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Education quality remains a major concern among emerging economies and industrialized nations alike. At the same time, the debate surrounding what actually constitutes quality education and learning in the 21st century is ongoing. There is a growing concern that education systems are focusing too much on the accumulation of academic 'cognitive' skills at the expense of the more elusive and hard-to-measure 'nonacademic' skills and competencies. To counter these challenges, many countries and economies in the Asia-Pacific region have introduced, or are in the process of introducing, policy and curriculum changes aimed at enhancing the cultivation of such 'non-academic' skills and competencies in learners. To date, these important reforms in the Asia-Pacific region have not been widely documented, and hence, in 2013 members of the Asia-Pacific Education Research Institutes Network (ERI-Net), hosted by UNESCO Bangkok since 2009, agreed to make this their next topic of investigation. The research aims to document and consolidate reform initiatives for knowledge dissemination and policy consideration to the benefit of countries and economies in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. In phase one, the 2013 ERI-Net research examined how different countries and economies in the region define and apply 'non-academic' skills (often termed 'non-cognitive skills') in their education policies, practices, and curriculum frameworks, and identified emerging trends and challenges. This report synthesizes 10 case studies [Australia, Hong Kong SAR (China), India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Shanghai (China), and Thailand] and includes important information and insights gained from the discussions held during the ERI-Net annual meeting 2013. The objectives of the report are: (i) to capture the movements in the realm of 'non-academic' learning in 10 education systems in the Asia-Pacific region; (ii) to identify possible policy recommendations for promoting and enhancing well-rounded and holistic learning; and (iii) to suggest further stages of investigation.

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Education for All (EFA) comprises six inter-related goals that were adopted at the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar. The six goals are: Early childhood care and education; Universal primary education; Youth and adult learning; Literacy; Gender; and Quality. This regional synthesis report has been prepared by analysing and consolidating findings of the national EFA reports. Its purpose is to elucidate the major achievements, trends and issues arising from the analysis. In this regard, this EFA synthesis report serves as a reflective review of the overall achievements and impact of the EFA movement and provides a platform to clearly identify core lessons that will contribute towards the development of the post-2015 education agenda.

Following a rigorous, year-long process of documentation, data collection, analysis and consultation, countries submitted their national EFA reports in June 2014. The national EFA reports provide a quantitative account of progress towards the six EFA goals. They also examine enabling and constraining factors, and offer a way forward for developing a post-2015 education agenda. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the region's socioeconomic, demographic, political and technological contexts, including emerging development challenges and aspirations. These contextual factors combined with the region's diversity and dynamism present both challenges and opportunities in defining the post-2015 education agenda.

The report concludes that the region has seen remarkable progress across the six EFA goals, and none more particularly than Goal 2 and Goal 5, universal primary education and gender equality, respectively. It must be acknowledged, however, that substantial challenges remain for virtually all countries to meet the goals set at the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal. Many of the old problems of illiteracy, exclusion, marginalization, poor learning outcomes and poor teacher supply still continue to undermine the significant achievements made thus far. The EFA agenda, thus, remains a 'work-in-progress', and countries should continue to strengthen their efforts to achieve the six EFA goals.

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Education for All (EFA) Goal 3 is a commitment to 'ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs'. The goal is largely concerned with broadening the opportunities for learning and continuous education and advancing the fulfillment of the right to education. It encompasses the learning needs of all young people and adults, and includes all modes of learning delivery: formal, nonformal, vocational training, distance education, on-the-job training and self-learning. The goal targets the entire population from the age of 10 upwards and incorporates three distinct concepts: learning needs, appropriate learning, and life skills.

This report presents the progress achieved by Asia-Pacific countries towards meeting Goal 3. It identifies the key issues and challenges that countries have encountered in their efforts to achieve the goal, and makes recommendations for improvements. The report examines three learning domains: (1) secondary education; (2) technical and vocational education and training (TVET); and (3) non-formal education (NFE). Life skills education is reviewed within these domains, covering psychosocial skills, health promotion skills, HIV prevention, livelihood and income-generation skills. Each domain is analysed in relation to definition and context; progress and trends; meeting the needs of learners; key issues and remaining challenges; and recommendations for priorities and strategies. Due to a lack of empirical data, the report focuses on policy and program initiatives undertaken across the region. Progress is assessed only in part due to limited data and information.

