Lao PDR

Mainstreaming Gender in

Keomanivanh Phimmahasay, BESDP ADB Project Manager September 2013, Beijing PRC
The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

Project ProjectBackground Background

Project Impact :
Increased and more equitable educational attainment among the adult population. Project Outcome: Expanded and equitable access to improved quality and more efficient lower secondary education (LSE). Project Timeline: 2007 - 2012

Executing Agency: MOES

ADB Grant Funding: US$12.66 million

Project Outputs
OUTPUT 1: Expanding Access to Formal Lower Secondary Education: Provision of new schools and classrooms to promote equitable access in poor, remote and underserved rural areas for girls and ethnic groups; and to respond to the high demand in rapid growth areas Provision of scholarships and education development grants (EDGs) to poor students and disadvantaged schools OUTPUT 2: Improving the Relevance and Quality of Formal Basic Education Curriculum development; Provision of textbooks and learning materials; Teacher training; and Provision of equipment and materials.

Project Outputs
OUTPUT 3 - Strengthening the Capacity for Education Management Strengthening the Education Management Information System through creation of Teacher Management Information System and Financial Management Information System subsets;
Strengthening the planning and budget preparation processes through training and workshops; and Strengthening MOEs central inventory system for effective asset management through design of a central system for registering and monitoring physical assets.

BESDP MATERIAL FOR TEACHER TRAINING

Key Gender Issues Identified in Project Design

. A gender imbalance exists in accessing primary education and Lower Secondary Education (LSE). . Girls enrollment in primary school lags that of boys by approximately 14%, and in LSE by more than 12%.

. The net enrollment ratio for girls is also influenced by access in rural and urban areas. Primary school enrollment is estimated at: 49% for girls and 56% for boys in rural areas without road access. 72% for girls and 75% for boys in rural areas with road access. 91% for girls and 88% for boys in urban areas.
This leads to lower completion rates in primary education for girls (47%) compared with boys (52%). These differentials continue for lower and upper secondary education.

Key Gender Issues Identified in Project Design

. The low rate of female enrolment in lower secondary school leads to a significantly lower number of female enrolments in teacher training colleges, and subsequently, low representation in the field of teaching, particularly in lower and upper secondary schools.
. Gender equality issues need to be better integrated and addressed, especially human resource development issues for ethnic groups, in official education and training policies, teacher training program development, and project activities.

Achievement Against Project Expected Outcome

Performance Targets/Indicators
Gross enrollment rate (GER) in LSE from 54% in 2005 to 64.5% in 2010 LSE admissions rate for girls to increase from 44% in 2005 to 46% in 2010 (expected increase 35,000 girls). Annual output of LSE graduates from 58,200 (2005) to 81,700 (2010) Transition rate from grades 5 to 6 from 78.0% in 2005 to 85.0% in 2010 (75% for females and 80% for males) Completion rate of LSE from 40% in 2005 to 52% in 2010 Average LSE dropout rate reduced from 12% in 2005 to 6% in 2010

Current status /Achievement (2010-2011) GRE rate in LSE 62.9% Female: 58.4% and Male: 67.2% Girls admission rate to LSE: Total: 109,405 where Female=50,126 (46%) and Male= 59,279 (54%) as of September 2010 Annual output of LSE 61,021 Transition rate from grade 5 to grade 6 in 2010: 81.5%; and 81.6% in 2011 Female: 79.8% and Male: 82.9% LSE completion rate: 92.2% (2010) Female: 94.9% and Male: 90.1% LSE dropout rate 10.8% in 2010-2011 Female: 10% ; Male 11.5%

Project Approach to Gender Mainstreaming

BESDP Output Actions Under the Gender Approach and and Ethnic Groups Achievement Development Plan (GEDGP) A. Expand Access for Formal Lower Secondary Education Provide new school Built 68 school buildings buildings and additional with separate toilets for classrooms in the 10 boys and girls were poor/poorest districts, completely built with 2. Alleviate where female or ethnic water systems to support Pressure on students, especially ethnic sanitation. Existing girls, have high dropout School rates. Construct facilities Facilities conducive to increasing female enrollment (e.g., provision of toilets for females). 1. Promote Equitable Access

BESDP Output Actions Under GEDGP

Approach and Achievement

A. Expand Access for Formal Lower Secondary Education 3. Support poor Provide 1,638 LSSG Selected 1,638 scholars Students/ scholarships to poor including 841 girls (51.3%) Disadvantaged ethnic children along with a reserve list (in Schools (graduates from primary case any exits due to dropout school) from poor etc.) 79% of initial scholars districts for LSE, of were from ethnic groups, with which at least 50% will the remainder from very poor be reserved for girls. non-ethnic children. A clear replacement procedure ensured that poor ethnic children were selected from the reserve list and that the share of girls was maintained (girls replaced by girls). At Project Completion, 50.1% of active scholars were girls.

BESDP Output Actions Under GEDGP

Approach and Achievement

A. Expand Access for Formal Lower Secondary Education Provide EDGs to 96 rural The 1st cycle of EDGs 3. Support lower (intended for SY 2009-10) Poor Students/ secondary/complete for EDGP components 1-2 Disadvantaged secondary schools to for about US $250/year per Schools improve school conditions school. The grant was
and initiate activities to attract female and ethnic students. provided to 96 SPAs in 13 in total 3 cycles (3 school years) . Component 3 allocated about US $750 for SPA income generation activities which supported school teaching and learning process.

