Secondary Education Reform and Educational Research in the Asia-Pacific Region

The strengthening and upgrading of secondary education is of great world-wide concern, since in an increasing number of countries secondary education has become the weakest link in the education chain. This article commences by examining the importance of secondary education, and then provides an overview of programme activities concerning secondary education being undertaken in countries throughout the world. The article then reports on a regional study on secondary education in the Asia-Pacific Region, commissioned by the Asian Development Bank, which examined strategic issues and policy analysis. The article concludes that there are firm foundations to secondary education in the Asia-Pacific region and that much has been accomplished in the last few decades. But, as the article shows, there is still a great deal to be done to put into place the vibrant, rich, diverse, relevant, high quality and innovative secondary education desired by countries in the region. The challenges are great, and numerous, but the future for secondary education in the Asia-Pacific region appears bright and full of promise.