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Countries in the Asia-Pacific region carried out the mid-decade assessment (MDA) of Education for All (EFA) and mid-term policy reviews from 2006 to 2009. From these processes it was clear that despite positive progress in the region, meeting the EFA goals by 2015 would be impossible if countries failed to meet the needs of the unreached population who have no access to education, are in school but not learning, or are in danger of dropping out for various reasons. Country representatives and EFA partners met in Bangkok, Thailand, on 4-7 May 2009 for the 10th Regional Meeting of National EFA Coordinators. The meeting focused on 'strategic planning towards reaching the unreached in education and meeting the EFA goals by 2015'. Participants produced a set of regional policy recommendations and regional and sub-regional strategies for reaching the unreached in education to ensure that countries meet the EFA goals with no one left behind by 2015. EFA partners have responded to these and signified areas in which they can provide support. This report documents the breadth and depth of the recommendations that came out from the 10th Regional Meeting of National EFA Coordinators and it is hoped that it can be used as a reference for governments, UN agencies, donors, [non-governmental organisations] NGOs, civil society groups and other relevant groups in Asia-Pacific and beyond, that are intent on addressing the issues of marginalization and disparities in education. More importantly, this publication provides an outline of the policies, strategies and actions proposed by country representatives for the region and each sub-region, and the commitments made by EFA partners.

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In a rapidly changing world with diverse demands, universities face the challenge to produce human resources with the right capacities, skills and knowledge to meet society’s needs. Governments call on universities to facilitate the shift to a knowledge-based economy and high-technology to ensure a competitive edge in the global market. Preparing young people to enter the labour market has therefore become a critical responsibility for universities. Many economies are reported as not generating sufficient employment opportunities to absorb growth in the working-age population, and a generation of young productive workers will face an uncertain future, unless this trend is reversed. The case studies from selected countries in Asia commissioned by UNESCO Bangkok with the support of Japanese Funds-in-Trust and UNESCO Jakarta examine the current trends and challenges as regards employability of university graduates in Asia. The chapters are as follows: Employability of graduates in Asia: an overview of case studies / Lay Cheng Tan and Erika French-Arnold; Graduate employability in Indonesia / Widijanto S. Nugroho, Nizam, Rahmat M. Samik-Ibrahim and Putu W. Handayani; Employability of graduates in Malaysia / Morshidi Sirat, Chan Lean Heng, Munir Shuib, Shukran Abdul Rahman, Seri Rahayu Ahmad Kamil and Jasvir Kaur Nachatar Singh; Employability of graduates in the Philippines / Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela and Elaissa Marina E. Mendoza; IT graduates employability: Malaysia / Rosni Abdullah, Ahmad Suhaimi Baharudin, Nasriah Zakaria, Faten Damanhoori, Nasuha Lee Abdullah, Norlia Mustaffa, Rosnah Idrus and Nursakirah Ab. Rahman Muton; Appendix 1: Enhancing graduate employability at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

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The aim of this multi-country study is to identify relevant training and employment needs and opportunities, which can improve on- and off-farm income generation for young women and men in rural areas. This research is timely since young people make up the majority of migrants streaming into towns and cities from the rural areas in search of jobs placing pressure on urban labour markets. The current global financial and economic crisis only serves to increase such pressure and augment the incidence of youth unemployment, underemployment and poor working conditions. Based on a qualitative survey conducted in several villages in three South-East Asian countries (the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam) this study examines the needs and opportunities concerning employment and training of rural youth in order to reduce poverty. This joint initiative will reinforce inter-agency collaboration towards improving access to education, training and employment opportunities for those young women and men in the rural areas who are marginalized and somewhat isolated from the broader policy debates.

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This publication presents the results of a study conducted by members of the Education Research Institute Network (ERI-net) in 2011. Following a common research framework, researchers from Australia, China, Hong Kong SAR [Special Administrative Region], Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Thailand examined the drivers, consequences and implications of increased international student mobility in their country. The reports shed light on many issues including the domestic and external factors affecting student mobility, countries as popular study destinations or senders of students, the role of governments in shaping higher education and student mobility, rules and regulations governing private and public education providers, modes of delivery of education, student financial aid and visa requirements.

