Basic Education (Girls) Project

Skat’s contribution was to guide the decentralised construction implementation process, to provide appropriate school designs, to supervise construction activities, and to carry out periodic quality control missions. The project is enabling access to modern primary education for 75 000 children. The cost of one permanent classroom facility unit - including furniture and shared annex rooms - is approx. USD 5,000.

The Ministry of Education’s basic education plan emphasises three key objectives: Equitable access, quality improvement, and improved relevance. There is limited access to primary education, especially for remote areas - girls in areas of ethnic minorities suffer most of all. In 2001 it was estimated that there were about 8,000 schools nationwide, of which only 35% offered the full five years term of primary education. About 4,000 villages, mostly in mountainous areas, had no schools at all.

Nationally, approximately 8,000 schools need to be built, extended or refurbished. In terms of classrooms, it is estimated that a total of 30,000 classrooms are needed for primary education. Furthermore, it’s not only a question of constructing the buildings, but there is also a need for furniture, books, teaching materials, and of course, teachers. The overall objective of concern here is universal primary education by 2015 - providing access to at least five years of education for all Laotian children. Education is seen as a key step towards poverty reduction.

In addition to the building programme of the National government, a number of multilateral and bilateral partners have become involved in the construction of schools. The main external support agencies are the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the governments of Japan and France. Non-governmental organisations have also played a part.

Contractors, selected through tender bidding, generally undertake the construction of the schools. The government contribution to civil works is fixed at a uniform level of 27% of the construction costs. The communities are required to make minimal contributions to the construction of their schools. They are typically required to provide land for the site, fencing to surround the site, and to ensure the maintenance of the building. Involving the community in this way not only saves on costs, but also provides an important indicator of the commitment of the community to run and maintain the school, and it strengthens the sense of ownership.

Without clear site selection criteria and a corresponding determination to follow them, school construction would tend to take place close to major towns, in places served by good roads, and according to the directions and patronage of influential local leaders. Girls and ethnic minorities would continue to suffer from inferior access to services. In the overall interests of the nation and bearing in mind poverty reduction, the Basic Education Girls Project has therefore defined suitable selection criteria to support villages and ethnic groups that are usually “forgotten” by the donor community.