MDGs in Lao PDR: Gender and education

The education sector in Lao PDR has seen positive progress with the net primary school enrolment rate increasing from 84 percent in 2005 to 91 percent in 2009. Despite this high levels of repetition and school drop-out threaten to derail the nation's attempts in realizing MDG 2 Achieve universal primary education.

Significant disparities between urban and rural areas, boys and girls, and the socio-economic divide, affect the full realization of children and women's rights. Gender parity in enrolments has improved but the gender gap still widens at each stage of the educational ladder. This is made worse by the fact that more than half of the primary schools in the country do not offer the full five grades. This leads to high drop-out, particularly among girls, who are less likely to travel further distances to attend schools further away. Incomplete schools are also a significant barrier to attendance. At the primary level the net enrolment rate for girls' ranges from 49 percent in rural areas without road access, to 72.2 percent in rural areas with road access, and 90.5 percent in urban areas.

Please read more about UNDP's work on MDGs in Lao PDR: http://www.undplao.org/mdgs/

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• GENDER
• EDUCATION