Equitable access to education holds a key to bridging income gaps. Although several
human development indicators of the region have improved significantly in
recent years, most countries lag behind developed countries in terms of secondary
and tertiary education. This is despite the fact that education spending takes up a
significant portion of public spending on the social sector. One possible explanation
is that public spending on education puts more emphasis on providing access
to basic education, while spending on secondary and tertiary education has been
insufficient. Globalization and technological progress mean that primary education
is not sufficient to equip jobseekers, especially from low-income families,
with adequate skills needed for relatively high-paying jobs. Therefore, abating
income inequality in the region requires reform of educational policy and allocating
public resources not just to primary education, but also to secondary and
tertiary education.