Secondary exam numbers see decline this year amid high dropout rate

A total of 110,922 secondary school pupils nationwide are expected to sit for the final examinations in the 2024-2025 school year, down from 115,500 in the 2023-2024 school year.
The Ministry of Education and Sports announced the figures on Wednesday at the ceremony marking the launch of secondary school examinations for Grades 4 and 7.

Nuankham Chanthabouly announces the figures of examiners at the launching ceremony of secondary school examinations.

The Acting Director-General of the ministry’s General Education Department, Mrs Nuankham Chanthabouly, said, “The number of examinees for Grade 7 has fallen to 41,758 this year from 46,744 exam-takers last year.”
One of the main reasons for the decrease is that some students drop out of school to find work to earn an income, according to a survey by the education ministry.
The number of examinees for Grade 4 decreased from 69,505 in the last year to 69,164 people this school year.
Grade 4 students will sit for the exams during June 11-13, taking tests in the Lao language and literature, mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences and English.
The Grade 7 exams will include the Lao language and literature, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, Lao studies and English, and will be held during June 18-20.
State and private schools across the country are arranging special classes to give students extra tuition in key subjects to improve their chances of passing the tests.
In preparation for the examinations, the Ministry of Education and Sports set up a taskforce to oversee the Grades 4 and 7 final school year exams and ensure that no irregularities occur before or after the tests.
The move is aimed at preventing any form of malpractice, particularly the buying of test papers. The committees are responsible for keeping question papers under lock and key in the run up to the exams, and invigilators will be present during tests to monitor students, ensure integrity and prevent malpractice.
The Ministry is working with the ministries of information and communications and telecommunications companies to regulate mobile and internet signals during exams, in order to prevent cheating and the sharing of exam content.
In addition, the education ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security, will deploy security and traffic management teams around exam centres to ensure safety and smooth access during the examination period.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update June 6, 2025)