A Situational Analysis - UNESCO Bangkok

ESD and Society
South-East Asian countries are committed to increasingly engage girls, women, children,
the poor and vulnerable in programmes concerning health education. In ethnically and
linguistically diverse countries such as Lao PDR, providing basic health care, education and
improving the quality of life are major challenges. Several training and health promotion
activities have been initiated by NGOs, including awareness-raising on health issues such
as HIV/AIDS, youth health, malaria and other epidemics such as cholera and typhoid. In
Timor Leste, a civic education programme was recently introduced to promote sustainable
development actions such as reconciliation, non-violence, mutual respect, peace and
unity (UNDP, 2003). A significant number of community-based education initiatives and
community learning centres have also been developed throughout the sub-region to
serve local communities in remote and isolated areas.
Gender Issues
During the last decade, gender disparities in education have been reduced in most South-
East Asian countries. The ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary schools tends to
be higher in relatively high-income countries (ASEAN Statistical Yearbook, 2004). Gender
inequalities in the labour market have slowly decreased, though significant gaps persist in
most of the region’s countries (ASEAN Statistical Yearbook, 2004).
One positive development in a number of countries has been the formalized organizational
activities of women’s groups. The Lao Women’s Union, for example, assists the Ministry
of Education to implement non-formal education activities in Lao PDR. The Union was
founded in 1955 to promote the advancement of women and equal gender rights. It
supports provincial and district offices with training and technical advice. The Union
receives support from government, international organizations and donors to enhance
the organization’s capacity in dealing with all development issues that are of concern to
women.
THE WAY FORWARD: PROGRESSING ESD IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA
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Promoting and Improving Basic Education
For decades, South-East Asian nations have placed great emphasis on basic education,
particularly on the eradication of illiteracy through formal and non-formal means.
Governments have invested significant amounts in basic education, while international
donors have also provided both technical and financial assistance. Consequently, most
South-East Asian countries are able to provide initial access to basic or compulsory
education. Substantial improvement in adult literacy has also been observed over the
last decade, and the magnitude of gender disparities in favour of males, as well as that of
disparities in favour of urban areas, has decreased (UNESCO, 2000; Sjöholm, 2002).
In most South-East Asian countries, there is a substantial dropout rate in the formal
education system. The reasons for this low rate of retention are varied, but mostly centre
on poverty. Many countries have established a non-formal learning institution within
their governments to promote literacy programmes for the attainment of basic skills; the
development of livelihood skills; and the provision of learning opportunities to marginalized
and disadvantaged groups.
Re-orienting Existing Education Programmes
In recent years, many countries in South-East Asia have paid greater attention to the reorientation
and expansion of their basic education system. Funding from government,
bilateral donors such as AusAID, or international financiers such as the World Bank and
ADB has assisted this process. Curricular reform aims to “prepare young people for the