National School Construction Guidelines

The MOE in Lao PDR has embarked on the critical task of developing National School Construction Guidelines. This undertaking was part of the MOE’s program on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) into the education sector which started in 2007 in partnership with the National Disaster Management Office and with the assistance of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) and the United Nations Development Programme, with support from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO). In that framework, Skat has been mandated by ADPC to develop and formulate the template and the technical part of the guidelines.

The School Construction Guidelines covers all future school construction undertaken by the MOE from the national, provincial and district levels, and by any donor or development partner. The guidelines set the minimum standards that have to be met by anyone engaged in school construction in Lao PDR. They also cover the entire school construction process from site planning, design, construction, and maintenance. It provides guidance on safety from natural hazards and child-friendly considerations bearing in mind the context of Lao PDR and its vision towards an education for all its citizens.