Final
Report: 39th SEAMEO Council Conference
The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong
Negara Brunei Darussalam
1-4 March 2004
The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong
Negara Brunei Darussalam
1-4 March 2004
Proceedings
Contents |
| Proceedings |
| Appendices |
Statement
by Mr Naoki Murata Director, International Affairs Division Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan |
Mr Chairperson, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, |
I
am very happy to have the chance to make a statement on behalf of
the government of Japan at this Conference. Japan and Southeast
Asian countries have continued with close cooperative relations
for many years. While taking those friendly relations as a base,
we are now undertaking with the construction of even broader and
deeper cooperative relations in the educational and cultural spheres.
Moreover, along with the globalization of societies and economies
in recent years, the relationship between Japan and the Southeast
Asian countries is anticipated to grow even deeper. As sincere and
open partners which “act together, advance together,”
our cooperative relation in the field of education is important.
With all that in mind, I wish to take a general view of the relationship
between Japan and the SEAMEO Member Countries and state my opinions
concerning future undertakings in educational exchanges.
|
Last
December the Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, for which the leaders
of all ASEAN countries gathered in a country outside the ASEAN region
for the first time to meet the leader of the country, was held in
Japan. In the field of human exchanges, Japan released the Japan-ASEAN
Total Plan for Human Resource Development and indicated that it
will be carrying out cooperation on a scale exceeding $1.5 billion
for the next three years. Moreover, hosting 10,000 youth, including
exchange of students, from the ASEAN countries during the next five
years was incorporated into the action plan, which was agreed on
by the leaders of each nation. |
With
regard to the exchange of students, it is important to improve the
quality of education both in Japan and other countries as well as
to amplify mutual understanding and friendship. Up to now, Japan
has advanced comprehensive policies for attracting foreign students
under the “Plan to Accept 100,000 Exchange Students.”
As of May 2003, the number of foreign students in Japan had totaled
109,508, so the original goal has been reached. Approximately 7.4%
of them are from the SEAMEO member nations. Furthermore, concerning
the development of new policies for foreign students in Japan, the
Central Council for Education, which is an advisory body of the
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology,
has put together proposals such as improving and strengthening the
support system for foreign students in order to attract able students
from abroad. In the years to come, concrete undertakings will be
carried out based on these proposals; Japan wants to continue actively
promoting exchanges and cooperations in higher education, including
student exchanges. Moreover, in order to promote study in Japan,
we have been striving to improve direct and indirect financial support
for students from abroad. In addition, from fiscal 2002, we have
been lightening the burden of those who wish to study in Japan with
measures like implementing the Examination for Japanese University
Admission for International Students in nine nations, including
Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Taking this examination, foreign applicants can gain the qualifications
to enter a university in Japan in advance to their arrival to Japan.
Therefore, we would like to ask the countries to make use of this
examination actively. |
The
role fulfilled by UMAP (University Mobility in Asia and Pacific)
in promoting foreign student exchanges and the mobility of students
has been enlarged. UMAP implements the Short-term Students Exchange
Promotion Program that make it possible to study at a university
abroad while enrolled in a university in one’s mother country,
and it also attempts to utilize credit-transfer schemes. The Japanese
government strongly supports UMAP’s activities. We would like
to request active support for UMAP from your countries. |
Moreover,
all national universities in Japan will become incorporated from
April this year. Therefore, the possibilities have been rising more
than ever before for Japanese universities to develop education
and research programs in partnership and cooperation with universities
and the like overseas. In order to advance these undertakings and
the aforementioned mobility of students, it will be indispensable
to establish a framework for quality assurances and to consider
the construction of an information network for quality assurance
of university in each country. |
From
this academic year (2004) all national, public, and private universities
in Japan is obligated to receive evaluations regularly from evaluation
organs recognized by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology. Already from some years ago, the National
Institution for Academic Degree and University Evaluation have been
grappling with university evaluations on a trial basis. We are aware
that SEAMEO has already been working on the issue of quality assurances
within the network of RIHED (the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher
Education). Taking this opportunity, we would like to develop exchanges
between RIHED and the respective Japanese institutions so as to
accelerate such undertakings in the region. |
Next,
I want to speak about education cooperation being conducted by Japan.
