20 Apr 2022 On 27 April 2022, the first-ever Information and Communication Technologies Competency Standards for Teachers (ICT-CST) in Lao PDR were launched at the “National Dissemination Workshop on ICT-CST and the ICT-CST-Integrated Curricula in Pre-service Teacher Education”, held at the Lao PDR Ministry of Education and Sports. The ICT-CST determines the required ICT competency for teachers that are aligned with the national policy vision and goals. It includes 11 standards with 47 performance indicators under six domains, consisting of Understanding ICT Policy in Education; Curriculum and Assessment; Pedagogy; Application of Digital Skills; Organization and Administration; and Teacher Professional Learning. The standards are categorized into three proficiency levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced.Endorsed in January 2022, the ICT-CST serves as the basis for promoting competency-based teacher ICT training programmes in Lao PDR. Furthermore, three new competency-based ICT course syllabi have been developed for implementation in the coming years in the pre-service teacher programmes for early childhood, primary, and secondary education.Development of the ICT-CST and the new ICT-CST-Integrated course syllabi was supported by UNESCO Bangkok under the Capacity Development for Education (CapED) in Lao PDR: Education Response to the COVID-19 Crisis Programme. The ICT-CST is available in Lao and English.