School Readiness Camp Assessment Results

The School Readiness Camp is one of the activities of the Improved Literacy of School-Age Children component of the USDA-funded School Lunch Project 2021-2025 (SLP) of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Lao PDR, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) and World Food Programme (WFP).

The first goal of the camp is to develop the oral Lao language skills of pre-primary students who will be entering Grade 1 at the beginning of the academic calendar. Providing opportunities for pre-primary learners to listen to, understand and practice speaking Lao language, helps them to be more ready to learn how to read and write Lao in Grade 1.

The second goal of the camp is to familiarize pre-primary learners with a classroom environment, where they are introduced to reading, writing, and print materials to build their understanding of how print works, also referred to as their concept of print.

Finally, the overarching goal of the School Readiness Camp is to instill a sense of readiness, enthusiasm, and competence in pre-primary learners, enabling them to acquire reading skills in Grade 1 and, ultimately, to remain engaged in their education and continue to develop their reading abilities, contributing to the improvement of literacy of school-age children in Lao PDR.

The School Readiness Camp was implemented in two cohorts across 90 schools in four (4) districts of Khammuan Province: Nhommalath, Mahaxay, Xaybuathong, and Bualapha. The first cohort of 45 schools was implemented from June to August 2022 in three districts: Nhommalath (15 schools), Mahaxay (15 schools), and Xaybuathong (15 schools). The second cohort of 45 schools was implemented in Bualapha district, from June to August 2023.

This report outlines the result of the Semantic Fluency Test (baseline and endline) administered to children participating in the second cohort of the School Readiness Camp..