Data analyzed in this study are drawn from varied sources including documents provided by governments in the context of the World Bank's operational activity. The data on a basic set of indicators were assembled for a core of 11 Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand). Data for other Asian countries are also presented when available. After an overview, chapter 2 highlights the main features of education in Asia in an international and regional perspective. Chapter 3 provides more detailed documentation of education costs and financing arrangements in Asian countries, focusing on such items as the pattern and level of unit costs across levels of education, the distribution of public spending, and the contribution of private financing. Efficiency and equity are addressed in chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 6 offers conclusions based on the cross-sectional analysis and makes suggestions for future work. The study concludes that the two most essential components of an effective education policy are greater attention to primary education and reduced public financing of higher education. Interspersed within the text are 49 tables and 36 figures. The appendices contain an additional 32 tables and the following: (1) a succinct description and comparative evaluation of the current status of education in individual Asian countries; (2) details on data sources and the corresponding core educational statistics; and (3) figures and miscellaneous data referred to in the text. (Contains 137 references.) (MLF)