Prof. WEI Shangjin, the chief economist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had lectured on the topic of “A Smarter Future: Education, Skills, and Growth in Asia” on 20 October and introduced the findings of a new ADB report on education and skill upgrading.

Prof. WEI pointed that though developing Asian countries has made large strides in expanding education especially in school enrollments, quantity of education alone is not enough, quality of education is more important for upgrading cognitive skills and greater growth. The report predicts that per capita income in a typical developing Asian economy can more than double in a 20-year period if ‎cognitive skills can progressively reach levels seen in more advanced economies.

In order to improve the quality of education, Prof. Wei suggested 3 areas should be focused: a system to collect and share information (like the public test scores and school, teachers and students performance), attention to curriculum content and early childhood education.

In the discussion session, an audience thought that the findings in the report can give some insights for the governments in developing countries. For instance, with the help of technological advancement in the education sector, if the government provides adequate infrastructure in the rural schools, this can narrow the gap of the level between urban students and rural students through the improvement of information dissemination.

Prof. Leonard K Cheng (President), Prof. WEI Xiangdong (Dean, Faculty of Social Science and Director of Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Centre), Prof. LIN Ping (Head of Economics Department) and nearly 80 audience listened to Prof. WEI wonderful speech.