The Equitable Education Alliance (EEA; est. 2020), co-chaired by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) Thailand, is a community of government, civil societies, and the private sector advocating a more inclusive and equitable educational system in the Asia Pacific region, while simultaneously enhancing the performance of existing equitable education organizations at all levels.

In 2025, the EEA will convene three meetings to discuss and improve equity in education through collaborative efforts. A total of 19 countries^[1] and 23 member organizations^[2] have participated in these meetings, to date, mutually sharing the expertise they are applying to the promotion and fostering of equity in education systems locally and regionally.

The 13th EEA webinar is organized to address the Asia-Pacific region’s ongoing challenges of NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). In collaboration with the Technical Working Group on Adolescent and Youth Education, Learning and Skills Development under the Learning and Education 2030+ Networking Group, the webinar will feature 3 distinguished speakers to showcase case studies and good practices from the country, national and local level on alternative and flexible learning modalities, address the needs and support necessary for out-of-school children and youth to continue with their education.

The ILO’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024 report reveals that 256 million young people aged 15 to 24 worldwide—171 million women and 85 million men—were classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). In 2023, 20.4% of young people globally, or one in five, fell into this category, with two-thirds of them being female. In the Asia-Pacific region, the situation is particularly concerning in South Asia, where more than one in four youth are NEET. EEF Thailand also reports that, in Thailand, there are more than 2.8 million students at risk of dropping out of the education system with an additional over 1 million having already dropped out, and over 1.4 million young people aged 15 to 24 are categorized as NEETs.^[3]

The scarcity of data regarding NEETs presents a significant challenge to effectively identifying and addressing the issue. The need for flexible learning and strategy is paramount for these young NEETs to re-engage in education and training. Thus, it is urgent that effective measures be adopted to accommodate a range of needs that provide a variety of educational opportunities customized to align with each learner’s potential and abilities.

Consequently, the 13th EEA webinar aligns with the upcoming joint EEA publications on NEETs, featuring selected 5 country reports, which are scheduled for release in late 2025 or early 2026.

As an ongoing complement to the annual EEA meetings, in October 2024, the 3rd International Conference: Reimagining Education, Co-Creating Lifelong Learning for Youth and Adults was organized attracting 225 participants on-site and 3,152 participants virtually through the online platform. The conference underscored the critical needs for education and skills development to address global skills gaps and reduce the rising number of NEETs among young adults. The presentations and related materials are available here. 

More information on the EEA is available on the Equitable Education Hub (EquityEdHub, or EEH). Launched in 2022, the website serves as a knowledge-sharing hub expressly intended to 1) enable learners from around the world to readily access content on several topics pertaining to the EEA’s goals towards improving equity in education through collaborative efforts; and 2) provide substantive and technical support to those in need. 

Objectives – 13th EEA Meeting Webinar

Public Session:

1. Share information, successful case studies, and relevant project implementations on the flexible learning platforms and strategies for youth NEETs in the context of local, national and international levels.
2. Provide practical strategies and evidence-based approaches for empowering diverse stakeholders targeting education and training for young NEETs.
3. Raise public awareness about the potential benefits and challenges of integrating flexible learning into practice.

Participants

• Representatives from ministries, national educational institutions, government agencies, NGOs, and like-minded International organizations focused on education, innovation and related social impact.
• Education policymakers, administrators, educators, teachers, community learning center personnels, researchers, and academics who are interested in flexible learning pathways for promoting equitable education for marginalized groups.
• EEA members, including Member States, countries and organization representatives, practitioners, technical experts, and international agencies that advocate and work towards equitable education.

Dates and Venue

Thursday, 13 March 2025, online webinar, 13.30–14.45 (UTC+7)

Zoom Link: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Gx1aMB8zTs2PE91Ie0PJ7A

Please register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the proceedings. Note: The capacity of the Zoom meeting is 500 participants on a first come, first-served basis.

The 13th EEA Meeting will be live-streamed on the EEH Facebook page in English, and on the EEF Thailand Facebook page in Thai. This is a bilingual session with a Thai translation service provided throughout the programme.

^[1] Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Panama, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Viet Nam.

^[2] Australian Education Research Organization (AERO), Educate A Child (EAC), Educational Endowment Foundation, Equitable Education Fund (EEF) Thailand, Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), Kartu Prakerja, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), National Institute for Lifelong Education (NILE), Pratham Education Foundation, Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE), Promise Neighborhoods, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Save the Children Nepal, SIL International, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), UNHCR Pakistan, UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO), UNICEF Nepal, UNICEF Thailand, VVOB – Education for Development, and World Bank.

^[3] Reimagining Education in Thailand: Dynamic Models for Flexibility and Inclusivity, the Equitable Education Thailand, 26 December 2024.