The Economic Cost of Out of School Children in Southeast Asia
This publication is the result of Educate A Child’s (EAC) project with UNESCO Bangkok, which seeks to eradicate obstacles, both in policy and practice, that would prevent children in Southeast Asia from accessing primary education.
The project targets out of school children (OOSC), including those born into poverty, the disabled, migrant and stateless children, girls, those living in remote areas and ethnic minorities.
Co-published by UNESCO Bangkok and the Results for Development Institute (R4D), the report looks at the benefits of primary education and estimates the economic cost associated with large populations of OOSC in seven Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
To help education policymakers and decision-makers gain a clear understanding of the significant economic incentives linked to educating OOSC, the report used two methods to estimate the economic loss resulting from not educating these children.
The first estimation approach uses labour market data to estimate the total earnings which will be forfeited in the near future due to under-educated workers if primary school enrolment patterns do not change.
The second approach is based on cross-country regressions that estimate the relationship between national education attainment and per capita income.
In 2025, Education Above All Foundation continued to advance its mission of ensuring that marginalised children and youth have the opportunity to learn, thrive…
This case study, conducted by Education Above All (EAA) Foundation in partnership with Education Development Trust, examines HES activities implemented in five partner projects…
This discussion paper explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in addressing pressing global challenges, particularly in education. Despite over 1 billion people…
At first glance, the challenges confronting out of school children (OOSC) may appear entirely external: poverty, discrimination, hunger, and systemic exclusion. So, why look inward?…
Impact
"Humanity will not overcome the immense challenges we face unless we ensure that children get the quality education that equips them to play their part in the modern world." -- HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
June 27, 2026
