ພາສາລາວ
846,000 new Grade 1 textbooks and 146,000 new Grade 1 teacher guides to be distributed to 8,600 primary schools, with over 16,000 Grade 1 teachers, primary school principals and pedagogical advisors to be trained by a team of 611 Provincial Trainers before the start of the new school year
The implementation of the new Grade 1 curriculum is a huge task and will require a lot of planning and organisation on the part the Provincial Education and Sports Services (PESS) and the District Education and Sports Bureaus (DESB). To prepare them, the Department of Teacher Education (DTE) is organising a series of workshops with the support of the Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES), the Department of Finance (DOF) and BEQUAL advisors.
The first role of the PESS in the curriculum implementation will be to ensure that all primary schools receive the correct number of textbooks, teacher guides and other learning resources, in time for the start of the school year and despite the rainy season and the difficult road access in some areas. So, on the first day of the workshop, the participants will be introduced to the new primary curriculum with a focus on the materials delivery plan including the storage and distribution arrangements.
Another important task for the PESS will be the organisation of the 6-day training of all grade 1 teachers, primary school principals and pedagogical advisors. Within each PESS, the Teacher Development Section will take the lead in planning and management of the training. Many provinces will have to train over 1,000 persons and plan dozens of trainings across the districts, with Savannakhet along training over 2,000 persons through over 60 trainings. During the workshop, DTE and BEQUAL will share the in-service training plan and provide instructions on how to organize and budget for the in-service training. Each PESS will have the opportunity to work through the preparation process through a planning exercise. To support the Grade 1 in-service training, BEQUAL will provide each Province with an Education Support Grant.
Representatives from each Teacher Training College (TTC)’s Teacher Development Office will participate in the workshops as TTCs play an increasingly important role in providing technical support to practicing teachers through the pedagogical advisors’ system.
Following the workshop, each PESS will prepare their curriculum in-servicing plan with their districts. A second series of workshops will be organised in May to review the plans and provide training on financial management reporting requirements. The grants will reach the provinces in June and the training of the Grade 1 teachers will start in July.