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While Laos has made steady progress in education reform, universal primary education may not be achieved by 2015 as targeted due to the high dropout rate.
According to a recent joint report by the government and the United Nations, Laos is close to achieving the targeted 98 percent net enrolment rate for girls and boys but the overall efficiency of the education system remains low.
Primary schools have significant numbers of over-aged and under-aged pupils because of early and late entries and grade repetition.
The survival rate to grade 5 has improved from just 48 percent in 1992 to 70 percent in 2012, but it is still low compared to other countries in the region.
The report said the analysis of administrative data by grade shows that the first year of school is the most critical. This is when the dropout rate is highest, meaning that the greatest proportion of children stop attending school and do not progress to the next year.