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
4.3.14 |
Statement by H E Mr Chaturon Chaisang Minister of Education, Thailand |
| Your Excellency
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the SEAMEO Council, Distinguished Members of the Council, Dr Edilberto de Jesus, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat, Mr Ong Keng Yong, Secretary-General of ASEAN Secretariat, SEAMEO Regional Centre Directors, Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, |
It
is indeed a great pleasure for me to be here today. On behalf of
the Ministry of Education, Thailand, I would like to take this opportunity
to extend my warmest congratulations to His Excellency Mr Tharman
Shanmugaratnam Minister of Education of Singapore on assuming the
presidency of SEAMEO Council and the chairmanship of the Forty-first
SEAMEO Council Conference. Under you able leadership, I am confident
that SEAMEO will continue to contribute to human resource development
and a better quality of life in the region. |
| Mr Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen, |
I
myself consider that this Conference is significant in two aspects.
Firstly, we have a new Member and on this occasion, I would like
to welcome Timor-Leste on her new membership to SEAMEO. This means
that SEAMEO now covers all countries in Southeast Asia and becomes
a true regional organization. |
Another
significant aspect of this Conference is the initiative to consolidate
cooperation between the two major organizations in our region, namely
SEAMEO and ASEAN, by organizing the First ASEAN Ministers Meeting
back to back with SEAMEO Conference. In this regard, I would also
like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Dr Edilberto
de Jesus and Mr Ong Keng Yong for their efforts and support in linking
the work of our two organizations so as to enable us to mobilize
essential resources and particular expertise of their organizations
for the benefits of our region. I am sure that this is a good sign
for our countries in terms of educational development as a whole.
|
| Ladies and gentlemen, |
The
Year 2006 has been proclaimed as the Year of Teaching and Learning
Reform in Thailand which aims to reform teaching and learning methodologies
to achieve another level of quality in education. Our objectives
are to possess critical thinking and problem solving skills as well
as to inculcate moral ethical religious values to Thai children.
Key measures include revision of curricula and pedagogical methods,
intensive and specific retraining of teachers on new ways of classroom
management as well as upgrading vocational educational standards
which aim to increase the number of vocational students to serve
the expansion of industrial and community needs. |
We
have also launched the Income Contingent Loan Scheme (ICL) as a
new mechanism to enhance educational opportunities at higher education
level among students from low income families. |
| This is a part of the higher education financial reform. |
At
the heart of educational improvements, however, are our teachers.
The key characteristics of high quality teachers consist in the
following qualifications: commitment, love of children, mastery
of subject didactics and multiple models of teaching, the ability
to collaborate with other teachers, and a capacity for reflection.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and relevant commissions emphasize
factors such as rigorous selection procedures to teacher training
colleges and professional development through pre-service and in-service
training. Incentives such as financial remuneration, career progression
and challenging professional development are other considerations. |
In
recognition of the potentials of the rich cultural diversities which
exist within Thailand and within the ASEAN region, Thailand has
changed our educational policy to give greater priorities to learning
indigenous languages of the different ethnic groups. Teachers are
trained to use mother tongue languages in the classrooms as medium
of instruction and as a bridge to learning the dominant language
of the country . Such approach has resulted in more effective acquisition
of both languages as well as greater pride in the overall cultural
heritage of the different ethnic groups. It is in this area reaching
towards multi cultural harmony that we hope to learn from the accumulated
wisdom of SEAMEO Member Countries. |
The
Ministry of Education of Thailand would like to thank SEAMEO for
its consistent support in human resource development in Southeast
Asia for over 40 years. Thailand is pleased to reaffirm our close
cooperation with SEAMEO and its member countries and associate member
countries as well as other relevant partners to foster better life
and harmony. |
In
closing, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the
Government of Singapore, in particular the Ministry of Education,
for this wonderful hospitality and excellent organization of this
conference. Thailand is pleased to reaffirm its readiness to work
closely with SEAMEO and its members as well as Associate Member
Countries, other donors and partners to promote quality and equity
in education and to foster better life and harmony in the region. |
| Thank you. |
