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 |
| I. | INTRODUCTION | |||
The
41st Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)
Council Conference was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education
of the Republic of Singapore and the SEAMEO Secretariat. The Conference
was held at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore from
22 to 23 March 2006. |
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As
agreed upon at the Bangkok Ministerial Retreat on 19 August 2005,
prior to the opening of the 41st SEAMEC, the Council Members first
convened the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (ASED) on 21 March
2006, with the ASEAN Secretary General and the SEAMEO Secretariat
Director in attendance. |
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The
agenda of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference included the Ministerial
Policy Forum on the theme “Quality in Education – Responding
to National Development Priorities”, school visits and related
socio-cultural events. The Awarding Ceremonies for the 2005 SEAMEO-Jasper
Research Awards, the 2005 SEAMEO Australia Press Awards and the
SEAMEO Service Awards for FY 2004/2005 were held during the Welcome
Dinner hosted by H E Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Appendix 1
shows the Agenda and General Programme for the 41st SEAMEO Council
Conference. |
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A
total of 130 participants attended the Conference, among them representatives
of the 10 SEAMEO Member States, the newly-proclaimed Member State
of Timor-Leste, Associate Member Countries, and Observers from the
ASEAN Secretariat, the Kingdom of Spain, international organizations,
partner institutions, SEAMEO Regional Centres and Network and the
SEAMEO Secretariat. The Directory of Participants is given in Appendix
2. |
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| II. | OPENING CEREMONIES | |||
The
Opening Ceremonies for the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference were held
on 22 March 2006 at the Canning Ballroom of the Raffles City Convention
Centre from 0900 to 1000 hrs. His Excellency Prof J S Jayakumar,
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, delivered the
keynote address. |
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| 1) | Welcome
Address by His Excellency Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education,
Singapore |
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H
E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, as Host Minister, delivered the Opening
Address. He noted that since its establishment, SEAMEO has made
significant contributions towards raising the standard of education
in Southeast Asia and promoting regional understanding. Promotion
of regional cooperation in education and culture thus serves as
a foundation for the socio-economic development in the region. Therefore,
SEAMEO can be a conduit of good ideas that have been tried and tested
in member countries. As the countries share, collaborate and learn
from one another, they can achieve more together than each can do
on its own. |
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The
Minister anticipated that the inaugural ASEAN Education Ministers
Meeting, held back-to-back with the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference,
would create greater synergy between the two organisations in meeting
their common objective of enhancing education in the region. |
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He
reported the productive discussion of the ASEAN Education Ministers
during the meeting and dinner prior to the opening of the 41st SEAMEC,
with the ministers engaging in a candid exchange of views that raised
a number of useful ideas. |
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The
full text of Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s Opening Address
is given on Appendix 3.1. |
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| 2) | Opening Address by His Excellency Prof Dr Nguyen Minh Hien, Minister of Education and Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and President of SEAMEO Council |
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The
Head of the Delegation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H E
Prof Dr Tran Van Nhung, Vice Minister of Education and Training,
delivered the Opening Address on behalf of H E Prof Dr Nguyen Minh
Hien, who could not attend because of urgent government meetings.
He conveyed the greetings, gratitude and appreciation of his Minister
for the support given to SEAMEO by the Governments and People of
the Member Countries, Associate Member Countries and other friends
and partners as well as the friendships, hospitality and honor extended
to him on his official visits as SEAMEO Council President. |
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The
Minister recalled the discussions at the 40th SEAMEO Council Conference
in Hanoi in 2005 that underlined the need for measures to develop
high quality human resources, while preserving the traditional values
and cultures of the region. He expressed the hope that, under the
new SEAMEO Council President, the Ministers would continue to cooperate,
shoulder to shoulder, for the brighter future of the children under
their care. |
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| H E Prof Dr Tran Van Nhung’s Opening Address is on Appendix 3.2. | ||||
| 3) | Keynote
Address by His Excellency Prof S Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister,
Republic of Singapore |
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His
Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore,
welcomed the entry of Timor-Leste as an opportunity for enriching
the cultural diversity of the region and for stimulating greater
regional cooperation. |
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He
reviewed the recent economic growth of Southeast Asia and its potential
for continued progress because of its natural resources and its
young, dynamic population. The region, in his view, was now better
placed to achieve the aspirations expressed in the 11th ASEAN Summit
held in Kuala Lumpur last year for greater regional integration.
