A webinar on Applying Finnish Educational Experience in Developing Asia and the Pacific
1 June 2021, 9:00 a.m. ,Frankfurt (10:00 a.m., Helsinki; 3:00 p.m., Manila)

The Asia and Pacific region, home to almost 4.5 billion people, has significantly increased access to education and achieved the related targets under the Millennium Development Goals. But the quality of education, particularly the attainment of learning outcomes, remains a challenge. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been working with its developing member countries for more than 50 years to expand and improve education at all levels. ADB has allocated cumulatively about $15 billion in loans and grants for the education sector with. $1,349 billion in 2020. For 2021 and 2022, the amounts are estimated to increase to $2,9 billion and $2,2 billion USD respectively. ADB’s school education support focuses on three main areas: quality and relevance, systems and governance, and equitable access.

In order to improve the quality and relevance of education, ADB has worked intensively with its developing member countries to improve learning outcomes. Today, Finland’s education system is considered to be a successful one in many ways. Since the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) began in 2000, Finnish 15-year-olds have consistently done well. Conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA tests the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in dozens of countries in order to evaluate education systems worldwide. In the results released in December 2019, Finland lived up to its reputation, and also seems to show a good balance between academic achievement and life outside of school.