department of Finance CONTACT (DoF), Department of Inspection (DoI), Department of Teacher ■Ministry of Education and Sports Training (DTT), Education Standard Masako IWASHINA（Chief Advisor） and Quality Assurance Center (ESQAC), and Education Statistics and Email:[email protected] IT Center (ESITC). ■Champasack Provincial Education and In the meeting, the overall concept, Sports Service purpose and schedule of the CIEDII project were introduced by DPPE, and Naoko TATENO（Project Coordinator） responsibilities assigned. Also, the DP announced that the project prioritizes Email: [email protected]