13 August 2014: Education ministers and government officials from 37 Asia-Pacific countries have endorsed a draft statement on Education Beyond 2015, at the Asia-Pacific Regional Education Conference, held on 6-8 August 2014, in Bangkok, Thailand. The Bangkok Statement outlines six priority action areas for the region: lifelong learning for all; equity and equality; skills and competencies for life and work; quality and teachers; information and communication technologies (ICTs) for education; and governance and financing.

Thailand’s Ministry of Education and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) hosted the conference.

The statement represents one of the region’s main inputs into the post-2015 development agenda, according to UNESCO, and is expected to inform the 2014 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, the UN’s Post-2015 Summit, and the 2015 World Education Forum. According to the Bangkok Statement, the region’s overarching goal is to “ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030.” It reaffirms education as a fundamental right and an essential condition for peace and inclusive, sustainable development as well as for happiness, well-being and prosperity.

On lifelong learning for all, the Statement calls for equitable, inclusive access to quality learning for people of all ages and at all levels of learning in formal and non-formal settings. It recommends 12 years of free, compulsory education for all by 2030. On equity and equality, the Statement calls for addressing all forms of marginalization in access to education, including marginalization related to disparities, gender and inequalities. The Statement advocates for education that provides youth and adults with the skills and competencies to pursue decent work and other opportunities. It also recommends learning methods that encourage creativity, innovation and critical thinking. On quality and teachers, the Statement calls for efforts at all levels and in all educational settings to ensure professionally-trained, motivated and well-supported teachers as well as recognizing the importance of native language, multilingual education. The statement recommends fully using ICTs to improve education access, particularly in remote areas, as well as recognizing ICTs as a tool to strengthen education management and support teaching and learning. On governance and financing, the Statement calls for legal and policy frameworks that promote accountability and transparency in education. It recommends reaching a benchmark of 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) or 20% of total public expenditure devoted to education and equitable distribution of resources across education sub-sectors and geographic locations, with specific attention to marginalized groups.

In conclusion, the Statement requests UNESCO, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other Education for All (EFA) agencies to continue leading the coordination of the development of the post-2015 education agenda. Speaking at the conference, UNESCO Assistant Director-General of Education Qian Tang emphasized the importance of all countries participating “in the process of the development of this global agenda in order to ensure that it contributes to the realization of their own vision and ambitions for education.” Afghanistan’s Minister of Education, Farooq Wardak, described his country’s progress on EFA goals, and called for addressing “the challenges in the most remote districts that lack female secondary schools and face a severe shortage of female teachers.” [UNESCO Press Release, 8 August] [UNESCO Press Release, 13 August] [Bangkok Statement]