## Southeast Asian Youth on Education, Technology and the Future of ASEAN

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Southeast Asian Youth on Education, Technology and the Future of ASEAN](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2018/09/southeast-asian-youth-on-the-future-overman)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: TAHSIN SAADI SEDIK
- Published: September 1, 2018

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### Overview
- More than half of the population of Southeast Asia is under 30.
- Technology shapes how youth in the region live and work, and youth adapt technology to their circumstances.
- Youth face improved prospects relative to their parents: higher income potential, increased access to education, and technological possibilities, alongside serious challenges such as climate change and challenges to openness and human rights.
- The piece presents profiles of three young Southeast Asians pursuing varied paths: urban media entrepreneurship and freelancing (Cambodia), social enterprise for environmental protection (Philippines), and technology-enabled progressive farming (Indonesia).

### Profile: Sreynith Hak (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Age: 25.
- Moved to Phnom Penh eight years ago to pursue a bachelor’s degree in media management.
- Works as a freelance editor and film producer; values flexibility and saves monthly to smooth income variability.
- Social context and gender statistics cited: In 2014, 84 percent of employed women 15 and older had a primary school education or less, compared with 76 percent of employed men (Asian Development Bank’s Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment in Cambodia).
- Nearly 60 percent of rural migrant women move to Phnom Penh (Asian Development Bank).
- Experiences: harassment in the city at night; family preference for a salaried position contrasted with her independent career choice.
- Quote: “I have my own timeline, my own clock,” and “I want to prove to people that I can do it—maybe even better than some guy.”

### Profile: Pocholo Espina (Manila, Philippines)
- Age: 22.
- Founder and CEO of Sip PH, a company that makes and distributes stainless steel straws.
- Initial investment: 40,000 pesos of his savings.
- Business growth: from a small word-of-mouth customer base to thousands of orders through social media and a few shops in Manila; interviewed on CNN Philippines earlier this year.
- Motivations: involvement in the zero-waste movement; personal commitment to marine environment via skin diving.
- Contextual facts: The Philippines is composed of 7,641 islands and is located in the “Coral Triangle.” The Coral Triangle includes portions of the waters of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
- Environmental framing: Sip PH’s website says that the Philippines is the third largest disposer of ocean plastic in the world. The Philippines bans incineration of trash; disposal of solid waste poses a major challenge.
- Survey and IMF linkage: According to the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Shapers survey, nearly half of all young people rank climate change and the destruction of nature as the most serious issues affecting the world today. The IMF finds that, in addition to its harmful effects on health, climate change has potentially sizable economic costs.
- Business philosophy: On social enterprise trade-offs—“it has to be the enterprise, because without that there wouldn’t be a social impact.”

### Profile: Shofyan Adi Cahyono (Merbabu, Central Java, Indonesia)
- Age: 22.
- Background: family farming in highlands of central Java; studied agrotechnology at Satya Wacana Christian University.
- Strategy: modernize family farm using information technology and progressive farming methods to eliminate middlemen and set competitive prices.
- Practices: sells produce to restaurants, cafes, hotels, and supermarkets; uses a preorder system managed via WhatsApp to coordinate harvest and distribution to keep produce fresh.
- Technology adoption examples across Asia: use of digital technology for market, inventory, and crop information; some farmers use drones to forecast yields, identify crop diseases, and assess fertilizer needs.
- Market trends: organic farming is booming as Asia’s rising middle class grows wary of pesticides; more cafes and restaurants in Indonesia offer organic fruit and vegetables.
- Outreach aim: share knowledge to inspire more young people to view agriculture as a promising and creative sector.
- Quote: “Farming is considered a low job ... but I am trying to change that.”

### Key statistics and specific figures (preserved exactly)
- More than half of the population of Southeast Asia is under 30.
- Age of profile subjects: 25; 22; 22.
- 2014 statistic: 84 percent of employed women 15 and older had a primary school education or less, compared with 76 percent of employed men.
- Migration: Nearly 60 percent of rural migrant women move to Phnom Penh.
- Philippines composition: 7,641 islands.
- Initial business investment: 40,000 pesos.
- World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Shapers survey: nearly half of all young people rank climate change and the destruction of nature as the most serious issues affecting the world today.

### Themes, implications, and policy-relevant observations
- Education and labor:
  - Higher educational attainment among youth opens diverse career paths, including freelancing and entrepreneurship, but labor market formalization and stable salaried jobs remain desirable to families.
  - Gender gaps in educational attainment among employed adults persist in Cambodia, contributing to vulnerability and unequal access to opportunities.
- Technology and market access:
  - Information and communication technologies (e.g., WhatsApp, social media, e-commerce) enable direct market linkages, reduce middlemen, and allow small producers and entrepreneurs to scale sales.
  - Precision agriculture tools (including drones and digital market data) can improve yields, disease identification, and input management.
- Environment and social enterprise:
  - Youth-led social enterprises (e.g., reusable metal straws) can address discrete environmental problems while balancing financial sustainability with social goals.
  - Climate change and plastic waste are widely perceived as top concerns among youth; environmental action aligns with economic incentives in sectors like tourism and fisheries.
- Agriculture and rural development:
  - Modernizing agriculture through technology and progressive practices can make farming a more attractive, creative, and profitable option for youth, potentially mitigating urban migration pressures.
  - Growing demand for organic produce from the rising middle class creates market opportunities for farms that adopt safer production methods.

### Actionable points for policymakers and stakeholders (implied by profiles)
- Support digital infrastructure and affordable connectivity to expand market access for rural producers and youth entrepreneurs.
- Facilitate vocational and tertiary education aligned with technology, agrotechnology, and creative industries to equip youth for modern labor markets.
- Promote gender-equal access to education and formal employment opportunities to reduce vulnerability among women and girls.
- Encourage environmentally focused entrepreneurship by easing start-up financing, incubation, and market linkages for social enterprises.
- Support adoption of precision agriculture and organic production through training, extension services, and access to finance to help young farmers scale sustainably.

_© F&D Magazine. Passing the Baton. September 2018._

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2018/09/southeast-asian-youth-on-the-future-overman_