Transforming Maths Learning in Lao PDR
AI-powered EdTech boosts numeracy skills in Lao schools to tackle the learning crisis
Highlights
A 12-week pilot in Lao PDR using the AI-driven Eduten learning platform delivered promising results for Grade 3 students. Students who engaged with Eduten demonstrated higher performance in arithmetic and mathematics assessments compared to their peers in the control group. The treatment group, which received weekly remedial maths lessons using Eduten, improved by 35.7 percentage points in maths proficiency and 51.4 percentage points in arithmetic fluency compared to their peers, who followed the regular curriculum. The pilot engaged 384 students across 10 schools and one teacher training college, with 779 curriculum-aligned and locally-adapted exercises.
Eduten, a digital platform offering exercises, assessments, and learning analytics, enabled teachers to deliver a personalised, gamified learning experience. The platform empowered teachers to tailor instructions using real-time data and helped students to grasp foundational concepts through interactive tasks.
The pilot was jointly implemented by Lao PDR’s Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) through its Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES) in partnership with UNICEF Lao PDR, and the UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub. The tools content was contextualized and matched to the countries curriculum in collaboration with RIES, and the implementation was aligned with Lao PDR’s Digital Strategy for Education 2025-2035 and supported by the UNICEF Country Office with infrastructure and training.
The project also evaluated stakeholder attitudes through surveys. Students reported greater interest in maths, stronger conceptual understanding, and valued teacher support.
Building on this pilot, Eduten is now being considered for broader use as a remedial learning tool to strengthen foundational maths skills across Lao schools.
