The UK co-hosted the ASEAN Ministerial Roundtable on Foundational Learning during the Education World Forum 2025, bringing together education ministers and experts from Southeast Asia to address the urgent challenges in foundational learning.

Participants shared practical, evidence-based strategies to improve early literacy and numeracy.

UK Ambassador to ASEAN, Sarah Tiffin, said:

This expert-level discussion builds on Southeast Asia’s progress and helps ensure every child has the opportunity to master foundational skills. The UK is proud to work with ASEAN to tackle this issue head-on. This aligns with our commitment to gender equality and inclusive development.

We’re proud to support ASEAN partners in delivering real results on the ground, such as our co-investment in the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), a regional collaboration aimed at assessing and improving learning outcomes.

Former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown, praised ASEAN’s achievements but called for urgent action to address the ongoing issue, especially among disadvantaged children. He stressed the importance of using proven approaches and innovative financing to scale up impact.

Experts from the Gates Foundation, University of Oxford, SEAMEO, and others shared insights on what works in foundational learning. The event also featured contributions from ASEAN Member States’ representatives and the ASEAN Secretariat, who reinforced the importance of peer learning and regional cooperation.

The Roundtable was organised by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the What Works Hub for Global Education, and the Global Coalition for Foundational Learning—including UNICEF and the Gates Foundation. It was held under the ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girl’s Education (SAGE) Programme, which supports foundational learning for girls and marginalised groups across ASEAN and Timor-Leste.

Through the ASEAN-UK SAGE programme, the UK has helped to getting more children, especially girls and the most vulnerable, in school and learning the basics – with a focus on reading by age 10 or the end of primary school.

This event marks another step in strengthening ASEAN-UK cooperation under the health and education pillars of the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action, reaffirming the UK’s commitment as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner to inclusive and high-quality education for all.

Education World Forum is the world’s largest annual gathering of education and skills ministers and provides an unparalleled opportunity for knowledge sharing and ensuring best practice in education is disseminated globally.  

The ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls’ Education Programme or ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme is a five-year UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funded programme for ASEAN and Timor-Leste running between 2023 and 2028 with funding up to GBP 30 million.   

The UK’s Dialogue Partner status with ASEAN was formalised in August 2021. A five-year ASEAN – UK Plan of Action (PoA) 2022–2026 was agreed in August 2022. The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme is the first ASEAN-UK cooperation programme implemented under the PoA.   

The ASEAN–UK SAGE Programme aims to provide evidence-based technical input that enables key players in the region including the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and ASEAN Member States (AMSs) to develop effective policies and programmes that improve foundational learning for all and that tackle exclusion and constraints limiting the achievement of girls and marginalised groups. The Programme is delivered through the following workstreams/pillars:  

Integration of education technology will crosscut the three pillars.  

The ASEAN–UK SAGE Programme is implemented by the British Council (www.britishcouncil.org), SEAMEO Secretariat (www.seameo.org), Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (www.acer.org), and EdTech Hub (www.edtechhub.org).