ASEAN's Quest for Quality in Primary and Secondary Education 2025

• ASEAN’s 2021-2025 Education Work Plan boosted equity, digital skills, and foundational learning across the region.
• National reforms included Indonesia’s project-based learning, Malaysia’s VR STEM programs, and Thailand’s mental health modules.
• Model schools like UWCSEA (Singapore) and British School Jakarta (Indonesia) showcase quality education and inspire policy innovation.

As 2025 concludes, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reflects on a transformative era in primary and secondary education, guided by the third ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2021-2025. Adopted on May 31, 2021, by the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting, this blueprint aimed to elevate quality, foster equity, and build resilient systems amid global disruptions. With over 300 million young people in the region, the plan addressed foundational learning gaps exposed by the pandemic, emphasizing inclusive access, teacher empowerment, and digital integration.

Key milestones include progress in equity indicators from the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) 2024 survey. This survey showed promising improvements in reading, writing, and mathematics skills across genders and socioeconomic groups. However, challenges remain, as 40 to 60 percent of education commitments do not benefit students. This highlights the need for better governance regarding digital promises. This year-end review emphasizes how ASEAN nations transformed aspirations into real progress. They combined regional unity with local creativity to prepare a generation for sustainable development.

“The 2021–2025 ASEAN Work Plan on Education reaffirmed that equity is not an aspiration but an obligation. Our collective progress in foundational learning, digital inclusion, and teacher capacity-building shows what regional solidarity can achieve, even amid unprecedented disruption”, says Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, Former Minister of Education, Malaysia & Chair, ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting.

Strengthening Education through Regional Collaboration

The Work Plan's core revolved around four priorities with enhancing early childhood care, promoting lifelong learning, advancing TVET (technical and vocational education and training), and harnessing ICT for education. In primary and secondary realms, equity took center stage through initiatives like integrating peace education and reproductive health into curricula, fostering tolerant societies while addressing adolescent needs. The ASEAN Year of Skills (AYOS) 2025, concluding with historic achievements across seven flagship platforms, amplified these efforts by promoting skills mobility and inclusive workforce development.

Regional workshops, including those under the U.S. Mission to ASEAN's YSEALI program, offered hands-on training in leadership and community impact. They directly benefited secondary educators. A key event was the ASEAN Ministerial Roundtable at the 2025 Education World Forum. Here, foundational learning became a priority. Preliminary SEA-PLM 2024 data showed progress in equity. Vietnam and Thailand reduced urban-rural gaps in literacy rates by 15 to 20 percent. Meanwhile, Indonesia's inclusive policies helped lower dropout rates among indigenous groups. Collaborative frameworks, like the ASEAN Plus Three Plan of Action (2018-2025), supported progress checks. This included teacher exchange programs that trained over 50,000 educators in digital teaching methods across Malaysia, the Philippines, and Laos.

These policies weren't abstract; they translated into tangible tools, such as AI-driven platforms for personalized learning in remote areas, ensuring no child is left behind in the digital age. Amid climate vulnerabilities, sustainability education was woven in, with curricula emphasizing eco-literacy to prepare students for ASEAN's green transition. “SEA-PLM 2024 data demonstrates that targeted, inclusive reforms can close long-standing learning gaps. ASEAN’s challenge now is governance ensuring that every commitment, especially in digital education, translates into real classroom impact for every child”, says Yukol Limlamthong, Director, SEAMEO Secretariat.

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Country-Led Reforms Transform Learning

Diving deeper, individual nations showcased unique innovations under the Work Plan. In Indonesia, the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) initiative revamped primary curricula to emphasize project-based learning, boosting equity by providing free digital resources to 20 million students in underserved regions. Malaysia's Digital Education Policy accelerated secondary school transformations, integrating VR simulations for STEM subjects and achieving a 25 percent increase in female enrollment in tech programs. The Philippines focused on post-pandemic recovery through the Basic Education Development Plan, enhancing teacher training in inclusive practices and reducing learning poverty from 90 percent to 75 percent in primary grades.

Vietnam's reforms focused on fairness. They invested in bilingual programs and hands-on learning centers that helped close gaps for ethnic minorities. As a result, SEA-PLM scores in mathematics increased by 10 points. Thailand took the lead by integrating mental health into secondary education. They required wellness modules that helped vulnerable students during economic changes. These efforts matched the Work Plan's promise for digital equity, but they also revealed inequalities. While Singapore had nearly universal access, Myanmar and Cambodia struggled with infrastructure issues, which led to aid from wealthier countries. Overall, these innovations built resilience, and equity measures improved along with a 5 percent regional GDP growth related to skilled youth.

Model Schools Advancing Educational Excellence

1. United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA), Singapore

United World College of South East Asia delivers a full IB continuum focused on global citizenship and sustainability, achieving average IB scores above 40 through experiential, values-driven learning.

2. International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), Malaysia

International School of Kuala Lumpur stands out for inclusive STEM education, attracting a diverse student body while integrating sustainability into learning frameworks and earning strong regional recognition.

3. NIST International School, Bangkok, Thailand

NIST International School blends Thai cultural identity with hands-on, inquiry-based learning, advancing equity through scholarships that support underprivileged local students and strengthen community participation.

4. British School Jakarta (BSJ), Indonesia

British School Jakarta excels in digital equity, using AI-enabled personalization to enhance learning outcomes while consistently achieving top International Baccalaureate results across grade levels.

5. International School Manila (ISM), Philippines

International School Manila emphasizes holistic development and equity-driven initiatives, increasing graduation rates among minority learners by 30 percent while partnering with institutions to strengthen educator capacity.

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Conclusion

Looking to 2026-2030, ASEAN's vision builds on these foundations, prioritizing governance to ensure 100 percent commitment delivery. As Malaysia chairs ASEAN in 2025 under the theme ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, the quest for quality evolves into a legacy of empowered youth, driving regional prosperity. In an era of rapid change, these milestones aren't just achievements they're the blueprint for an equitable future.