Boosting Student Learning: Programme for International Student Assessment for Development

Issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading, and science. PISA for Development, among its other goals, aims to enhance PISA to make it more relevant to a wider range of countries and thus enable greater PISA participation by middle- and low-income countries.

Sri Lanka Road Investments – Building and Maintaining Trust and Partnership

A Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) by ADB of $800 million to the road sector in Sri Lanka is the culmination of a development towards an approach where development partners align to the government policy framework. As an essential part of this development of a close and trustful partnership, there is a continuous policy dialogue outside the specific projects supported by Asian Development Bank or other partners.

Solar-Based Village Electrification: A Pilot Public–Private–People Partnership Project

Access to energy is critical to the development of India’s rural economy, where rural electrification remains a challenge. The attractiveness of solar power as a renewable energy source is demonstrated in this case study. The importance of forming new partnerships to attract more private investments to the renewable energy sector is also highlighted.

Note: For a full copy of the case study on “Solar-Based Village Electrification: A Pilot Public–Private–People Partnership Project,” please refer to Case Study #25, pages 113-116, of the attached compendium.

Communities of Practice 101

Communities of Practice (CoPs) gather people who share a common passion for something they do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better. They are peer-to-peer collaborative networks driven by the willingness of their members to share work-related knowledge, further develop expertise, and solve problems in a specific domain.

Forty Years of Irrigation and Drainage System Performance

This paper examines the performance and effectiveness of solutions offered by irrigation and drainage systems in Asia over the last 40 years. It aims to find out if traditional performance indicators are pertinent in the region’s new context and set of challenges. It also looks at the implications if renewed investment in irrigation and drainage systems is to be effective.

Forty Years of Irrigation and Drainage System Performance

This presentation examines the performance and effectiveness of solutions offered by irrigation and drainage systems in Asia over the last 40 years. It aims to find out if traditional performance indicators are pertinent in the region’s new context and set of challenges. It also looks at the implications if renewed investment in irrigation and drainage systems is to be effective.

ASEAN 2030: Toward a Borderless Economic Community

Realization of a resilient, inclusive, competitive, and harmonious Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2030 entails forming aspirations and meeting challenges. Overcoming the challenges, however, will require transforming the ASEAN Economic Community into a truly borderless entity. ASEAN should not merely copy the European Union, but strive instead to form a partnership for shared prosperity.