During the Asia Pacific Meeting on Education (APMED6) held from September 10-13, 2024, a sub-regional dialogue was convened to address strategies for implementing existing commitments and priority actions across various regions. The session, moderated by Professor Kazuhiro Yoshida of Hiroshima University, brought together key representatives to discuss achievements, potential, and challenges within East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Notable attendees included Dr. Kamaleswaran Jayarajahfrom the SEAMEO Secretariat for Southeast Asia, Ms. IroshaCooray from SAARC Secretariat for South Asia, Mr. TawaqaJoe Naisoro from SPC for the Pacific Region, Ms. MadinaTynybayeva from the National Academy of Education, Kazakhstan, representing Central Asia online, and ZHAO Yuchi from UNESCO for East Asia.

The Director of the SAARC Secretariat emphasized the immense potential of South Asia, which is home to nearly 350 million adolescents—the highest number of any region globally. With almost half of its population under the age of 24, and led by India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, South Asia is poised to have the world's largest youth labor force until 2040. This demographic advantage presents a unique opportunity for the region to drive dynamic and productive economies. The Director also addressed both conventional and emerging challenges faced by the region, highlighting ongoing gaps and lapses in achieving educational equity and ensuring access to quality education at all levels. The focus remains on overcoming these barriers to fully leverage the potential of South Asia's youthful population.

Key outcomes include the development of sub-regional recommendations and a strategic way forward. These recommendations will be reflected in the Outcome Document of APMED6 and will contribute valuable regional inputs to the upcoming Global Education Meeting (GEM) in Brazil.

 

SAARC Secretariat

Kathmandu, Nepal

15 September 2024