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Access to and participation in education continue to increase in the Asia-Pacific region. Challenges remain, however, in the delivery of quality education at every level. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to reverse progress achieved in the last decade, exacerbating the pre-existing learning crisis and further deepening inequities in the region. COVID-19-related school closures, as well as the inadequate reach and quality of remote learning, have caused learning loss at unprecedented levels, requiring significant attention and mitigation efforts in the short and medium term. Teachers play a key role in improving learning outcomes; this reality accentuates the need for greater pedagogical, administrative, and psychosocial training, as well as professional development and support for them to teach in digital and blended learning ecosystems. To reach the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children, as well as the growing number of children out of school, will require multi-sectoral strategies, for example related to school health, nutrition, and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant fiscal policy challenges and gaps especially for low-income and lower-middle-income countries. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 by 2030, countries in Asia and the Pacific must ensure that education expenditure is sufficient to meet the commitments of their Governments. To get back on track to achieve SDG 4, education expenditures must be increased from 4 to 6 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) and 15 to 20 per cent of their total public expenditure. Countries in the region lack comprehensive, good-quality education data systems, which are or could be linked to other sectors such as health, child protection, nutrition, labour, industry, and agriculture, as well as to climate change projections.

Access to and participation in education continue to increase in the Asia-Pacific region. Challenges remain, however, in the delivery of quality education at every level. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to reverse progress achieved in the last decade, exacerbating the pre-existing learning crisis and further deepening inequities in the region. COVID-19-related school closures, as well as the inadequate reach and quality of remote learning, have caused learning loss at unprecedented levels, requiring significant attention and mitigation efforts in the short and medium term. Teachers play a key role in improving learning outcomes; this reality accentuates the need for greater pedagogical, administrative, and psychosocial training, as well as professional development and support for them to teach in digital and blended learning ecosystems. To reach the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children, as well as the growing number of children out of school, will require multi-sectoral strategies, for example related to school health, nutrition, and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant fiscal policy challenges and gaps especially for low-income and lower-middle-income countries. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 by 2030, countries in Asia and the Pacific must ensure that education expenditure is sufficient to meet the commitments of their Governments. To get back on track to achieve SDG 4, education expenditures must be increased from 4 to 6 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) and 15 to 20 per cent of their total public expenditure. Countries in the region lack comprehensive, good-quality education data systems, which are or could be linked to other sectors such as health, child protection, nutrition, labour, industry, and agriculture, as well as to climate change projections.

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Section on Countries in Special Situations +66 2 288 1234 [email protected]