Lao PDR shares good practices to identify solutions to learning crisis at global UN Summit

Vientiane, 20 September 2022 – A delegation from the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR, accompanied by UNICEF Lao PDR, has concluded its mission to New York for the global Transforming Education Summit.

The three-day summit, convened by the UN Secretary General as part of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, was organised between 17-19 September and gathered education leaders from around the world with the aim of mobilising solutions to the global learning crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussions centred around five key themes, including schools, curricula and lifelong learning, teachers, digital transformation and education finance.

In the lead up to the Leader’s Day of the summit on 19 September, the Lao PDR ministerial delegation also took part at the Solutions Day event on 17 September, with Lao PDR being one of the co-hosts the event “Transforming Education Starts Early: Laying the foundation in Early Years”, alongside the Governments of Uzbekistan and Gabon, supported by UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, LEGO Foundation, Hilton Foundation, Teacher College, Columbia University and ECDAN.

“Protecting and maximising investments in early childhood education takes on greater urgency than ever before in light of COVID-19’s impact on young children’s development, especially the most vulnerable,” said H.E. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phout Simmalavong, Minister of Education and Sports of Lao PDR, in his opening remarks at the Solutions Day event. “The Government of Lao PDR attaches great importance to upholding the right to education for all and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the learning recovery,” he added.

During the summit, Lao PDR also presented its National Commitment to Transforming Education, which was developed through a consultative process engaging a range of stakeholders, from government ministries and development partners to teachers and students. Countries will be expected to follow-up on the implementation of their National Commitments to Transform Education following the summit.

“Only one-in-three 10-year old children globally can read a simple sentence or understand a simple story. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed education systems around the world further into a learning crisis and disrupting the education of more than 90 per cent of the world’s children. This has pushed education systems around the world further into a learning crisis,” explained Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF Representative to Lao PDR. “However, the pandemic also presents us with the opportunity to fundamentally transform how education is delivered and to strengthen the quality of education for all,” said Dr. Britto.

In a parallel session, the ministerial delegate also spoke on a panel on achieving holistic and equitable digital transformation, citing the significant success of Lao PDR’s digital teaching-learning Platform “Khang Panya Lao”. In addition, Lao PDR also held bilateral meetings with other governments, private sector and academia in efforts to exchange learnings on improving quality of education in Lao PDR.