SEAMEO College is introduced as new flagship initiative

In a bid to drum up support of the members of the diplomatic community in Thailand in promoting cooperation in education, science and culture in Southeast Asia, the SEAMEO Secretariat, in cooperation with the three SEAMEO Centres in Thailand, convened a special meeting for the ambassadors, education attachés and other officials of the different embassies in Thailand on 29 April 2013 at the headquarters of SEAMEO in Bangkok, Thailand.

The emerging cooperation between the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization and the Organization of Ibero American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) was formalized through signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two regional organizations in a ceremony during the launch of the Ibero-American Institute for ICT and Education (IBERTIC) in Buenos Aires, Republic of Argentina on 24 April 2013.

SEAMEO education ministers call for greater focus on Millennium
Development Goals and post-2015 education agenda in implementing SEAMEO College

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, through its Ministry of Education and Training and with support of the SEAMEO Secretariat convened the 47^th SEAMEO Council Conference at the Daewoo Hotel Hanoi, Vietnam from 19 to 21 March 2013 with more than 200 participants from 18 countries comprising education ministers, high-level government education officials, and representatives from international organizations from the SEAMEO Member Countries, Associate Members, Affiliate Members, Regional Centres and development partners.

With the aim of enhancing teachers’ capacity and improving student academic performance, a workshop series on Classroom Research has been conducted by the SEAMEO Secretariat for 24 teachers in two schools in Thailand under its SEAMEO Community Involvement Programme during June 2012 to February 2013. The two schools include the Ban Subsanoon School in Saraburi Province, and the Ban Pruewai School in Chaseongsao Province.

Thailand’s Ministry of Education through its Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) hosted the Third Annual Forum for High Officials of Basic Education of SEAMEO Member Countries and Associate Members with the theme “Quality and Equity Education for Sustainable Future: Building Capacity for Every Learner” from 12 to 14 February 2013 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Thailand invited the SEAMEO Secretariat to co-host the event.

His Excellency Pehin Abu Bakar Apong, President of SEAMEO Council and Minister of Education, Brunei Darussalam visited Thailand from 13 to 15 January 2013 as part of a series of visits that the SEAMEO Council President undertakes during his tenure. The visit to Thailand is the second leg of his tour of duty which included a courtesy call on H E Mr Phongthep Thepkanjana, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Thailand and various meetings with the SEAMEO Secretariat and the SEAMEO Centres in Thailand.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, the UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok), and the UNICEF’s Regional Office for East Asia organized a one-day regional consultation to generate feedback on a proposed prototype framework for measuring learning outcomes on 10 January 2013 at the SEAMEO-UNESCO Building, Bangkok, Thailand.

The prototype framework for measuring learning outcomes is the output of an initiative of UNESCO, through its Institute for Statistics, and the Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institution to identify common learning goals to improve learning opportunities and outcomes for children and youth worldwide. A Learning Metrics Task Force (LMTF) was convened for this project. Along with other organizations and agencies, the SEAMEO Secretariat has been invited to be part of the Task Force.

Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, H E Mr Phongthep Thepkanjana, declared open the 35^th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting on 28 November 2012 at the Grand Millennium Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand which brought together education deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, directors general and other high-level education officials of the SEAMEO Member Countries for its annual assembly to discuss important issues on education in the Southeast Asia region.