During the 8th National Assembly session held from 21–24 November, Phout Simmalavong, Minister of Education and Sports, presented progress on the National Education System Reform Strategy.
The country’s education system has seen progress over the past two decades, he said. From 2006 to 2010, the education system expanded with an increase in the number of schools and student enrollment across both the public and private sectors. The primary education completion rate improved from 44.2 percent in 2005–2006 to 57 percent by 2009–2010. Additionally, 35 model secondary schools were established, representing 9.3 percent of all secondary schools.
In the following phase (2010–2015), enrollment for children aged 3–5 increased from 21.1 percent to 43 percent. Dropout rates declined, with the primary school dropout rate falling to 5.2 percent and the secondary school rate to 11.5 percent. Vocational education also saw an increase, with student numbers rising from 53,925 to 62,669.
By the 8th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020), preschool enrollment for 5-year-olds rose from 70.9 percent to 82.7 percent, and primary school grade 5 enrollment reached 105.5 percent, while repetition rates dropped to 3.1 percent. Enrollment in lower secondary education improved slightly, and upper secondary enrollment increased from 42.7 percent to 54.8 percent. Gender parity also improved, with the index rising from 0.87 to 0.91.
However, these positive trends were disrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The dropout rate has worsened since then, as highlighted by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES). The number of students taking exams has declined significantly, with Grade 4 student exam participation dropping from 83,544 in 2022 to 76,322 in 2023, and further to 68,850 in 2024. Similarly, Grade 7 student numbers fell from 55,828 in 2022 to 50,276 in 2023 and 46,744 in 2024. University enrollment rates also see a dramatic drop. In 2023, out of 49,000 high school graduates, only under 10,000 individuals pursued higher education.
