Education is Asean’s real engine for integration and growth

AT THE Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October, an important shift took place. From panel discussions to corridor conversations, one theme became unmistakable: Education has moved from being seen as a social sector to being recognised as Asean’s most strategic economic and integration priority.

With an estimated gross domestic product of US$4.13 trillion and a population of about 686 million, Asean stands at an inflection point. Artificial intelligence (AI), automation and the green economy are reshaping industries faster than any previous wave of disruption. Employers from manufacturing to finance now demand adaptable, digitally capable talent.

Meanwhile, a new generation of Asean youth, who are globally connected and extraordinarily ambitious, is entering a workplace that feels unfamiliar, unpredictable and unforgiving.

Their question is sincere and fair: “We studied. We worked hard. Why doesn’t the world feel ready for us?”

This is not a failure of effort or aspiration. It is a signal that our systems are catching up to a rapidly changing world.

The encouraging news is this: Asean leaders now recognise that skills, not borders; talent, not tariffs; and learning, not regulation, will determine our competitiveness. This moment calls for a new mindset – one that sees education not as expenditure, but as investment; not as a silo, but as a shared Asean project.

Closing the skills mismatch – together

Asean produces millions of graduates each year, but too few transition smoothly into the workforce. The gap lies in aligning education with emerging opportunities. To thrive, learning systems must move at the same speed as the real economy, not the pace of paperwork.

This challenge is most acute beyond our capitals. In mid-sized and emerging cities – from Kediri to Iloilo, Johor Bahru to Da Nang – young people share the same aspirations as those in Singapore or Jakarta, but have fewer opportunities and less exposure. True equity means not just access to classrooms, but access to the future.

Public-private collaboration can accelerate this transition by developing some key practical pathways outlined below:

• A shared Asean skills taxonomy

Across Asean, national curricula are typically refreshed every five to seven years – often following bureaucratic or political cycles. Yet technology, industry practices and job demands evolve every six to 12 months. This widening lag leaves even the best-intentioned systems struggling to stay relevant.

A Regional Skills Council that is sector-agnostic and inclusive of the private sector could bridge this gap. The council would review skill trends regularly and align them with outcomes already present in Asean curricula, such as critical thinking, digital literacy and problem-solving.

This alignment would give schools, training providers and even tuition centres a shared skills compass – something clear to aim for, adaptable to their context, and responsive to economic change. The private sector would adopt this framework, designing programmes that meet real market needs rather than fragmented national targets.

It may not be perfect, but even a baseline framework is better than the current patchwork – especially for smaller and emerging cities that often feel left behind. A shared skills language can give everyone, from policymakers to teachers and startup founders, a clearer direction for preparing Asean’s next generation.

• Talent mobility: Asean Edu-Visa

Asean has built travel corridors for tourists and capital – but not yet for teachers and learners. A Regional Edu-Visa, driven through public-private partnership, could change that. By working together, governments, education networks and employers could enable educators and students to move freely across borders for short-term teaching placements, professional exchanges and school-to-industry immersion such as internships.

Teachers are often the most generous collaborators. Across the region, school groups are eager to send their teachers abroad – not for profit, but to share ideas, mentor peers and gain cross-cultural classroom experience. Yet no such visa exists for them. Many must travel under tourist permits, which puts them at risk and discourages genuine professional exchange.

Even within a single country, restrictions can be rigid. In Indonesia, for instance, an expatriate teacher with international best practices working for a school in Sumatra cannot easily move to another school in Java to conduct training or share expertise. Work-permit laws remain strict and inflexible, limiting knowledge transfer precisely where it is most needed.

An Asean Edu-Visa would unlock enormous value. By allowing educators to move as knowledge ambassadors, it would help address teacher shortages, strengthen cross-cultural understanding and elevate professional standards. For students, it would open new pathways for internships and exposure to diverse learning environments.

By making it easier for teachers and students to move, Asean can begin to build a truly shared regional classroom – one where public and private schools alike exchange talent, share ideas and raise collective standards. In doing so, collaboration becomes the foundation of regional integration.

• A catalytic education fund

Catalytic capital can unlock innovation that bureaucracy often overlooks. Asean could establish a regional education fund blending public, philanthropic and impact finance to back scalable models – especially those improving access and affordability in smaller cities.

When I launched several pioneering models to advance Singapore Intercultural School (SIS) and Inspirasi Schools’ “Affordable Excellence” mission, early catalytic support from the World Bank Group (International Finance Corporation) fired the growth of affordable schools. Once the concept took off across Indonesia and beyond, private equity and family offices followed – showing how catalytic funding can light the first spark and draw larger capital to scale impact.

Across Asean, many innovators have similarly bold ideas – from strengthening early learning foundations to creating upskilling pathways that prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow. A regional catalytic fund could identify such innovators early and give them the momentum to grow. The next breakthrough in affordable, high-quality education might already be taking shape – not only in a big city, but also in a small one. It just needs a little catalytic faith to ignite it.

• Put teachers at the centre

No reform – technological, curricular or financial – will succeed unless we recognise the central role of the teacher. As technology, automation and the green economy reshape the world, Asean nations need to rethink how they select and develop teachers, for systems are only as strong as the people who bring them to life.

When upskilling teachers, the focus should extend beyond classroom methods or pedagogy. They need exposure to the emerging competencies that define future-ready learning – from digital pedagogy and the use of AI and data to personalise learning, to green literacy that embeds sustainability across subjects. They also need industry immersion to connect classrooms to real jobs, and socioemotional and entrepreneurial skills to nurture adaptable, confident problem-solvers.

Meanwhile, much of the region’s educational investment and talent flow into capital cities, yet smaller cities need equal attention. Having established schools in such places, I have seen first-hand that many teachers from these communities already possess the right attitude – they want to give back to their own people. What they need is structured upskilling and support.

Many corporations follow the mantra “hire for attitude, train for skills”. Education should embrace the same approach – because when schools recruit individuals with the fundamental attitude, they build teachers who can shape not just classrooms, but nations.

Asean’s future will not be built only in capital cities, but in every town where a child dreams of a better life. With millions of children still lacking access to affordable, high-quality education, the region risks losing a significant portion of its population to the endless cycle of poverty and underemployment.

But if the region can build a shared learning region – aligned in skills, open in mobility, bold in innovation and equitable in opportunity – it will turn its demographic potential into a human-capital advantage.

The writer is the founder and chairman of SIS and Inspirasi Schools across Indonesia, India and Myanmar. He served on the education panel at the 47th Asean Summit.