Final
Report: 41st SEAMEO Council Conference
The Swissotel the Stamford
Republic of Singapore
22-23 March 2006
The Swissotel the Stamford
Republic of Singapore
22-23 March 2006
Proceedings
Contents |
| Proceedings |
| Appendices |
Appendix
4.3.13 |
Statement by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower, Singapore |
| Mr Chairman, Your Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, |
First,
I join my Minister of Education in extending a very warm welcome
to all of you to Singapore. I hope your participation in the Conference,
and your stay in Singapore will be an enriching and pleasant experience. |
| Economic Challenges of the 21st Centre |
The
collective efforts of the Southeast Asian countries, through multilateral
fora like SEAMEO and ASEAN, have brought about much progress and
development in the region. In particular, SEAMEO has made important
contributions over the last 40 years in bringing together countries
of the region and in raising the overall standards of our education. |
Education
plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of every nation.
However, education also needs to continually evolve to meet the
changing needs of our countries and the region. |
The
world is rapidly changing. Fuelled by technological advances, we
are entering a phase of economic growth that is increasingly globalised,
knowledge-based and innovation-driven. The new economy requires
new skills and attitudes. Our young need to develop a global mindset
in order to thrive in the global economy. To do well in the future,
they will need more than just skills and knowledge, they will also
need imagination and passion. They will need to have the courage
to push boundaries and the desire to explore new horizons. They
must have the determination to overcome obstacles and setbacks. |
Helping
our young acquire such skills and attitudes requires first a change
in the way that we organise our education systems and our schools.
In order to nurture our students to be innovators and to develop
their diverse talents, our schools first have to be innovators themselves.
We have to re-examine what governance systems and processes that
we can put in place to help our schools customise and differentiate
their programmes to nurture the diverse talents. |
| Social Challenges of the 21st Century |
Besides
the economic challenges, we must not forget that education also
has an important role in addressing the social needs of our societies,
and in particular, the social impact of globalisation. While globalisation
has made the world smaller, it could also polarise societies and
undermine social cohesion. Inequalities of income and wealth, brought
about by economic growth favouring knowledge workers, can weaken
our social fabric. |
The
recent incidents over the caricatures of religious leaders in the
West serve to underline what the lack of racial and cultural understanding
can lead to, not just within societies, but also across societies.
The lessons from these events are especially relevant for Southeast
Asia, given the multi-ethnic make-up of many of the countries in
the region. |
As
our young adopt a global mindset, it is imperative that they remain
grounded in strong values, values that emphasises community spiritedness,
mutual understanding and respect, and a sense of responsibility
to the society and country. The spirit of social responsibility
has to be nurtured from young to prepare them for a lifetime of
active and responsible citizenship. Education plays an important
role in helping our societies meet these challenges. |
SEAMEO,
as a grouping of regional countries and with participation from
associate members from around the world, offers an ideal platform
for us to exchange ideas and experiences in addressing these challenges.
Through the training programmes, projects and exchanges organised
by its 15 centres and networks, SEAMEO can help to level up the
education standards in the region, as well as enhance the cultural
understanding and flexibility among students, educators and policy
makers in Southeast Asia, thereby promoting peace and development
in the region. |
I
am glad to note that for our conference this year, there will be
a policy forum on how our education systems should evolve to meet
the changing socio-economic priorities of each country. I think
this discussion is timely and useful. I look forward to sharing
Singapore’s experiences, and also to learn from other members’
experiences. |
| Conclusion |
Mr
Chairman, SEAMEO has made good progress in the past 40 years. Moving
forward, SEAMEO must continue to keep abreast of developments in
the region and beyond, and to understand the needs of member countries,
so as to develop programmes that continue to be useful and relevant. |
With
the commitment of the SEAMEO Ministers and the Associate Members,
as well as the wealth of expertise and knowledge in the 15 SEAMEO
centres and networks, I am confident that SEAMEO will be able to
bring regional collaborations to a new plane. |
Finally,
let me take this opportunity to also thank the SEAMEO Secretariat
for their efforts in preparing for this Conference. |
| I look forward to a fruitful discussion at this afternoon. |
| Thank you. |
