Big picture/context of the EESDP Components in a nutshell Existing Structures: where do we come in as Advisers

1. APPRECIATING THE BIG PICTURE

2. TO SUSTAIN GROWTH, IT IS IMPERATIVE
FOR LAOS TO INCREASE
COMPETITIVENESS OF ITS HUMAN
RESOURCES AND DRIVE ITS INDUSTRIAL
ENGINES OF GROWTH.
Skilled labor requires additional skills
or education from post-secondary level
systems like Technical Vocational
Education & Training (TVET) or
tertiary/Higher education
(college/university level).
The higher the quality of secondary
education, the better prepared students
become for options like TVET and
tertiary education but ALIGNMENT TO
CURRENT AND FUTURE JOB
DEMANDS WHICH IS INCREASING IN
SOPHISTICATION, MUST START AT
POST-PRIMARY LEVEL where the real
foundational skills are built to be able to
participate in better job opportunities in
Laos or the region.

3. Consultants fully appreciate the continuity of strategic milestones
achieved by the Ministry of Education and Sports through ADB
Support to the General Education, TVET and Teacher
Education sectors that now culminate in the Education for
Employment (E4E) Sector Development Program (SDP).

4. Strategic View: Continuity Towards Vision 2030

5. Strategic Impacts in sequence: Continuity Towards Vision 2030
The push for quality and access builds on earlier interventions and capacities gained by the various MOES
implementing units. Various ADB Projects have been implemented in the past 10 years, at various levels such as
the BESDP, SESDP, STVET, SSTVET, SHEP, and SSHEP.

6. Intem notes the critical tasks per Output/Reform Area, matches this with the Technical Implementing Units
concerned and notes the TOR/Deliverables against the specializations of each expert to be assigned.
ADDRESSING COMPLEXITY AND FRAGMENTATION BY BUILDING COHESION
Reform Area 1:
(i) alignment of post-primary education with
labor market demand strengthened;
Reform Area 2: quality and relevance of secondary
education to emerging skills demands strengthened;
Reform Area 3:
equitable secondary
education access and
completion rates increased

7. BASED ON THE IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURE OF MOES,
WE COMPLEMENT BY INSTALLING THE FOLLOWING COLLABORATION STRUCTURE for EACH REFORM AREA
Assuring CONTEXT SENSITIVE and CLIENT CENTERED Mode

8. Where do we come in…
WORKING WITHIN THE SYSTEM/STRUCTURE

9. Reform area 1
• In 20 selected districts (including the 12 disadvantaged districts), the SDP will pilot test
innovative partnership models linking secondary schools, TVET schools, NFE
centers, and local industries. Counselling and guidance material will be developed so
that secondary school students become aware of career and job opportunities.
Engagement with TVET and NFE centers and the local businesses will expose students to
the world of work, making them more job ready.
• Output 1 will thus, support MOES in undertaking the downstream reforms for integrating
post-primary data in the education management information system. This will in turn, allow
comprehensive planning and budgeting to prioritize PPE investments.
(i) alignment of post-primary education
with labor market demand strengthened;

10. Project output 1 will:
(i) strengthen capacity and systems of various MOES departments for
monitoring skill supply from PPE, improve cross-ministerial collaboration,
and enhance industry engagement;
(i) pilot partnering models linking secondary education, TVET, and NFE
schools/centers; and
(i) improve student counselling on academic and career options. The SDP
will support the National Commission on Human Resource Development to
consolidate and analyze fragmented data on education-employment
linkages and track evolving skill needs.
Reform Area 1:
(i) alignment of post-primary education with
labor market demand strengthened;
Therefore…

11. REFORM AREA 1
Sub-component
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTING UNITS
Sub-component
Sub-component
Sub-component
UNIT COLLABORATION MECHANICS

12. Reform
area 1
To strengthen alignment of post primary education with labour market demand,
policies and programs at central/national level must be coupled with capacity
building inputs and activities at the sub-national level. 1a and 1b are program level
outputs while 1c and 1d are project level outputs.
1c: The Department of Higher Education (DHE) is not listed clearly as a (TIU) of EESDP/E4E as illustrated in the
implementing structure found online but it is mentioned in “1c” of the Project Design and Monitoring Framework where
the EMIS/School network mapping systems will be a convergence point for the tasks of the DHE, DGE, DP (ESSC),
DTVET, and DNFE. [Thus DHE is illustrated with no direct line in project organization structure but included as
reference/ coordination unit because of collaboration with SSHEP for skills demand and supply analysis at the level of
HRD Division under the Department of Planning]
(https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/project-documents/50399/50399-003-pam-en.pdf)

