Xiaoyan Liang

Xiaoyan Liang is a lead education specialist and the focal person for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills at The Education Global Practice at the World Bank. She has over two decades of experience in international development, with expertise spanning early childhood education, teacher and STEM education, TVET and skills development, higher education, science and technology, as well as education finance, governance, poverty, and inclusion. She emphasizes a systemic and institutionalized approach to education and training, valuing the role of teachers, country ownership, indigenous capacity, and partnerships among academia, industry, and government. Her work includes leading the Tanzania BOOST Primary Student Learning Program and designing the Yunnan Early Childhood Education Innovation Project, which supports underserved rural and ethnic minority children in China. She has also facilitated joint TVET and higher education programs between Africa and East Asia. She is the author of How Shanghai Does It, which analyzes the success of Shanghai’s education system in international assessments. Liang earned her EdD from Harvard University.

updated 2025