ASEAN Must Accelerate Inclusive Strategies To Tackling Out-of-school Children And Youth

Education director-general Datuk Azman Adnan delivers a speech at the ASEAN Education Forum themed "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Mitigating OOSCY Challenges," held in conjunction with the ASEAN Education and Higher Education Ministers’ Roundtable 2025 (#EduRoundtables2025) here today.
LANGKAWI, June 18 (Bernama) -- 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.
In his welcoming remarks at the opening of the ASEAN Education Forum held in conjunction with #EduRoundtables2025 here today, Azman described the issue as one of the region's most pressing challenges, and that the forum held to discuss the issue is both timely and necessary.
'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.
Azman further said Malaysia believes that 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 said.
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.

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