BESDP Output Actions Under GEDGP

Approach and Achievement

A. Expand Access for Formal Lower Secondary Education Establish an SPA in each SPAs established and 3. Support of the 96 rural schools. reconstituted in rural Poor schools starting in January Students/ The Government will, 2010; Disadvantaged wherever feasible, work Schools to ensure at least 40% of The average share of
SPA members are women. At least 1 girl and 1 boy will be student representatives. females among 96 SPA members was at 38 % with 343 female members out of total 907 members.

BESDP Output

Actions Under GEDGP

Approach and Achievement

B. Improve the Quality of Formal Lower Secondary Education Ensure new curriculum A gender/ethnic1. Improve (grades 112) and inclusive quality Curriculum curriculum guides are assessment matrix Development gender/ethnic-sensitive draft curriculum
and and do not carry negative biases. Integrate ethnic knowledge (e.g., culture) and gender-specific info (e.g., trafficking awareness) into new curricula and targets in student learning outcomes and assessment framework (4-year LSE program). Ensure the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) and Lao Womens Union (LWU) are invited to national curriculum

for

prepared and adopted by RIES in August 2009. The approved M1-M4 textbooks and teacher guides integrate ethnic knowledge and genderspecific information (e.g., graphics and examples portray balanced/equitable gender roles).

LFNC and LWU participated during the LSE and USE CACIM workshop to provide inputs related to the

BESDP Output Actions Under GEDGP

Approach and Achievement

B. Improve the Quality of Formal Lower Secondary Education

All teacher development Disaggregate training data by sex 2. Provide activities record sex- and and ethnicity. ethnicity-disaggregated figures. teacher Among 4,033 public school development Grade 6 (first year of Secondary Education) teachers , 1,834 (45.5% ) females were trained in 2010. Among 4,245 public school Grade 7 teachers trained, 51% were female, 21% from ethnic groups, while 46% were from schools classified in rural and poor areas. Develop in-service modules in Achieved. In 2010.Newly selected subject areas that are distributed teacher guides fully sensitive to gender and ethnic follow the quality matrix to group issues and free of negative ensure they are fully biases gender/ethnic sensitive and free of negative biases.

BESDP Output Actions Under GEDGP Approach and Achievement

C. Strengthen Capacity for Education Management 1. Strengthen Disaggregate national, The MOE EMIS data EMIS provincial, district, and disaggregates data by sex and by school data in the ethnicity. BESDP focus shifted to information system by assisting ESITC to develop and sex and by ethnicity for implement the improved annual the EMIS (including the school census form (ASCF) data TMIS). collection toolwhich allows ESITC to add to the existing EMIS core data on teachers and finance . Related training being conducted by ESITC of MOES ensures opportunities for female and ethnic group participants from MOES, PESs, DEBs and school staff: e.g., the school heads training invited all school heads (regardless of gender).

BESDP Output

Actions Under GEDGP

Approach and Achievement

C. Strengthen Capacity for Education Management Consider gender and ethnic ASCF and report card 2. Strengthen issues in new planning format formats allow Planning and and process. Formats allow disaggregation by sex Budget information to be disaggregated and ethnicity and have by sex and ethnicity. been used as inputs to Development
Ensure M/F staff of different ethnicity, can equally attend workshops to assess/validate improved budget and actual expenditure format, updated financial management techniques, and data collection instruments. Provincial/district education plans address how to improve access and quality of education for the poor disaggregated by gender and ethnicity.

new planning format and process. M/F staff of different ethnic groups have had equal opportunity to attend workshops, depending on their roles and duties in PESs/DEBs. Provincial/district education plans aim to improve access and quality of education for the poor, and

Challenges/Solutions
Need to continue promoting increased awareness in communities on the importance for girls to go and stay in schools to avoid high drop out rate of female scholars due to household poverty pushing them to work or marry early. Need to provide support for girls to pursue higher or vocational education. Need to support and monitor womens participation in school associations as their active involvement runs against some local customs. Need to establish evidencebased data tracking on girls increasing school participation and active role of mothers in supporting school improvement.

Lessons Learned: Factors Increasing Ethnic Girls Secondary Education

The provision of scholarship to girls is one of the good approaches experienced by BESDP project implemented which can be considered as effective in reducing constraints to ethnic girls participation in secondary school. The female scholars continue their education up to Grade 9 ( last grade of LSE). Availability of the girls dormitory in the school helps girls to remain and continue their education in school. SESDP ( BESDP II) will exercise the provision of sex segregated dormitory to 60 LSE and 15 USE schools in 15 provinces.

Lessons Learned/Way Forward

The need for continued MOES is implementing the Secondary Education Sector follow up is necessary Development Project to to sustain gains in ensure gains in BESDP are gender mainstreaming. supported and continued. Conduct a more intensive Gathering of evidencecommunication campaign based sex disaggregated strategy to ensure girls are data is important to in school and they finish ensure change happens their studies.
Develop awareness, support and promote womens involvement in school improvement.

THANK YOU!