This extremely diverse region not only holds different models of education, but features both ends of the spectrum with respect to its educational landscape.  High educational accomplishments have been achieved in Sri Lanka with free and compulsory education and in Malaysia without. On the other hand, the complete absence of commitments to free and compulsory education in Bhutan and Nepal coincides with the lowest enrolments in primary education in the region.

Only half of Asian countries provide formal guarantees of the right to education because many Asian governments remain reluctant to commit themselves to universally recognised human rights.

Many countries in the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, prioritize freedom of education over the right to education. This freedom empowers communities, particularly religious or linguistic, to design and carry out education of their children. Thus education may be all-encompassing but is neither provided nor paid by the state. Others, including Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Laos and Viet Nam define education as free and compulsory and their laws and policies reflect a model of uniform state monopolised compulsory education.

Primary school is for-fee rather than free in the majority of countries throughout the region. This is either according to, or in contravention of the law and the primary reason is the low priority for public education in governmental budgets. Another obstacle has been disagreements between development banks over the economic returns from education funding. The World Bank has insisted that loans for primary education generate higher economic returns than support to higher levels of education. The Asian Development Bank disagreed, prioritising higher education for faster economic returns. This short-sighted approach perpetuates a vicious cycle in which the wealthy get educated and wealthier as a result of this education while millions of poor children continue to be denied their right to education, a key avenue to break free from poverty.

It is precisely to break this vicious circle that primary education was made a public responsibility. An underlying reason is that primary education does not generate return on investment. Primary school leavers do not work nor should they: they are children. The attractiveness of education as a parental investment depends on employment prospects of school leavers. In Asia, girls and women have proven to be particularly disadvantaged by such private decisions on investment in education.

45% of the world’s children who are out of school are in Asia, and the largest numbers are in China, India and Pakistan. One key reason is the preference for military expenditure over educational investment. In Pakistan, for example, there are at least 150 soldiers for every 100 teachers.

Guarantees of free education:
The law and practice in Asia