Education attacks poverty at its roots, laying the groundwork for achieving all development goals. Teaching children to read and write, for example, not only improves their employment prospects, but also better attunes them to their country's development goals—all of which depend on disseminating important information to be successful. As such, literacy is the foundational cornerstone for development.

In this edition of Development Asia, we take stock of the region's successes and remaining challenges in the education sector. We look at different approaches to reform the educational system to advance national interests, from building elite universities to strengthening vocational programs. Our story on the Republic of Korea relates efforts of the state to wean students' overdependence on private tutoring, which is jacking up the cost of education. In "Preparing for a Windfall," we talk about how Mongolia is consolidating its economic gains by investing in schools—even in the Gobi Desert.

Ann Quon
Publisher
Asian Development Bank

Read the full introduction.

Development Asia features development issues important to the Asia and Pacific region. It is published four times a year by the Asian Development Bank. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank or Haymarket Media Ltd. Use of the term "country" does not imply any judgment by the authors or the Asian Development Bank as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity.

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