The region’s progress is significant. Gross enrolment in tertiary education has risen sharply in recent years, quadrupling from 16% to 63% across East and Southeast Asia. Research output is also accelerating, with East Asia now contributing more than 44% of global research production. Yet this growth has not been experienced equally.
Despite strong overall participation in education, women remain underrepresented in many STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), accounting for just 35% of STEM graduates, and research leadership roles. Barriers linked to socio-economic background, disability, geography and the digital divide also continue to shape who benefits from higher education and who does not. For a region seeking to build innovation-driven economies, widening participation is no longer simply a social priority, it is a strategic necessity.
Across Asia-Pacific, governments and universities increasingly recognise that inclusion is central to building stronger higher education systems. Diverse participation improves the quality and relevance of teaching and research, strengthens innovation ecosystems and expands the pool of talent needed to support future economic growth. This is particularly important as research output across East Asia continues to accelerate, now accounting for more than 44% of global research production, up from 34% in 2010, highlighting both the region’s growing influence and the need to ensure that this growth is inclusive.
Across Asia-Pacific, governments and universities increasingly recognise that inclusion is central to building stronger higher education systems. Diverse participation improves the quality and relevance of teaching and research, strengthens innovation ecosystems and expands the pool of talent needed to support future economic growth. This is particularly important as research output across East Asia continues to accelerate, now accounting for more than 44% of global research production, up from 34% in 2010, highlighting both the region’s growing influence and the need to ensure that this growth is inclusive.
Across Asia-Pacific, governments and universities increasingly recognise that inclusion is central to building stronger higher education system
As the ASEAN–UK Dialogue Partnership approaches its fifth anniversary in 2026, collaboration between the UK and Southeast Asia is increasingly focused on how higher education partnerships can help address these inequalities while strengthening the region’s future workforce. Ensuring wider participation in fields such as science, technology and innovation will be essential if countries are to meet growing workforce demands.
Gender equality remains one of the most visible inclusion gaps. Despite growing access to higher education, women continue to face barriers in entering and progressing within STEM careers. They make up a relatively small share of the STEM workforce and research community and are less likely to be published, less likely to progress into leadership positions and often face persistent pay disparities, despite evidence showing they can be, on average, 8% more productive than their male counterparts. Addressing this gap is not only a matter of fairness but also critical for strengthening research and innovation capacity.
Programs such as the ASEAN-UK and British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM, co-funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, are helping address this challenge by enabling women from across Asia-Pacific to pursue postgraduate study and early academic fellowships in the UK. Since expanding into East Asia in 2021, the program has supported women from 11 countries in the region, including 104 master’s scholarships and 13 fellowships awarded. providing fully funded scholarships covering tuition, travel and living costs. These fully funded opportunities covering tuition, travel and living costs are helping to build a stronger and more diverse pipeline of future STEM leaders. Globally, the initiative has engaged dozens of UK universities and awarded hundreds of scholarships, helping build a stronger and more diverse pipeline of future STEM leaders.
Institutional change is equally important. Through the Strengthening Leadership with Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity in Higher Education Institutions in Southeast Asia, universities across Southeast Asia are working together to strengthen gender equity in leadership, policy and institutional practice. The British Council delivers the initiative in partnership with the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED), the initiative has engaged 35 universities across Southeast Asia and 12 universities in the UK.
Its focus is on embedding gender equity within institutional systems and cultures rather than treating it as a standalone initiative. In its first phase (2021-2023), the program delivered six online training workshops and five UK–Southeast Asia partnership exchange grants, engaging around 300 higher education stakeholders. The initiative published a White Paper on Envisioning Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity for South East Asian Higher Education in September 2023. The white paper puts forward 13 recommendations and will be updated in 2026, tracking progress over the past three years,
Beyond gender equality, efforts to widen participation are also addressing broader structural barriers within higher education systems. Initiatives such as Supporting Inclusive Development Partnerships (SIDP), funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, bring together policymakers, universities and practitioners to strengthen inclusive skills pathways and expand opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Partnerships with the private sector are also playing an increasingly important role. Companies such as HSBC are supporting programs focused on climate and future skills, helping connect higher education with industry priorities while expanding opportunities for young people facing barriers to participation.
As collaboration between the UK and Southeast Asia continues to deepen, ensuring that higher education systems are inclusive as well as globally connected will be critical. Expanding access to opportunity will help build the talent, research capacity and leadership needed for more resilient and inclusive higher education systems across the region.
Find out more about the British Council Women in STEM and access the White Paper on Envisioning Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity for South East Asian Higher Education.
About the author: Leighton Ernsberger, director of education East Asia for the British Council, brings over 20 years of experience in higher education and skills policy across the UK, South Asia, and East Asia. Since joining the British Council in 2014, he has been instrumental in implementing Skills reform programs in India and Nepal, as well as promoting higher education in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and China.
