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Improving the quality of basic education in ASEAN–Emerging challenges and reforms

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  • Asadullah, M. Niaz
  • Jilani, Amir Hamza
  • Negara, Siwage Dharma
  • Suryadarma, Daniel

Abstract

Southeast Asia has made remarkable progress in expanding access to education, surpassing many other developing regions in bringing children to school. However, ensuring foundational literacy and numeracy—core indicators of the quality of basic education—remains a pressing challenge across the region. Various education reforms, programs, and initiatives supported by governmental, non-governmental, and non-profit organizations have been implemented with mixed success. This essay introduces the eight papers featured in the Special Issue jointly proposed by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on the emerging challenges and necessary reforms to improve the quality of basic education in ASEAN. Contributions from ADB and ADBI staff, academic researchers, and practitioners within the region reflect on the state of education following the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting new evidence on barriers to learning outcomes and offering actionable policy recommendations for advancing education quality. The papers provide cross-country analyses and country-specific studies, focusing on Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. They address an array of interconnected topics, including the impact evaluation of government and non-government education programs, the effects of pandemic-induced school closures on learning outcomes, and stakeholder perceptions of education quality and learning achievement. Together, these studies present diverse methodological approaches and findings, offering a comprehensive lens through which to understand and tackle persistent educational challenges in ASEAN.

Suggested Citation

  • Asadullah, M. Niaz & Jilani, Amir Hamza & Negara, Siwage Dharma & Suryadarma, Daniel, 2025. "Improving the quality of basic education in ASEAN–Emerging challenges and reforms," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:116:y:2025:i:c:s0738059325000902
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103292
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yarrow, Noah & Cahu, Paul & Breeding, Mary E. & Afkar, Rythia, 2024. "What I really want: Policy maker views on education in Southeast Asia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    2. Abhijeet Singh, 2020. "Learning More with Every Year: School Year Productivity and International Learning Divergence," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(4), pages 1770-1813.
    3. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Perera, Liyanage Devangi H. & Xiao, Saizi, 2020. "Vietnam’s extraordinary performance in the PISA assessment: A cultural explanation of an education paradox," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 913-932.
    4. Abrigo, Michael R.M. & Francisco, Kris A., 2024. "Compulsory kindergarten education and early teenage literacy in the Philippines," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
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    6. Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2004. "Solutions When the Solution is the Problem: Arraying the Disarray in Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 191-212, February.
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    8. Chairassamee, Nattanicha & Chancharoenchai, Kanokwan & Saraithong, Wuthiya & Temsumrit, Navarat, 2024. "Inequality in educational opportunity in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Heyneman, Stephen P. & Lee, Bommi, 2016. "International organizations and the future of education assistance," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 9-22.
    10. Anna Popova & David K Evans & Mary E Breeding & Violeta Arancibia, 2022. "Teacher Professional Development around the World: The Gap between Evidence and Practice [Training to Teach Science: Experimental Evidence from Argentina]," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 37(1), pages 107-136.
    11. Dang, Hai-Anh & Glewwe, Paul & Lee, Jongwook & Vu, Khoa, 2023. "What Explains Vietnam's Exceptional Performance in Education Relative to Other Countries? Analysis of the 2012, 2015, and 2018 PISA Data," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    12. Asadullah, M. Niaz, 2024. "Back to school after COVID-19 pandemic: Resumption or transitional disruption?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
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    14. Angrist, Noam & Evans, David K. & Filmer, Deon & Glennerster, Rachel & Rogers, Halsey & Sabarwal, Shwetlena, 2025. "How to improve education outcomes most efficiently? A review of the evidence using a unified metric," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
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    18. Maddawin, Angelica & Morgan, Peter & Park, Albert & Suryadarma, Daniel & Long, Trinh Q. & Vandenberg, Paul, 2024. "Learning disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from household surveys in Southeast Asia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    19. McMahon, Walter W., 1998. "Education and Growth in East Asia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 159-172, April.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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