Literacy
Let’s Read Launches Nationwide #ReadEveryday Campaign in Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 9, 2020
News Post
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in collaboration with The Asia Foundation and other partners, launched a nationwide reading campaign called #ReadEveryDay. This unique campaign encourages families, teachers, and librarians to create fun and positive reading experiences with at least 100,000 children every day between March 6-15. The launc… Read more
Nikkei News Cites Let’s Read in Op-Ed on Indonesia’s Fight Against Illiteracy
February 7, 2020
Media Coverage Post
The Nikkei Asian Review highlights The Asia Foundation’s Let’s Read initiative in an op-ed assessing how Indonesia is improving literacy across the country through local technology-driven solutions. Impactful reading programs, such as the Asia Foundation’s Let’s Read initiative, which brings together communities and technology to build early readin… Read more
Khmer Times Highlights Crucial Roles of Libraries in Cambodia
November 13, 2019
Media Coverage Post
The Khmer Times publishes an opinion piece written by Foundation’s senior digital program officer in Cambodia Sorn Nimul Khut on the crucial role of libraries for instilling knowledge and skills in young students. The young learners of today, are our communities future leaders. The Asia Foundation has remarked, “books give free rein to young people… Read more
The High-Tech Jobs of Tomorrow Depend on Children’s Books Today
June 19, 2019
Blog Post
The most valuable skills children can gain in school are not specific to jobs or technology, but rather skills associated with creative problem-solving and curiosity. Words like “fun” and “children’s storybooks” are not often used when discussing how to prepare today’s youth for the high-tech jobs of tomorrow, but they need to be. The most valuable… Read more
The Asia Foundation Signs MOU to Enhance School Libraries with Cambodia’s Government
Phnom Penh, October 26, 2018
News Post
Today, The Asia Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), and Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE) to implement the Books for Cambodia program. Over the next five years, the program will distribute high-quality English storybooks and educational resource books to 1,000… Read more
Building Critical Thinking in ASEAN Classrooms
July 18, 2018
Blog Post
Traditional classrooms in ASEAN countries are exceptional for turning out high-performing students, well-skilled in memorization, recitation, and deference to seniority, an approach some say doesn’t equip students for a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and rapidly changing world. According to the World Economic Forum, young people will best succeed in the… Read more
Photo Blog: Building a Children’s Digital Library in Indonesia
September 20, 2017
Blog Post
Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, with around 700 languages spoken across the archipelago. For all of its rich and diverse cultural history, Indonesia does not have a long and deeply embedded tradition of children’s literature. Access to quality children’s books is difficult, especially in remote and underserved areas. On Sept. 16, 2017,… Read more
Inclusive Education for Thailand’s Minorities: Snapshots from the North
September 6, 2016
Slideshow
A cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is achieving quality, inclusive education for all. Yet, a recent UNESCO report indicates that 40 percent of the global population does not have access to education in a language they can speak or understand. This is a long-running challenge in Thailand, home to a diversity of languages co… Read more
Conversation with Burmese Publisher, Library Advocate U Thant Thaw Kaung
July 9, 2014
Blog Post
Publisher U Thant Thaw Kaung, head of the Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation and the mobile library project under the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, recently visited The Asia Foundation’s headquarters in San Francisco as part of a three-week study tour…
Bangladesh’s Development Surprise: A Model for Developing Countries
June 25, 2014
Blog Post
By many metrics, Bangladesh’s development trajectory is a unique success story, especially since the 1990s when democratic rule was reinstated and extensive economic reforms were made. Poverty incidence has fallen from 60 percent to around 30 percent.