The publication summarises the content of seven papers that were presented at the Regional Seminar on the International Mobility of Students, in March 2011 at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. The seven papers are: International student mobility: the Australian case / V. Lynn Meek; International student mobility as trade in services: a case study of China / Yue Changjun; Student mobility: policies, implementation and problems: a case of Indonesia / Hendarman; International student mobility patterns and trends: the case of Malaysia / Morshidi Sirat, Rosni Bakar and Koo Yew Lie; Philippine participation in international student mobility / Jean C. Tayag; Government policies and the internationalisation of universities: international student mobility in Republic of Korea / Kwon Ki Seok; International higher education student mobility: a case study of Thailand / Paitoon Sinlarat. The summary is divided into several main themes: the domestic and external factors affecting international student flows; countries as receivers or senders of students; the government role vis-a-vis university and individual decision-making in international student mobility; modes of provision in international education; and the consequences and implications of international student mobility.

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In 1990, at the World Conference on Education for All [EFA] in Jomtien, Thailand, delegates from 155 countries and representatives from over 150 organizations reaffirmed their collective commitment to education as a human right and pledged to work towards the universalization of primary education and the reduction of illiteracy by the end of the decade. By the year 2000, however, national assessments showed that the goals had not yet been achieved. Thus, in 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, participants reaffirmed their commitment to achieving EFA by the year 2015, specifically the six major goals and 12 major strategies identified in the Dakar Framework for Action. In Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO Bangkok, UNICEF and the Regional Thematic Working Group (TWG) on EFA have been working together to assist countries in their monitoring and assessment of progress towards EFA and identifying remaining gaps in reaching the unreached. The EFA Mid-Decade Assessment (MDA) called for the implementation of national and regional assessments to identify problems, issues, policies and strategies to ensure that education will reach under-served groups. This sub-regional report focuses on the South Asia sub-region with particular attention to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which all participated in the MDA. The report is a compilation of the national reports specific to the sub-region, supported by sub-regional and regional studies and using [UNESCO Institute for Statistics] UIS data for international comparison. The overall objective of the sub-regional synthesis reports is to undertake a comparative assessment of progress towards EFA in each of the sub-regions, focusing on successes and remaining challenges in reaching the unreached. The report is divided into three sections with inputs from three different sources. The first section presents the background and overview of the sub-region and key thematic and cross-cutting issues based on the findings from thematic reports and studies submitted by EFA partners, development agencies, and members of the TWG on EFA; the second section summarizes achievements and challenges in attaining the six EFA goals for the sub-region using internationally standardized data from the UIS complemented with information from the country national reports and summary questionnaires; the third section consists of country summaries of progress towards the six EFA goals focusing on sub-national analysis, based on the national reports. Moreover, the second section includes a sub-regional statistical profile (MDA core indicators, tables and graphs, and thematic maps). The annex includes country statistical profiles and statistical tables. These statistical inputs were produced by the UIS.

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Today it is globally recognised that learning does not begin and end with a child's entry into and graduation from the formal schooling system. Rather, learning begins at birth or even at the pre-natal stage and continues throughout an individual's life, through formal, non-formal and informal methods. Recognising this, a number of countries in Asia and the Pacific have established non-formal education (NFE) systems that are linked to formal education through the use of equivalency programmes (EPs). Learners are often given the flexibility to move between formal and non-formal channels of education at primary level, secondary level, and beyond. This regional guide to equivalency programmes (EPs) for promoting lifelong learning has been developed as a practical guide for education policy makers, planners, managers and practitioners at national and subnational levels. Practical examples and case studies are provided.

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Ten key areas are addressed in this guide in module format: Module one - equivalency programme concepts; Module two - Policy and frameworks; Module three - Curriculum and learning materials; Module four - Capacity building; Module five - Facilitators: qualification standards and capacity building needs; Module six - Delivery mechanisms. Show less

Higher education in South-East Asia started from different historical backgrounds and has undergone various stages of development. Similar to the situation in other parts of the world, it has, and still is, facing numerous challenges, including increasing student enrolments, knowledge and information overload, economic restructuring and financial constraints. Amidst such challenges, and changes, there is general consensus within the South-East Asian higher education community that closer cooperation is beneficial. For constructive and productive cooperation, policy makers and practitioners must be well-informed about higher education development and trends in other countries so that they can convert such information into useful policies and practices within the confines of their national needs and circumstances.

To provide such an opportunity, UNESCO Bangkok and the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development coordinated a research study to conduct a situational analysis of higher education development in eight South-East Asian countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao [People's Democratic Republic] PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The country reports within this document analyse the challenges facing higher education in the region, and reveal an interplay between global higher education trends and national (and regional) needs and developments.

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