UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

11/14/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/15/2024 02:53

Planning the future of education at the 2024 IIEP UNESCO Asia Pacific Conference

The 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia-Pacific with the theme "Common Vision and Future Prospects," organized by the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) gathered over 100 delegates from 26 countries and 48 educational ministries or institutions of research and training on educational planning.

The Conference took place in Metro Manila, Republic of the Philippines, from 5 to 7 November 2024 and was hosted by the SEAMEO* Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH). It brought together heads of planning departments, directors of national training and research institutions, ministry representatives, development partners, and UNESCO Field Offices from across Asia-Pacific.

Geela Garcia / IIEP-UNESCO

Before the Conference, regional actors identified learning, equity and well-being, governance and digitalization, and crisis and climate change as priority issues to discuss. In this context, each Conference session showcased innovative approaches and practical solutions experienced in those domains from highly populated countries to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region.

Dr. Martín Benavides, IIEP-UNESCO Director, said that the Conference agenda was for the countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss the challenges and approaches in educational planning so that institutions may learn from each other as recent global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic have underscored the urgency of planning to ensure systems survive and thrive, even in adversity.

Governments must focus on improving learning skills while addressing student health and well-being, with the existential threat of climate change. Proactive and crisis-sensitive planning is critical to mitigate the impacts of disasters and to protect the most vulnerable countries and communities.

Dr. Martín BenavidesIIEP-UNESCO Director

He also emphasized that the Asia-Pacific region is a significant player in ICT development, as digital innovations can make education systems more efficient, responsive, and equipped to meet learners' needs.

Dr. Leonor Magtolis Briones, Centre Director of SEAMEO INNOTECH described the region as exceptionally diverse consisting of a tapestry of cultures and religions and while this diversity may present challenges, it may also foster collaborations towards the mission of creating an educated population.

The former Philippine Secretary of Education also pointed out that while education is becoming more digital, human beings should not forget that they belong to a community and should approach human-centered educational planning.

Geela Garcia / IIEP-UNESCO

This approach will ensure that our education systems are resilient and adaptable, enabling learners to flourish not only academically, but also as well-rounded and whole human beings equipped to face a rapidly evolving world.

Dr. Leonor Magtolis BrionesCentre Director of SEAMEO INNOTECH

Delegates from largely populated countries such as China and India, small-island states such as Palau and Nauru, and countries in the tropics like Laos and Thailand attended the Conference. And despite coming from diverse backgrounds, most shared similarities in challenges in continuing learning during the pandemic.

Educational planning in Asia-Pacific: taking stock of the current situation

The Conference began with a stock-taking of educational planning in the Asia-Pacific region, including an overview of the main challenges faced by educational planners from highly populated countries in a post-Covid era.

Speakers from Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan described current evolutions and innovations in planning and management approaches, techniques, and tools to address such challenges. Finally, they identified capacity development gaps, such as a lack of teacher training or reliable data for informed and accountable decision-making, and formulated suggestions to fill those gaps in the future. Key innovations then took the stage, as panelists shared new ways to develop sector plans to accelerate progress for the Education 2030 Agenda.

IIEP-UNESCO

Wrapping up this first part, a third roundtable bringing together the State Minister of Education from Maldives and heads of planning from Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu highlighted the specific challenges met by educational planners working in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including limited financial and budget planning capabilities. It then examined challenges faced in implementing the regional education plan adopted by Pacific countries, as well as related capacity development gaps and a way forward - e.g. improving data visualization and analysis tools for real-time monitoring and decision-making.

IIEP-UNESCO

Delving into three key challenges and opportunities for planning in Asia-Pacific

Learning, equity, and well-being: challenges for planning
Improving planning and management through better governance and digitalization
Crisis-sensitive educational planning and climate change

In the dynamic and diverse Asia-Pacific region, countries of varying sizes approach these themes - learning, equity, and well-being, improved governance and digitalization of education, and climate change - in nuanced ways. However, common challenges, methods, and aligned goals unite the region as it works toward achieving the Education 2030 Agenda.

The most common challenges for educational planning identified during the Conference included access to accurate data, internet connectivity in rural areas, funding for ICT infrastructure, and teachers' capacity to use technology.

Up-to-date information helps the policy-makers look at the situation on a classroom level. We received support from development partners to improve the existing infrastructure of the ICT in our country. But even if the infrastructure is there, if the capacity of the people or users cannot utilize or maximize the benefits, it is almost useless.

Dr. Luangxay LamphouneDeputy Director, Institute for Educational Administration, Development (IFEAD), Laos PDR

Dr. Lamphoune urged the strengthening of teacher support and capacity for access to technology so that instructors would be well-equipped to teach students and provide accurate data for policy-makers.

On the other hand, there were notable efforts to focus on students' mental health and well-being in China, and there were improvements in addressing gender disparity in education, especially in India.

The climate emergency also pushed institutions and teachers to make learning still accessible when there are disruptions. The Philippines, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has developed eleven modules for emergencies, which cover not only learning programs but also modules for teachers and school management during times of emergency.

The Conference concluded that responsible and accessible digitalization, empowered by international and regional collaboration, through support for innovations and use of data, is the way forward coming out of the pandemic and in times of crisis.

Johnson Lim Chee Siong from the Ministry of Education in Brunei said that there is an acceleration in the use of technology because of blended learning and a strong focus on digitalization.

"We should be sharing best practices on how to collect the data and how to manage them. And as for the future and learning outcomes, we must start thinking about adaptive testing solutions, leveraging technology and AI for personalized learning."

IIEP-UNESCO

In a rapidly changing world pressed with economic challenges, delegates agreed that the way forward to resilient educational planning and systems is to strengthen local indigenous knowledge systems, combining it with 21st-century skills to understand the demands of digital transformation, while also harnessing heritage and culture, which are relevant in addressing crises, especially with the onset of climate change.

New modes of collaboration

The Conference wrapped up with the collaborative elaboration of a roadmap for the future of educational planning in Asia-Pacific building on the results of a regional needs assessment led by IIEP.

This has laid out many possibilities for collaborative research, training, a community of practice for educational planners in the region, and technical in-country support.