Regional: Innovation in Education Sector Development in Asia and the Pacific

Education / Education sector development

The Asia and the Pacific is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, home to over 50% of the global population and with around 40% of global output and two thirds of global growth. Most DMCs are middle income countries that are pursuing high economic growth to move up the value chain. Rapid changes in technology and growing automation, changes in demographics, rapid urbanization, rising inequality, growing impact of climate change, unprecedented labor mobility and increasing regional integration are shaping development in the region which will require more responsive education systems to anticipate and prepare for related skills and jobs. High quality inclusive education is essential to develop an agile workforce and transform human capital to underpin a modern, competitive economy.

In the past 15 years, ADB mainly supported basic and secondary education and to some extent technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to expand access. However, access is still an issue in certain DMCs particularly for girls, or in conflict affected situations. There is growing demand particularly from middle income countries to align their education systems with workforce and economic development. Global commitment to sustainable development goals (SDGs) 4 (education) and 8 (employment) require deepening support to student learning and labor market outcomes and greater synergy between secondary education, TVET, and higher education to address different types of skills (cognitive, noncognitive, and occupational skills) in close partnerships with industries and employers. While digital literacy has emerged as a 21st century core skill, education sector is yet to take full advantage of information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) in improving student learning. Given the changes happening in the labor market, _what needs to be taught by the future education system_ is a question facing the education sector of all ADB DMCs.

ADB's priorities for the education sector are to (i) scale up lending to between 6% and 10% of the total ADB lending operations by 2020 from the current 4.6%, (ii) provide cross-support to different growth sectors, and (iii) apply innovative practices such as the use of ICT and smart partnerships to improve student learning and labor market outcomes in ADB-funded projects. As DMCs transition to higher levels of economic development, a growing number of jobs will become knowledge-based' and require adopting new technologies and knowledge. This will also require supporting tertiary education institutions in DMCs to modernize and enable innovations, nurture entrepreneurship and leadership, and promote science, technology and innovation. There is also critical need to address growing inequalities (SDG 10) and unsustainable pressure on the environment (SDG 13) that pose high risks to long term economic growth of many DMCs. This is viewed from the perspective of what skills are needed to address these challenges. Some examples include skills needed for the growth of renewable energy and environmentally vulnerable and disaster-prone areas.

ADB has been providing TA support for education from its existing TA financing mechanisms (e.g. RETA 8503) in the absence of any dedicated financing partnership facility for education. While there were offers from non-traditional partners such as private foundations, industries and CSOs that bring innovative practices and provide in-kind contributions, ADB did not have an effective mechanism to take advantage of such interests.

Business as usual will not work in addressing the above challenges. This will require supporting participating DMCs to selectively strengthen their human resources to enhance competitiveness and innovations in products and services, processes, structures and financing of education in a sustainable way. The TA will help to leverage financing to achieve the EdSG's three priorities noted in para. 4. From 22 DMCs currently receiving support for education from ADB, it is envisaged that this number will grow to over 25 by 2020.

Output 1

EPP launched and operationalized

Output 2

Strategic education TAs, pilot projects, and knowledge sharing efforts supported

Output 3

Education expert pool and selective partnerships established

Output 4

Human resource capacity of DMCs enhanced

Individual consultants. Estimated requirements:

International Consultants - 25 person-months

National Consultants - 50 person-months