Reducing early grade drop out and low learning achievement in Lao PDR: root-causes and possible interventions

Despite the impressive progress of Lao PDR in expanding the access to education at all levels, the country faces persistent problems related to the significant number of children remaining out of school or leaving primary school early. More importantly, many children who remain in schooling show very low levels of reading ability and learning. Both of these groups (out of school children and low performers) have similar backgrounds: they tend to be poorer, live in rural and (especially) remote areas, and come from non-Lao Tai ethnic groups. Early leavers are more likely to be girls, who start leaving schooling earlier than boys, at age 10-11. Physical access to school is still a problem for some groups: between 30 and40 percent of those who leave schooling early live in a village where schools do not offer G4 and G5. But the main reasons for never attending or for dropping out early are mostly related to perceptions about the quality of education is low, or that it lacks relevance. When looking at the determinants of learning, the same factors that drive drop-out are also associated with low early grade reading ability and low performance in standardized tests (ASLO). This suggests that low progress in learning may be resulting in disinterest and eventual drop-out. Unfortunately, it is not possible to test this empirically using existing data. This warrants further research into the underlying causes of non-participation.