|
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Through
the Summit, which instituted the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting
as a regular event, the ASEAN leaders can now more effectively work
towards the goal of building ASEAN as a Socio-Cultural Community. |
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The
Deputy Prime Minister noted that Southeast Asia’s strategic
position allows it to build strong ties with India and China, with
which it has had strong historic and cultural connections. Cooperation
in education and people-to-people links, though often a low-profile
activity, was equally vital in enhancing regional understanding. |
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The
Deputy Prime Minister also underscored the need to inculcate in
young people core values, such as respect and understanding of other
people’s culture, heritage and religion to maintain peace
and stability in the region. Racial, cultural and religious diversity
across the region should be a source of strength, rather than a
cause for conflict. |
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His
Excellency noted that SEAMEO’s success has been based on a
spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding and respect among Member
and Associate Member Countries, manifested through training programmes
and projects organised by its network of centres that have helped
raise education standards of Member Countries and contributed to
the economic development of the region. Thousands of students, teachers
and officials have benefited from a better understanding of the
region through their participation in SEAMEO programmes. |
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| H E Prof J S Jayakumar’s Keynote Address is shown in Appendix 3.3. | ||||
| 4) | Proclamation
of Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste as SEAMEO Member |
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On
behalf of the SEAMEO Council President, H E Prof Dr Tran Van Nhung,
Vice Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam read the Proclamation
admitting Timor-Leste as SEAMEO Member Country. The proclamation
was followed by the ceremonial entrance of the Colours of the Democratic
Republic of Timor-Leste, joining the ranks of the SEAMEO Member
and Associate Member Country flags and the playing of Timor-Leste’s
National Anthem.
|
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| 5) | Remarks
by H E Mr Armindo Maia, Minister of Education and Culture, Democratic
Republic of Timor-Leste |
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In
his Statement, Minister Armindo Maia recalled the openness, friendship
and support that Timor-Leste has received from SEAMEO Member Countries
starting from its very first participation as an observer in Manila
in 2003. |
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He
thanked H E Prof Dr Nguyen Minh Hien, for making possible Timor-Leste’s
accession to full membership during his presidency. He also expressed
gratitude to the Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat, Dr Edilberto
de Jesus, for supporting Timor-Leste’s desire to become a
SEAMEO member since its first participation in Manila, on his invitation,
both on a personal level and in his capacity as the incumbent SEAMEO
President. |
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The
Minister said Timor-Leste is the youngest country in Southeast Asia
and the world. It was also the poorest in Asia, with an adult literacy
rate under 50 percent. More than 20 percent of the primary school-age
children still do not have access to a school, a situation aggravated
by high repetition and drop-out rates. Improvements in the secondary
level still fall short in terms of quality, a problem that tertiary
education also faces. |
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Despite
this gloomy picture, he said Timor-Leste has made significant progress
in the last few years, citing the commendation from the UNDP 2005
Human Development Report for achievements in the social indicators
that allowed the country to jump ahead of 18 other countries. |
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To
achieve the goal of Education for All, Timor-Leste is providing
free education at the primary and secondary levels. School grants
and school meals are being piloted, and are expected to cover all
the primary schools in two to three years. There is also a nationwide
adult literacy campaign, targeting the rural population in order
to eliminate illiteracy in the next five years. |
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The
text of Minister Armindo Maia’s Statement is shown on Appendix
4.1.15. |
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| III. | PLENARY SESSIONS | |||
The
Plenary Sessions of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference were held
on 22-23 March 2006 at the Padang Ballroom of the Raffles City Convention
Centre. |
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| 1) | Opening
Remarks and Report of the President, SEAMEO Council and Pro Tempore
Chair of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference |
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As
Head of the Vietnamese Delegation, H E Vice Minister Tran Van Nhung
served as Pro Tempore Chair on behalf of the SEAMEO Council President
and opened the Plenary Session. The Report of the SEAMEO Council
President was presented for the Council’s information. |
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The
video presentation outlined the SEAMEO Council President’s
activities during his incumbency. The Council President promoted
regional cooperation in education, science and culture, as highlighted
by his visits to all SEAMEO Regional Centres and SEAMEO Member Countries.
