Sunmi Ji, 26, Korea

“I want EDUCATION to give us wings that we can fly with to our dream world. Sometimes education can be shackles since the huge pressure on grades and exams as well as comparison with others derived from competitive education system make students unconfident. Education should provide us with freedom and enlightenment which allow us to reach our dreams. “I believe I can fly!”

Chris Foulkes, 26, New Zealand

"I want education to be fun most of all, but at least to be engaging so that young people stay involved in it and get a chance to formulate concrete dreams and work towards realizing them."

Quynh Anh Ho Dinh, 21, Vietnam

“My dream is being a successful and famous marketer and business-woman so that I can take a well care of my parents and myself. I want to be wealthy and successful like my mother. I believe the best way of achieving my dream is good education. I'm looking for an education system which not only give me theory and knowledge from book, but also the practical experiences in my major and business field. I'm looking for an education which brings students closer to enterprises and corporation, in real business life and daily activities while they operating so that I - a new comer in life, able to integrate with the harsh and challenged world. But my dream is not only for myself but for all people in the world as well. I would like to live the world without any crime and poverty. In order to do so, I want a free and general education to every class and every single human, not only in my country but also in every country in the world. I strongly believe that education is the one and only best way to raise a human fully with both ethical and logical standards.

Sonam Dolkar Penjore,19, Bhutan

“Education prepares us. It prepares us for life. It prepares us to live our dream and it prepares us to face reality. However, most of what we get from the present education system fails to help make our dreams come true. The need for uniformity is a huge issue in our education systems. Our educators must understand that everyone’s not the same, that everyone doesn’t see the same things and that everyone doesn’t feel the same. Artists don’t think or see the world like engineers and students are no different. When our education becomes accepting of different people it will prove more effective. More people will get and will find the need to get educated. And then when the need for education flows through, people will only go on to meet their dreams.”

Piyaphob Karoonyavanich, 21, Thailand

“I believe that everybody is talented at something. The important question therefore should not be whether or not one is capable of accomplishing it or not, but rather which path he or she should take in order to fully utilize his or her talent. The ideal education system for me is the system which is fully flexible. It should allow students to make their choices as well as refine it along the way. The education system should focus on practicing students to be able to work in the real working environment which will enable them to learn whether they are choosing the correct path or not. Large sum of investment has been put on education nowadays; therefore, education system should focus on improving human capital rather than accuracy of signaling.”

Avelino Mejia, Jr., 33, Philippines

“Whatever I learn, whether I learn it inside or outside of school, should be something that is useful.  By “useful” I mean that I should be able to make practical use of what I learned, or use what I have learned to discover, innovate and create.  Education should help put me in a position where I can do what I want to do, earn a living, and contribute to society.  At the very least, education should help me get the know-how in order to survive; better yet, education should help me get the know-how in order to thrive.”

Supisara Jirapatpongsakorn, 20, Thailand

“I suggest that scholarships should be provided for students with low income who have full intention to study for their country in order to be one of the next generations that can help improve the growth of Thailand.”

“What do you want in education to help meet your dreams?”
Join our discussion and be apart global push to improve education beyond 2015!
In the run up to 2015, UN organizations and international, regional and national stakeholders across the globe have commenced consultations regarding the effectiveness of the Millennium Development Goals and reflections on the post-2015 development agenda as a global commitment towards human development and poverty reduction.

Within the framework of the thematic consultation on education in the post-2015 agenda, UNESCO Bangkok (Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education), UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific (EAPRO), and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) will organize a regional thematic consultation on education on 28 February - 1 March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.

As many diverse consultations and discussions are taking place, our aim is to bring together various stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific region, including government representatives, civil society organizations, and young people to provide a platform for discussing their ideas and opinions on education in the post-2015 agenda and to come up with a collective voice from the region. Contact Antony Tam at kh.tam@unesco.org for more information.