Human Resource Development in EAGA:
Role of Institutions of Higher Education  and Research

edited by
Nerlita Masajo-Manalili
and Kevin C. Kettle

SEAMEO RIHED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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FOREWORD

On the 22-23 October, 1996, the Regional Seminar on Human Resource Development in EAGA: Role of Institutions of Higher Education and Research was organized by Universiti Brunei Darussalam in cooperation with SEAMES, SEAMEO BIOTROP, SEAMEO RIHED and SEAMEO SEARCA. The objectives of the seminar were:

Participants invited to the seminar included (a) representatives of universities and research institutions of EAGA member countries, (b) representatives of EAGA National Committee, (c) representatives from the private sector such as from the Business Council of member countries and (d) representatives of concerned agencies: SEAMES, SEAMEO BIOTROP, SEAMEO RIHED, SEAMEO SEARCA, SEAMEO VOCTECH and the Asian Secretariat.

RIHED and the coorganizers of the seminar would like to recognize the participation and the willingness for cooperation of the following higher education and research institutions:

Brunei Darussalam

The seminar was the initiative of RIHED Governing Board Members. At the Third RIHED Governing Board Meeting in 1996, the Board endorsed the proposal to organize the seminar. With the leadership and support of Pehin Dato Abu Bakar Apong, the Vice Chancellor of the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam and Member of RIHED Governing Board, Universiti of Brunei Darussalam was chosen as the venue. RIHED and coorganizers: SEAMES, BIOTROP and SEARCA are very grateful to him and to the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam for the kind contribution, assistance and hospitality that made the seminar very successful. The important indicator of the success was that participants from member institutions agreed to develop a network for further collaboration.

This publication is a joint effort between SEARCA and RIHED. SEARCA edited and RIHED published. We are very fortunate to have had the service of Ms. Nerlita M. Manalili as the editor. On the RIHED side, Mr. Kevin C. Kettle and Miss Wachareeporn worked with her in the preparation of the report. We are very thankful to them.

Again RIHED would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to speakers, moderators, and all participants of the seminar. Last but not least to all staff of the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam who were involved directly and indirectly, we are very grateful.

Tong-In Wongsothorn
Director,SEAMEO RIHED

PREFACE

We, who come from institutions of higher learning and research, are confronted with a challenge greater than what we ordinarily think. We are facing the challenge of preparing our people for fast-phased development, which is now known as globalization.

Globalization is characterized by borderless trade that enhances competition, on one hand, and networking that likewise encourages collaboration, on the other. It is ironical but nonetheless a reality. Therefore, the question is how do we train our people in diagnosing when to compete and when to collaborate. This implies equipping them with the needed knowledge and tools to diagnose and formulate appropriate actions.

To complicate matters, how do we balance competitive acumen with value orientation in pursuit of economic gains. An orientation that is result-driven but, at the same time, tapered by concern for other people and the environment where all these global activities are taking place, considering that they have been used to a cut-throat competition arena. How then do we humanize economic objectives?

We usually provide this knowledge, tools, and values through academic program offerings where the seeds are planted at primary education, nurtured at secondary, but more importantly, strengthened and polished at the higher education level. Are we prepared to handle these higher education tasks when we are in the midst of development at its fast-tracking phase and growth is inevitable? As institutions of higher learning, are we prepared for these EAGA phenomena ?

The holding of the Regional Seminar on Human Resource Development in EAGA: The Role of Higher Education Institutions is proof enough that we are cognizant of the key role we are playing in developing our human resource force. More importantly, it is evident that we are taking that role seriously as we put our heads together and prepare our regional agenda for action through this seminar. May this be a continuing partnership and endeavor.

Percy E. Sajise
Director, SEARCA

INTRODUCTION

Any country’s bid for economic development is greatly anchored on human resource development (HRD), as success in this area will depend on the country’s ability to field an appropriate and skilled workforce. HRD, in turn, is dependent upon a functional educational system as the latter is the one providing the productive human resource behind any country’s developmental efforts.

With the entire ASEAN region fast becoming the world’s economic growth center and with each country in the region enthusiastically responding to the challenge, expect that there will be some form of upheaval in its human resource and, consequently, the educational system’s development. In response to the changing skills and knowledge-based requirements of the public and private sectors’ productive ventures, there are already signs of changing occupational profiles as well as revised, if not new, academic course and curricular offerings.

Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, which are now identified as the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA), are among these ASEAN countries that are trying to respond to challenges accompanying growth and development opportunities. As one of the several subregional initiatives in the ASEAN region, the EAGA countries are fast becoming industrialized as a result of the global trend of information technology, mobility of productive resources, and standardized consumer preferences. Thus, they are joining forces so that they may collectively respond to the changing HRD requirements.

Cognizant of the need for higher education to respond to development challenges and the role that universities and institutions of higher learning has to play, the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED) based in Bangkok, Thailand, endorsed the proposal to organize a seminar on the role of universities in the development of EAGA, with the support of the other Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) centres. Being a RIHED member and a component of EAGA, Brunei Darussalam was chosen as the venue for the seminar and Universiti Brunei Darussalam as the organizer.

The seminar has the following objectives:

As designed, the two-day workshop began by tackling the challenges of the new growth area presenting individual country situations. The idea was to assess opportunities and risks vis-a-vis individual country capabilities to respond to these opportunities. Similarly, the opportunity capability matching was designed to identify gaps and needs that each country may focus to enable them to further enhance their abilities.

Country experiences that showcase partnership in this endeavor provided an added perspective to the seminar. In the same manner, SEAMEO centres in EAGA outlined the role that each of them can take to assist the growth area in its collective bid for development.

To complete the picture, public and private sector needs were likewise presented to aid the group in strategizing on how to best meet the requirements of both sectors.

Translating vision to action, the idea of networking for training and research in EAGA was discussed and definite plans of actions were identified during the culminating roundtable discussions.

Nerlita M. Manalili
Project Officer
Agro-Industrial Development Programme
SEARCA