The text of the remarks delivered by HE Prof Dr Tran Van Nhung is
in Appendix 4.1. |
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| 2) | Awarding
of the Vietnam Friendship Medal to the SEAMEO Regional Language
Centre (RELC) |
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H
E Vice Minister Tran Van Nhung concluded his presentation by awarding
the Friendship Medal of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the
SEAMEO Regional Language Centre (RELC) in recognition of the Centre’s
achievements in promoting education through its services to the
region. The Friendship Medal is bestowed by the Vietnamese Government
for the outstanding contributions made and the friendship extended
to Vietnam. |
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Ms
Tay Sor Har, Centre Director of SEAMEO RELC, received the award. |
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The
text of the remarks delivered by H E Prof Dr Tran Van Nhung is in
Appendix 4.2. |
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| 3) | Election
of the SEAMEO Council President and Chairperson of the 41st SEAMEO
Council Conference |
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H
E Dr Fe A Hidalgo, Acting Secretary, Department of Education of
the Philippines nominated H E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister
for Education of Singapore as President of the SEAMEO Council and
Chair of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference. H E Mr Im Sethy, Secretary
of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, seconded
the motion. |
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H
E Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was unanimously elected SEAMEO
Council President and Chair of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference. |
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| 4) | Election
of the SEAMEO Council Vice President and the Vice Chairperson of
the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference |
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H
E Dr Chaturon Chaisang, Minister of Education of Thailand, proposed
H E Prof Dr Bambang Sudibyo, Minister of National Education of Indonesia
for election as SEAMEO Council Vice President and Vice Chair of
the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference. H E Brig Gen Aung Myo Min, Deputy
Minister for Education of Myanmar seconded the nomination. |
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H
E Minister Bambang Sudibyo was unaninmously elected as Vice President
of the SEAMEO Council and Vice Chair of the 41st SEAMEO Council
Conference. |
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| 5) | Presentation
of Testimonial Plaque to the Outgoing SEAMEO Council President |
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Before
taking the Chair of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference, H E Minister
Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented the Outgoing President of the SEAMEO
Council with the Testimonial Plaque in appreciation of his services
and accomplishments as President of the SEAMEO Council. |
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H
E Vice Minister Tran Van Nhung received the Testimonial Plaque on
behalf of the H E Minister Nguyen Minh Hien. |
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| 6) | Remarks of the Newly-Elected Council President and Chairperson | |||
In
his acceptance speech, H E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister of
Education, Singapore, thanked the Council for its trust in electing
him as Council President. |
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H
E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam thanked the outgoing SEAMEO Council
President, H E Professor Dr Nguyen Minh Hien, Minster of Education
and Training, Vietnam, for his important and effective contribution
during his presidency. H E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam also congratulated
H E Prof Dr Bambang Sudibyo, Minister of National Education, Indonesia,
for being elected Vice President of SEAMEO Council. He welcomed
Timor-Leste on becoming the 11th SEAMEO Member and thanked the support
that had been given by the SEAMEO Associate Member and donor countries. |
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| 7) | Adoption of the Agenda and Programme | |||
The
Chair called for comments on the agenda and programme as proposed
by the SEAMEO Secretariat. There being no amendments proposed, the
agenda and programme presented for the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference
was adopted (Appendix 1). |
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| 8) | Opening Statements | |||
The
Heads of the Delegations of SEAMEO Member States, Associate Members
and some Observer Delegations were invited to deliver their Opening
Statements. |
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H
E Dato’ Sri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister of Education
of Malaysia, was invited to deliver his Opening Statement, which
placed on record, on behalf of the other Council Members, their
appreciation for the leadership and exemplary accomplishments of
the outgoing Council President, H E Nguyen Minh Hien, during his
incumbency. His Excellency also presented the congratulations and
warm wishes of the Council on the election of H E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam
as President of the Council and Chair of the 41st SEAMEO Council
Conference. On behalf of the SEAMEO Council, His Excellency also
expressed thanks for the gracious hospitality extended by the Government
of Singapore in hosting the Conference and for the presence of H
E Prof S Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore
to officiate at the Opening Ceremonies of the 41st SEAMEO Council
Conference. |
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At
