Sao Lao

I posted about education for Lao girls more than a year ago. I found this recent news to be somewhat uplifting.

ADB funds basic education

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide a loan and grant aid worth about 207 billion kip (US$21.56 million) to strengthen basic educational development in Laos and pave the way for educational reform.

An agreement signed on Wednesday at the Ministry of Finance specified that a loan of US$8.9 million and US$12.66 million in grant aid would help to raise the standard of education around the country.

The loan will be used to supplement the government’s education budget. The grant will enable the construction of schools and the introduction of new learning and teaching methods under the Basic Education Development plan.

The agreement was signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Ms Viengthong Siphandone, representing the Lao government, and ADB Country Director of the Lao Resident Mission, Mr James A. Nugent. The signing was witnessed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Lytou Bouapao, ministry representatives and other officials.

The ADB has been providing loans and grant aid to Laos since 1991 for the development of various areas of education. These include Education Quality Improvement Phases I and II, the National University of Laos development project, and the Basic Education for Girls project.

The Lao government has declared education a priority in its current five-year socio-economic development plan.

The Basic Education Development plan constitutes the seventh priority plan devised by the Ministry of Education in its bid to increase the number of years spent by students in lower secondary schools from three years to four.

This latest assistance from the ADB in developing the education sector will serve to considerably enhance and strengthen cooperation between Laos and the ADB.

By Vientiane Times (Vientianetimes.org.la)
(Published on March 23, 2007