Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE)ASPBAE Plans 2016 is pleased to present to you its Plans and Calendar of Activities for 2016. ASPBAE’s Executive Council deliberated upon and agreed on these plans in its last meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in February 2016.

Also attached are the first two ASPBAE Bulletin newsletters of 2016.

In the year passed, the international community agreed a new, more ambitious development and education agenda. The new development agenda counted education as a stand-alone goal – recognising education’s vital and integrated role in the achievement of sustainable development.

ASPBAE, like several civil society organisations, believes the new education agenda, although imperfect, is strong. It upholds the right to education – education as a public good, with governments as duty bearers in ensuring citizens’ right to quality education. It adopts a lifelong learning framework, and the Framework for Action of Education 2030 stresses on a broader appreciation of education quality including non-formal and informal education opportunities, TVET, tertiary education, and other skills trainings for the youth.

Furthermore, civil society will be one of the constituencies to be represented in the Education 2030 Steering Committee tasked with steering the follow-up processes for the new education agenda.
There are, of course, challenges to the new agenda, including inadequate financing commitments towards youth and adult literacy and non-formal education for adults. Campaigners for lifelong learning fear the commitment to a lifelong learning framework will go nowhere with no financial resources committed to back these up.

In 2016, ASPBAE and its member’s efforts towards the right to education and lifelong learning, while acknowledging the challenges to the new agenda, should now focus on consolidating the gains won in the post-2015 agenda-setting processes. Specifically, efforts should be made towards, amongst other things, effective implementation and contextualisation of the agreed agenda at the country level; arguing strongly for government’s prioritisation of quality education for marginalised children, youth, and adults; pressing for the mobilisation of resources needed to strengthen public education systems; and building the capacities needed to advance the new education agenda.

Through its advocacy initiatives in 2016, ASPBAE remains committed to advancing equitable access to relevant, quality, and empowering education and learning opportunities for all people, especially the most marginalised groups, within a human rights and lifelong learning framework. It will also continue its efforts in building competencies of civil society organisations involved in adult education practice and policy and supporting national education campaign coalitions and other ASPBAE members working on education advocacy.

ASPBAE will convene its 7th General Assembly this year. This important occasion will further provide an important space for civil society consolidation efforts in the region – offering venues for stocktaking, strategising, and capacity building.

It is in the light that we look forward to working with all of you in 2016 to begin to translate the new education agenda to realities relevant to regional and country contexts. Together, we have an exciting and a challenging path ahead.

Please write to the ASPBAE Secretariat at [email protected] if you have any questions or suggestions regarding the 2016 Plans. We will be offering further details on each of these planned activities as they unfold.

ASPBAE Executive Council (2013-2016) and staff