Kuala Lumpur: ASEAN must accelerate inclusive and innovative education strategies in addressing the issue of out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY), said Education Ministry (MOE) director-general Datuk Azman Adnan. “Education is the foundation of inclusive development, and the heartbeat of ASEAN’s future. Therefore, each child and youth left behind is a lost opportunity, not only for themselves, but for our nations’ shared growth and prosperity. Across ASEAN, millions of children and youth are still unable to access education due to poverty, displacement, geographical barriers, and digital divides. It is now our collective responsibility to act with urgency, creativity, and resolve,” he said.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azman further stated that Malaysia believes innovation must be at the heart of the strategies in tackling the issue. “Whether through equivalency programmes, machine learning for early intervention, or public-private partnerships, we must reimagine our education systems to be more inclusive, resilient, and future-ready,” he added. As the 2016 ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Education for OOSCY approaches its ten-year milestone, it is imperative for ASEAN member countries to review the progress, strategies, and initiatives implemented to ensure their continued relevance and effectiveness.
The forum, themed ‘Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Mitigating Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) Challenges,’ is aimed at reinforcing collective efforts by allowing participants to share information on unreached groups at risk of dropping out or not enrolling in school, as well as issues related to exclusion. The forum provides a platform for discussing programmes and best practices that contribute to increasing access to education for disadvantaged and marginalised groups, as well as further fostering greater collaboration among ASEAN sectors, dialogue partners, and development partners to address OOSCY challenges through collective discussions.
The forum also serves as an ideal space for countries to identify commonalities in their efforts, fostering enhanced collaboration to accelerate the inclusion of disadvantaged children in education. The key objectives include identifying emerging challenges and solutions in providing education to the targeted group as well as facilitating the exchange of views and best practices, including leveraging technology, fostering successful partnerships (between inter-agency, government, and NGO stakeholders), and addressing funding and expertise gaps.
It is also to strengthen existing programmes and flexible learning strategies to ensure continued access to education for these groups; and promote the adoption and adaptation of innovative strategies, as well as developing a comprehensive framework and coordination mechanism to support ongoing collaboration. This year marks Malaysia’s fifth time as ASEAN Chair, having previously held the role in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.