the invitation of the Chair, the Heads of Delegations of the following
SEAMEO Member and Associate Member Countries gave their Opening
Statements: |
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| i) | Australia:
Ms Janet Gough-Watson Counsellor (Education, Science & Training) The Australian Embassy, Bangkok |
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| ii) | Brunei
Darussalam: H E Pengiran Dato’ Seri Setia Dr Haji
Mohammad bin Pg Hj Abdul Rahman Deputy Minister of Education |
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| iii) | Cambodia:
H E Mr Im Sethy Secretary of State Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport |
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| iv) | Canada:
Mr George Molloy Director, International Programme and Special Projects Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) |
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| v) | France:
Mr Antoine Mynard Attaché for Science and Higher Education The French Embassy, Singapore |
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| vi) | Indonesia:
H E Prof Dr Bambang Sudibyo Minister of National Education |
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| vii) | Lao
PDR: H E Prof Dr Bosengkham Vongdara Acting Minister of Education (written statement circulated) |
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| viii) | Malaysia:
H E Dato’ Sri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Minister of Education |
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| ix) | Myanmar:
H E Brig Gen Aung Myo Min Deputy Minister for Education |
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| x) | New
Zealand: Mr Paul Lister Policy Manager, International Division Ministry of Education |
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| xi) | Norway:
Mr Dankert Vedeler Deputy Director General Ministry of Education and Research |
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| xii) | Philippines:
H E Dr Fe A Hidalgo Undersecretary, Officer-in-Charge Department of Education |
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| xiii) | Singapore:
H E Mr Gan Kim Yong Minister of State for Education and Manpower |
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| xiv) | Thailand:
H E Mr Chaturon Chaisang Minister of Education |
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| xv) | Timor-Leste:
H E Mr Armindo Maia Minister of Education and Culture |
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| xvi) | Vietnam:
H E Prof Dr Tran Van Nhung Deputy Minister of Education and Training |
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| Invited Opening Statements | ||||
At
the invitation of the Chair, the following Observers gave their
Opening Statements: |
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| i) | Spain: | Mr
Vicente F Valverde Counsellor of Education Representing the Ministry of Education and Science, Spain) |
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| ii) | ASEAN Secretariat: | Mr Ong Keng Yong Secretary-General of ASEAN |
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| iii) | UNESCO/Bangkok: | Dr Sheldon Shaeffer Director |
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| The full texts of the Statements are shown on Appendix 4. | ||||
The
Chair took note of the main points underlined by the Council Members
and Observers in their Opening Statements. He focused on two thematic
issues that appeared to reflect the core concerns of the conference
participants: (1) education for social harmony, celebrating diversity
and promoting the development of a responsible citizenry and (2)
expanding access to quality education to address the needs of the
disadvantaged sectors of society including the poor, children with
disabilities, those living in the rural areas, and cultural minorities.
These two broad areas reflected the core common concerns of the
Ministries of Education in the region. The Associate Members and
Observers reaffirmed their support for SEAMEO Member Countries in
widening educational access to all sectors of society. |
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| 9) | Confirmation
of the Ad Referendum Resolutions of the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference
(MC-41/WP/1 to WP/12 & WP/17) |
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The
Chair recalled to the Council the working papers presented by referendum.
These working papers were endorsed by the 28th SEAMEO High Officials
Meeting for information and approval at the 41st SEAMEO Council
Conference. The SEAMEO Secretariat has received recommendations
from the Member States for resolutions to be adopted as endorsed
by the 28th High Officials Meeting. |
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With
no comments and calls for further discussion from individual Council
Members on the working documents, the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference
adopted the resolutions as endorsed. |
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| 10) | Integrated
Report on the Annual Accomplishments of SEAMEO Centres/Units FY2004/2005
(MC-41/WP/13) |
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| The Integrated Report was presented by multi-media. | ||||
The
41st SEAMEO Council Conference took note of the Integrated Report
on the Annual Accomplishments of the SEAMEO Centres/Units for FY
2004/2005. |
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| 11) | Progress
Report on Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation and Disaster Preparedness
(MC-41/WP/14) |
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The
Director of SEAMEO SEAMOLEC, the Director of SEAMEO TROPMED Philippines
and the Deputy Coordinator of SEAMEO TROPMED Network, presented
the actions taken by the SEAMEO Units in accordance with the call
for the Organization’s participation in the relief and rehabilitation
