Appendix 11 Closing Ceremony of Dr Yahya of 35 MC 2000

Appendix 11

Statement by Minister of National Education of
the Republic of Indonesia
Dr Yahya A Muhaimin
on the Closing Ceremony of the Conference

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

On behalf of the SEAMEO participants, allow me to take this opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude to Your Excellency President of the Republic of Indonesia and Madame Sinta Nuriyah Abdurrachman Wahid for their presence to grace this meeting. We respectfully request Your Excellency to, later, address this important gathering.

Your Excellency Mr President,

SEAMEO or the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization was founded on 30 November 1965 with the aim of forging cooperation among nations in Southeast Asia in the field of Education, Science and Culture. SEAMEO also promotes respect for justice, peace, security, prosperity, the rule-of-law, and the human rights. In its 35 years of operation, the original 6 membership is extended to include Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and the reactivated of Viet Nam. In addition to that SEAMEO also has 6 associate members who have provided vital support to the organization, i.e. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Council is responsible for laying out policies and designing programmes. The Council convenes annually with Member Countries taking turns to host the event.

This year Indonesia has the honour to host the 35^th Conference. Representatives from 10 Member Countries, 6 Associate Member Countries, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat and staff, Director of the Regional Centres and staff as well as several observers. The conference was held for two days in this hotel, the Sheraton of Nusa Dua from the 16 to 17 February 2000. It is proceeded by a Special High Officials Meeting on the 15^th.

Your Excellency Mr President,

Since the very beginning, we the Southeast Asian Education Ministers have put emphasis on the human resource development in drawing up SEAMEOs programmes. Apparently during the two-day meeting the need to develop human resources through a good quality of education was presented as a big issue and at the same time the economic issue was also raised.

Development in education and economic goes hand in hand. Hence this is the problems on the human resource development faced by the nations that have to race with high-tech globalization in one hand and the demand to avail training or even a lifelong education on the other hand. The monetary and economic crisis faced by some Member Countries in the past few years resulting in the slowing down of the development.

Having taken these facts into account, the 35^th SEAMEO Council Conference then, has reviewed and evaluated its previous programme. At the same time the conference had also facilitate on in-depth discussion, on human resource development to meet the global challenges.

While SEAMEO has to find a way to assist the Member Countries, to cope with their need to develop the human resource, it is very encouraging that the Associate and the Affiliate Countries of SEAMEO give a positive response. They submit proposal for cooperation and funding agreement for programmes on human resource development. It is hoped that with these assistance, the SEAMEO will be able to fulfill the wide range of demand in the development in education, science and culture.

Your Excellency Mr President,

Closing my report, allow me to respectfully request Your Excellency to address this important gathering of the 35^th SEAMEO Council Conference.

Thank you.

Wassalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Dr Yahya A Muhaimin

Last updated: 19 September 2001
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