Over the past few months, the SEAMEO Secretariat has engaged in several regional and international platforms to showcase a snapshot of key directions shaping education in Southeast Asia. These include the Bett Asia 2025 Leadership Summit in Malaysia, the ASEAN Seminar on Out-of-School Children and Youth – OOSCY in Malaysia, Development and Education (DevEd) Conference 2025 in Australia, and the 3rd Gumi Education Forum in the Republic of Korea.

Bett Asia 2025 Leadership Summit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ASEAN Seminar on OOSCY, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Development and Education Conference 2025, Melbourne, Australia

The 3rd Gumi Education Forum, Gumi City, South Korea

Across these engagements, a shared insight emerged: education systems are most effective when leadership, inclusion, and learning continuity are addressed together. In a context of rapid social and technological change, shaping education systems that work for all depends on how well systems respond to people, context, and the lived realities of learners.

Education systems today are navigating significant transformation driven by digitalisation, changing labour markets, and evolving social expectations. Across Southeast Asia, the digital landscape has shifted rapidly in recent years, with internet use increasing from just 16% of the population in 2004 to around 70% in 2021. This expansion has opened new possibilities for access, flexibility, and innovation in learning. However, evidence from the region highlights that these gains are uneven. While overall connectivity has expanded, the richest students are still almost eight times more likely to be connected to the internet at home than the poorest, underscoring persistent inequalities in access. As a result, children from low-income households and marginalised communities often remain unable to fully benefit from digital learning opportunities due to limited access to devices and connectivity, low levels of digital literacy, and broader socio-economic constraints.

Human-centred leadership plays a decisive role in shaping how these disparities are addressed. It helps align technological investments with classroom practice and supports teachers in adapting to new approaches. When leaders are empowered to guide change with clarity of purpose, technology is more likely to translate into meaningful learning gains rather than becoming an additional administrative or instructional burden.

At the same time, meaningful use of technology and innovation cannot compensate for weak learning foundations. Lifelong learning cannot be realised without strong foundations established early on. Evidence from the SEA-PLM Assessment (2024) shows that around half of Grade 5 learners in participating Southeast Asian countries do not reach minimum proficiency levels in reading, with similar challenges in numeracy. These learning gaps, when left unaddressed, can accumulate over time and affect learners’ confidence, motivation, and ability to engage with increasingly complex learning demands. Strong early learning experiences therefore play a critical role in enabling learners to adapt, progress, and continue learning across the life course.

When foundational skills remain a challenge, this is often not solely a reflection of teaching and learning processes. In many cases, it is shaped by prolonged absence from schooling, irregular attendance, or early disengagement experienced by out-of-school children and youth. Poverty, economic vulnerability, gender norms, and related social pressures continue to influence learners’ ability to remain engaged in education, particularly during key transition points. Regional estimates suggest that around one in ten children and youth of compulsory school age in Southeast Asia remain out of school, underscoring the importance of addressing both learning quality and participation together rather than as separate challenges.

Taken together, these reflections point to a hopeful and practical way forward for education systems across the region. Strengthening foundational learning, supporting inclusive and flexible pathways, and enabling leaders to guide human-centred transformation are not separate agendas, but interconnected elements of systems that work for all. When learners are supported early, when those who disengage are able to re-enter learning without stigma, and when leaders are equipped to respond thoughtfully to change, an environment enabling lifelong learning can be possible. By focusing on strong foundations, inclusive pathways, and responsive leadership, education systems can support learners at every stage of life. This integrated approach offers a constructive pathway for education systems in Southeast Asia to remain resilient, inclusive, and responsive, ensuring that learning can continue across the life course and that no one is left behind.