13. Expert inputs fall within the tasks of the Skills Development Analysis and Planning Specialists working with
the HRD Division of the DP to “tap synergies with ADB’s ongoing loans—Second Strengthening TVET (SSTVET)
Project and Second Strengthening Higher Education (SSHEP) Support”
and working with the Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) Specialist to “Assist ESSC to
integrate TVET, higher education and non-formal education data into LESMIS and school network mapping,
including development of specific systems/ tools for data collection, data management, integration, dissemination
and reporting as required, providing capacity building support;
Meanwhile for 1d, the Vocational and Non-Formal Education Specialists will assist DGE, DTVET and DNFE to
design a program to pilot partnering models linking secondary schools with TVET and NFE schools in
targeted provinces/districts.
A national Student Career Counselling Specialist will
assist DGE to design and implement a program to pilot
student counselling on academic and career
options in the 8 provincial secondary school clusters.
This will involve promoting post-secondary education
options like TVET, Teacher Training or Higher Education
(see right).
The Cluster Team 1: SPECIALISTS INVOLVED

14. Reform area 2
• Improving the employability of Lao PDR’s youth over the long term will hinge
critically on enhancing their access to good quality and relevant secondary
education in the priority subjects including the sciences, mathematics, English,
and Lao language, which are critical for higher education and/or for jobs.
quality and relevance of secondary
education to emerging skills demands
strengthened
Note:
• Based on the timeline, it has been almost 10 years since the updates to the Lower Secondary Education (LSE) curriculum
(BESDP) and
• more than 5 years since the Upper Secondary Education (USE) Curriculum updates (SESDP) with corresponding
instructional materials and rollout in-service training.

16. MOES has approved policy actions to improve the
QUALITY of secondary level textbooks for these
priority subjects by aligning them to the updated
curricula, and revising the teachers’ guides and
instructional materials accordingly ( 2a and 2f ).
RIES
• 2a
•2e
•2f
DGE
•2f
•2e
•2d
•2g
•2h
DTE
•2h
•2g
•2d
•2b
PMU
• 2c
• 2i
PESS
DESB
DESB
quality and
relevance of
secondary
education to
emerging skills
demands
strengthened
2e and 2f will have
inputs from DGE and
DTE as well.
Activities for 2a will mainly
be managed by RIES

17. To encourage active participation by students during classes and to
enhance their confidence and creative thinking (as against rote-learning),
MOES has introduced learner-centered pedagogy (2c).
To ensure that teachers regularly refresh their knowledge in these priority
subjects and use improved delivery methods, MOES has increased
support for continuing professional development (CPD) to
complement in-service teacher training (2d/2g/2h).
RIES
• 2a
•2e
•2f
DGE
•2f
•2e
•2d
•2g
•2h
DTE
•2h
•2g
•2d
•2b
PMU • 2i
2d, 2g and 2h
will be in
collaboration
with DGE and
PESS, DESB,
and Schools
PESS
DESB
DESB
2b is the domain of DTE
2c and 2i will be
mainly by the DGE
2i to be handled most ably by the PMU.

18. Converging with their inputs will that of the Secondary School Student Assessment Specialist who will focus on
DGE and RIES mainstream more learner-centered classroom-based assessment, and in implementing national
sample-based assessments. Leadership is crucial for any transformation effort, thus, at the national and sub
national levels, the School Principals Development Specialist will assist DTE and IFEAD with developing
strategy for secondary school principals’ development including design of specific Education for Employment SDP
support for principals INSET so that at the school level, the changes will have a more fully enabled learning
environment.
For 2b, the Secondary Teacher Development Strategy Specialists
will be working with DTE with complementing inputs from the
Secondary Teacher Development Subject Specialists (simpler to
call them CPD/Subject Specialists) to help deepen subject matter
knowledge. ICT for Educators/Teachers Specialist will assist with
education technologies from curriculum materials to assessments.
Expert inputs fall within the tasks of the
Secondary Curriculum Development Subject Specialists
who will assist RIES with improving lower and upper secondary
curricula in the subjects specified (2a) and their corresponding
instructional materials support.
The Cluster Team 2: SPECIALISTS INVOLVED
2c and 2i will be
mainly by the DGE

19. The project component will alleviate supply-side constraints in 12 of these 47 districts by constructing
additional classroom blocks, sex-segregated dormitories, sanitation facilities, and toilets at 60 primary
and secondary school sites (owned by the government); and
Reduce demand-side constraints to access and completion by providing stipends based on a combination of
need and merit, and prioritizing female and ethnic group students. At primary schools, new lower
secondary facilities will be built. At lower secondary schools, facilities will be provided for upper secondary
classes. Additional classrooms will be built in overcrowded schools. All these measures will ensure that more
girls and boys, including those belonging to ethnic groups, will be able to enroll in secondary schools and
complete their education.