2025 APEC Education Ministerial Meeting
THE 7th APEC EDUCATION MINISTERIAL MEETING
JOINT STATEMENT
Bridging Educational Gaps and Promoting Sustainable Growth
in the Era of Digital Transformation: Innovate, Connect, Prosper
13 – 15 May, 2025
Jeju, Republic of Korea
INTRODUCTION
1. We, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Education Ministers convened for the 7th APEC Education Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) to discuss “Bridging Educational Gaps and Promoting Sustainable Growth in the Era of Digital Transformation: Innovate, Connect, Prosper” in Jeju, Republic of Korea from May 13 to 15, 2025, under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea.
2. We reaffirm that education plays a key role in building prosperity in the region, in line with the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the Aotearoa Plan of Action. We recognize the continuous and growing importance of education in addressing global challenges such as bridging digital divides. We recognize that ensuring quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all are essential for economic prosperity.
3. We reiterate the importance of developing human resources in conjunction with the increasing advancement and use of new and emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs), including AI technologies, and transition to the digital economy. We emphasize the importance of policy dialogues to achieve the potential of AI and other digital technologies to enhance educational outcomes and support accessibility of all learners to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for the future in a safe learning environment. It is essential that learners not only know how to use technologies like AI, but also understand how to create them by building a strong foundation in computer science education. Consistent with APEC’s commitment to sustainable economic growth, we also encourage collaborative efforts, including though public-private and academic-industry partnerships, to promote appropriate integration of AI in education.
PROGRESS & GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
4. We acknowledge the efforts of APEC member economies in implementing the APEC Education Strategy (2016-2030). We recognize the significant progress made in key objectives such as enhancing education quality, fostering educational innovation, and promoting equal access to education. In particular, we note the tangible advancements in areas such as developing digital education infrastructure, promoting teaching as a profession, advancing teacher professional development, and supporting quality education for all, especially groups facing structural barriers
to achieving their full potential, such as women, Indigenous Peoples as appropriate, youth, and persons with disabilities, through the work of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG), including the Education Network (EDNET).
5. We note with appreciation the Arequipa Goals, adopted by the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG), as it outlines actions to expand access to education, and advances policies that support persons with disabilities for sustainable growth.
6. We acknowledge that the provision of basic education to girls and women, support for lifelong learning, training, and upskilling and reskilling in vocational education, including addressing barriers preventing girls and women from accessing education, as outlined in The La Serena Roadmap (2019-2030), have been positive in promoting women’s economic empowerment.
7. We recognize the Lima Roadmap to Promote the Transition to the Formal and Global Economies (2025-2040), adopted by APEC Leaders in November 2024, supports efforts to assist informal economic actors by enhancing access to educational resources, including those focused on digital skills.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR EDUCATION
8. Under the 2025 APEC priorities of "Connect, Innovate, Prosper," APEC Education Ministers present the following future directions and strategies for education.
Innovate: AI and Digital Transformation and Personalized Education Innovation
9. We acknowledge the importance of leveraging technologies to enhance learning and increase accessibility to expand educational opportunities for all. To this end, we encourage all economies to apply these technologies to create environments where all learners have access to higher-quality education.
10. We note that learner-centered, quality-assured AI-integrated classrooms can provide personalized academic support, such as tailored tutoring, through adaptive learning technologies. These innovations allow learners who require developing core skills and strengthening academic readiness to learn at their own pace and effectively address knowledge gaps across the region. Furthermore, we recognize the importance of sharing best practices among member economies regarding AI-assisted teaching and learning content, methodologies, and assessment systems. To address these challenges, we commit to continuing discussions in this area.
11. We recognize the necessity of enhancing teachers’ digital competencies to effectively respond to education environments that are shaped by innovative technologies. We appreciate the importance of teacher preparation and professional development programs in equipping teachers with such competencies to leverage these technologies. Once teachers develop and maintain these competencies, they can use them as one of the significant tools to effectively implement personalized instruction, build innovative learning environments where all learners can thrive, and cultivate learners’ future-ready competencies.
Connect: Educational Cooperation and Expanding Access to Opportunities
12. Strengthening the multi sectoral and multi-stakeholder educational cooperation and networks among APEC member economies can facilitate connectivity, fostering innovation in education, and promoting policies and practices to expand access to learning opportunities for all, especially in improving the accessibility and availability of digital educational resources, and bridging digital divides, disparities in digital literacy and digital skills among both learners and educators. Scaling existing, high-impact assistive technology solutions is essential to address urgent needs across
APEC member economies. When technology is accessible for all learners, including persons with disabilities, and is widely available, it has the potential to advance learning, create new and enriching opportunities, and spark innovation.
13. Educational cooperation is a key factor in creating connectivity, across the APEC region to share best practices regarding the latest educational innovations and knowledge exchange outcomes, while exploring opportunities to collaborate on identifying and expanding the implementation of effective policies and programs to create opportunities and promote economic growth for all.
14. In the era of AI and digital transformation, it is essential to drive innovation and progress in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) while enhancing lifelong learning opportunities for all learners. TVET should be strengthened to support all learners in developing skills amid a rapidly changing digital environment as well as promote the transition to higher technological education. To achieve this, we encourage exploring ways to potentially leverage AI-driven personalized education to effectively facilitate reskilling and upskilling for all learners.
Prosper: Strengthening Quality Education and Sustainable Economic Growth
15. Promoting access to quality education is critical for sustainable economic growth for all. Education serves as the foundation for economic resilience, playing a significant role in addressing global challenges. APEC member economies have expressed their intent to explore ways to achieve sustainable growth through education and to work together in building an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community, for the prosperity of all our people and future generations.
16. Bridging educational gaps is an essential task in building sustainable development. It is encouraged to support the development of education in remote and rural settings and promote policies to address disparities in access to quality education and achievement outcomes. Member economies have expressed their intent to exchange policy experience on regional access to quality education for all and continue discussions on sustainable economic growth models based on experience.
Conclusion
17. We are committed to shaping the future of education for all by equipping learners and teachers with the knowledge and skills to leverage modern technologies, including AI and digital innovation, and to strengthen our collective efforts to “Innovate, Connect, Prosper.” We aim to address challenges and promote sustainable economic growth across the APEC region. Quality education will be a key foundation for driving economic growth and building a more prosperous region for all.
18. We recognize that educational cooperation among APEC member economies, including HRDWG APEC project initiatives, contributes to sustainable growth across the region. We acknowledge the importance of seeking flexible approaches that benefit all and reflect the contexts of each member economy.
19. In the era of digital transformation, collaborative efforts to enhance access for all to, and accessibility in, education are increasingly beneficial. Member economies intend to strengthen the foundation for cooperative recognition by exchanging experiences and insights that foster educational innovation.
20. We acknowledge the importance of strengthening the capacities of both educators and learners to effectively respond to and integrate into emerging and evolving educational environments. We emphasize the need to enhance digital and AI competencies of educators. We recognize that enabling peer learning, professional exchange, and cross-border collaboration among educational stakeholders can foster innovative and high-quality education that creates meaningful impacts throughout APEC member economies.
21. We underscore the value of building a more connected and resilient learning community across APEC member economies, and commit to continuing our collective efforts toward prosperity through education.
May 14, 2025
Jeju, Republic of Korea
APEC Education Ministers