Japan has been positively advancing support for education and capacity-building
in developing countries by taking advantage of our country’s
human resources and experiences. Let’s take example of East
Timor, which became independent in 2002. Because upon gaining independence,
East Timor has been directly faced with a shortage of human resources
who possess the skills for beginning nation-building, Japan has
been giving various support in the field of education such as dispatching
experts from the Japanese Education Ministry, under the JICA scheme,
to support system arrangements for policies related to higher technology
education and their implementation. Such education experts have
been sent for years to Indonesia, Laos, and so on. |
Furthermore,
preparations are presently underway to open the Malaysia Japan International
University of Technology (MJIUT) through cooperation between Japan
and Malaysia. The MJIUT is meant to set up in Malaysia as a university
where academic programmes on engineering and business management
are provided under the similar environment to universities in Japan.
It is expected to become a base of human resource cultivation that
will contribute to the development of the entire ASEAN region. This
concept is recognized as a new form of cooperation in the higher
education field, and we will strive to see that it has success in
the years to come. |
UNESCO
views Education for All (EFA) as the issue of greatest priority
in the education field and has been playing a leading role in its
realization. Japan provides UNESCO with Funds-in-Trust for various
programmes. With the UNESCO Bangkok Office as the base, we implement
projects carried out by the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO
(ACCU), such as the development of literacy materials, training,
and establishment of literacy resourse centers. In addition, through
the Asia Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development
(APEID), we have been grappling with education cooperation in fields
like educational technology, vocational and technical education,
teacher training, environmental education, etc. Moreover, the overall
reform of UNESCO that Mr. Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO,
has been dealing with since assuming his post have been producing
results that are highly evaluated by the Member States. Japan plans
to continue giving positive support to such moves. |
Education
bears an important role for each country to accomplish sustainable
development while valuing the natural environment. Japan proposed
launching the “United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development” from 2005. This was adopted as a joint proposal
of 46 nations, including Japan and Thailand, at the 57th United
Nations General Assembly in late December 2002. By the end of this
year, the framework for “Education for Sustainable Development”
and its international implementation plan are supposed to be submitted
by UNESCO. Japan has already presented a proposal to UNESCO for
diverse education programs to be developed for the sake of promoting
“Education for Sustainable Development” according to
the actual situation of the particular region. We think it is crucial
for each nation to carry out vigorous discussions about the substance
of “Education for Sustainable Development” and work
to promote that. |
The
ASEM Symposium on Educational Exchange, which was proposed by Japan
at the Fourth Asia-Europe Meeting, was held in Japan last November.
Very meaningful discussions were carried out there about further
promoting educational exchanges centered on student exchanges. Moreover,
the 3rd APEC Education Ministerial Meeting will be held this April
in Chile. The main theme for the meeting is “Ensuring Students
Skills to participate in the 21st Century Economy.” Having
dialogues and exchanges between Asia and Europe/the Pacific Rim
through such occasions contributes to the development of the region,
and there are expectations for positive handling by the SEAMEO member
nations along with Japan. |
At
the Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit Special Leaders Meeting held
last December, the leaders of each nation unanimously agreed on
cooperation directed at building an ”East Asian Community.”
In addition, FTA negotiations have already been launched with Thailand,
the Philippines, and Malaysia aimed at comprehensive economic cooperation
between Japan and the entirety of ASEAN; human exchanges are expected
to grow more and more active in the future. Amidst such circumstances,
we think, with eyes fixed on the future “East Asian Community,”
that Japan, along with SEAMEO, ought to move into execution of undertakings
that can be done and which are necessary from the standpoint of
education. |
Last
but not least, I wish to express my deep gratitude to the government
of Brunei and everyone else concerned for the efforts they made
toward holding this meeting. I will close my remarks with my fervent
hopes that SEAMEO member nations and those concerned in related
countries will carry out dialogues and mutually learn from each
other, and that education, science and culture in the region develop
further in the years ahead. |
| Thank you. |
