[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1136, 286], "category": "Text", "text": "focused since 2019 on **improving the quality of TVET** and University graduates in **agriculture, tourism, science, technology and engineering**. These skills are essential indeed to accelerating the economic development and contributing toward the SDGs targets (especially SDG 4 - Education). Within the framework of the ESSDP and its action plan, **intensive support will continue to focus on the 40 most disadvantaged districts of the country**, such as identified by the MoES, where education outcomes are the lowest."}, {"bbox": [96, 310, 1136, 737], "category": "Text", "text": "In the above-mentioned context, the **European Joint Programming Strategy (EJPS) for Laos in 2021-2025** aligns with the Lao PDR's 9th NSEDP 2021-2025 and with the European Partners' strategic priorities for external action, which aim at fostering sustainable, green and inclusive growth through strengthened trade and investment. The EJPS focuses on **three priority areas**: green and inclusive economy (Priority Area 1); human capital (Priority Area 2); and good governance (Priority Area 3). A large share of these funds will support the **Green Team Europe Initiative**, which seeks to foster sustainable investments, in line with the green objectives shared by the EU Partners and Laos. Within this framework, and capitalising on previous and ongoing support in the areas of education, agriculture/nutrition, trade and PSD, and governance, the EU proposes a **transformational approach** in its cooperation with Laos, by supporting an **increase in trade and investment**, especially in green sectors, supported by **enhanced education and skills**, and **improved governance**. The EU MIP 2021-2024 for Lao PDR received an allocation of € 83M and it focuses on: agriculture and forestry, trade and PSD (under PA 1), education/TVET (under PA 2), and good governance, including public finance management (under PA 3). The EU programming priorities fully take into account the external aspects of the EU policy priorities (Green Deal; sustainable growth and jobs; science, technologies and digitalisation; migration Partnership; and education) as well as the opportunities to work with the EU Member States on co-financed programmes and the use of the EFSD+ blending and guarantee facility."}, {"bbox": [96, 761, 1136, 1081], "category": "Text", "text": "Specifically, this proposed new EU-funded action in the education sector aims to continue the previous budget support programmes in basic education (which have proved successful in fostering policy dialogue and in achieving key education and PFM reforms – CRIS: 2018 / 400-912), while transitioning towards a stronger focus on TVET and on working jointly with Team Europe approach, in line with the 2021-2027 EU external action's programming principles and the MIP's overarching objective. The Action seeks to contribute to equitably enhance the education and skills base among Laos' youth responding to **labour market needs of a green and digitalised economy, while taking into account gender-specific issues and decent work standards, in full alignment with the Lao Government and European Partners' development agendas**. The Action is strongly interlinked with the other EU-funded projects planned under the MIP 2021-2027 and fully supports the overall MIP objective, to strengthen trade and investment in green economy sectors. The Action will contribute to the Gender Action Plan III (2021-2025) especially to thematic area \"promoting economic and social rights and empowering women and girls\"."}, {"bbox": [85, 1141, 343, 1172], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [96, 1189, 477, 1216], "category": "Text", "text": "**Access to general education and TVET:**"}, {"bbox": [96, 1243, 1136, 1510], "category": "Text", "text": "Lao PDR has made significant progress, in order to achieve Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) targets. There is full gender parity in basic education. There is a real commitment to increase women participation in political, management and decision-making at the central level, although the ratio of women in the National Assembly dropped from 27.5% to 22% following the 2021 elections (the lowest share since the 1997-2002 legislature). Lao PDR still has a long way to fully achieve the GEWE targets, especially on maternal mortality and nutrition, as well as social inequality in terms of enrolment rate for girls in technical and vocational training, higher education and in employment. Even though Lao PDR has made significant progress in economic development, gender inequality still persists in Lao PDR especially in the remote rural areas and among the non-Lao-Tai ethnic groups where women and girls still lack opportunities and remain discriminated in areas where the patriarchal tradition is still strongly practiced."}, {"bbox": [96, 1537, 1136, 1645], "category": "Text", "text": "Access to basic education, progression of the students through its 9 grades and **gender parity** has greatly improved during the 8th ESSDP 2016-2020 (e.g. for 2015-16 to 2019-20, enrolment rates for 5-year old children increased from 70.9% in 2015-16 to 82.7% in 2019-20, above the target of 80% by 2020; Grade 1 repetition rate decreased from 11.5% to 6.3%; gross enrolment rate (GER) for lower secondary students increased from 82.2% to 83.3% -"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1680, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 35"}]