Challenges and research into educational reforms in the Asia-Pacific region

Witnessed since the 1990s are numerous educational reforms in nearly all countries in the Asia-Pacific region, in response to the challenges and impacts of globalisation, information technology, international competitiveness, the knowledge-based economy and fast societal developments in the new millennium (Cheng and Townsend, 2000). A huge amount of resources and effort have been put into various types of educational changes and initiatives implemented in such different areas of the region as Australia, PR China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Based on findings and observations from numerous country reports and policy documents of these areas released in the past five years, an article in Section 1 of this Handbook (see Trends in Educational Reform in the Asia-Pacific Region) has identified some major trends in educational reform in the region. It provides an overall picture of the region for understanding the direction, nature and progress of the various national initiatives and efforts for the development of education in facing the challenges in the new millennium. Copyright © 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.