Child’s Dream has been supporting school building projects in Lao PDR since 2006. In 2013, we started to expand our focus to improving the school environment. At first, we focused on just one of our supported schools and intentionally engaged in informal discussions and exchange of ideas in each of our follow up visits. With these efforts, we began to see changes in the school. Every time we visited, we noticed improvements in the cleanliness of the school area; the classrooms and toilets were cleaner, the school farm was tended, and the parking space was organised. In the years following, we began to offer more support on school management to other Child’s Dream supported schools.

The School Management Programme officially started in 2022, with the first Motivation and Inspiration training happening this past August with 12 target schools. The programme’s aim is to improve the management of school environments in Lao PRD. Some of the components of the programme include offering trainings for school principals, teachers and community leaders to motivate them to understand the importance of managing the school environment, an opportunity for schools to share and learn from each other, and a School Indicator Development training. Teachers and community leaders also have the opportunity to take a study trip to visit model schools and learn from their school environments. We know that students benefit from a safe and motivating space to learn and thrive, and through our School Management Programme, we are inspiring the teachers and community leaders in our supported schools to develop a continual commitment to managing the school environment in order to keep it clean, organised and vibrant.