efforts for the December 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami issued by 40th
SEAMEO Council Conference. |
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SEAMEO
SEAMOLEC and the SEAMEO TROPMED Network were designated as the lead
agencies in coordinating SEAMEO’s assistance. In response
to the Council’s call to focus efforts on ensuring disaster
preparedness in schools, the Director of SEAMEO TROPMED Philippines
outlined initiatives in developing capacity for disaster preparedness
and management in schools that it implemented with the support of
partner agencies. |
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The
41st SEAMEO Council Conference expressed appreciation for the efforts
made by the SEAMEO units and the generous assistance extended by
the Governments of the SEAMEO Member and Associate Member Countries
in the rehabilitation efforts. |
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| 12) | SEAMEO
SEAMOLEC Second Five-Year Development Plan (FY2005/2006 to FY2009/2010)
(MC-41/WP/15) |
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The
Director of SEAMEO SEAMOLEC was invited to present the working paper
the SEAMEO SEAMOLEC Second Five-Year Development Plan. The Director
outlined the main goals and programme thrusts of the Five-Year Plan,
emphasizing the programme and administrative improvements being
adopted. It reported the plan for a new building for SEAMOLEC to
be constructed with the generous support of the Indonesian Ministry
of National Education. |
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The
41st SEAMEO Council approved SEAMEO SEAMOLEC Second Five-Year Development
Plan (FY2005/2006 to FY2009/2010) for implementation, and expressed
its thanks for the generous support extended by the Government of
Indonesia, through the Ministry of National Education, to the Centre’s
operations. |
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| 13) | SEAMEO RELC Five-Year Plan FY2007/2011 (MC-41/WP/16) | |||
The
Deputy Director of SEAMEO RELC presented the working paper on the
SEAMEO Centre’s Eighth Five-Year Development Plan covering
FY2007/2008 to FY2010/2011. The presentation provided an overview
of the issues in language education in the region and the Centre’s
programmes and projects that seek to address these regional concerns. |
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The
41st SEAMEO Council Conference approved the SEAMEO RELC Five-Year
Plan FY2007/2011 for implementation. |
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| IV. | CONFERENCE CLOSURE | |||
| 1) | Adoption
of the Joint Statement from the 1st ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting
and 41st SEAMEO Council Conference |
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The
Council reviewed the draft Joint Statement from the First ASEAN
Education Ministers Meeting and the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference.
The Statement was adopted as amended. |
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| The Joint Statement adopted is shown in Appendix 6. | ||||
| 2) | Review
and Adoption of the Provisional Report of the 41st SEAMEO Council
Conference |
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The
41st SEAMEO Council Conference reviewed the Provisional Report and
adopted it as amended. The Chair thanked the Secretariat for its
work in putting together the report. |
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| 3) | Date and Venue for the 42nd SEAMEO Council Conference | |||
H
E Prof Dr Bambang Sudibyo, Minister of National Education of Indonesia
and Vice President of the SEAMEO Council proposed that the 42nd
SEAMEO Council Conference will be held in either Bali or Yogyakarta
in Indonesia in early 2007. He also conveyed Indonesia’s cordial
invitation to all who were present in the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference. |
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The
Indonesian Delegation gave a multimedia presentation on the “Island
Paradise of Bali.” |
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| 4) | Closing Remarks by the President and Chairperson | |||
H
E Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education of Singapore
and President of the SEAMEO Council, highlighted the opportunities
for further cooperation surfaced during the Council deliberations
and the ASEAN Ministers of Education Meeting. In closing the proceedings,
His Excellency thanked all the Council Members for their active
and purposive participation in the First ASEAN Ministers of Education
Meeting and the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference and looked forward
to the opportunity for renewing friendships and continuing the dialogue
in the course of his visits to the SEAMEO Member States during the
year. |
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| V. | ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES | |||
| 1) | Policy
Forum on “Quality in Education - Responding to National Development
Priorities” |
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The
theme of the Forum was introduced through a presentation of the
experiences of Singapore in aligning its education system to meet
the prevailing socio-economic development priorities of the country.
Mr Wong Siew Hoong, Director of Schools, Singapore Ministry of Education,
made the presentation. |
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Singapore’s
educational system passed through four stages: (1) Survival-driven
Education in the 1960s and 1970s, characterized by centralization
and control, (2) Efficiency-driven Education and the beginning of
differentiated autonomy for schools in the 1980s; (3) Ability-driven
Education towards the Thinking Schools of the 1990s; and (4) Quality-driven
Education and the Development of Diverse Talents in the current
decade. |
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In
the ensuing discussion, the Heads of Delegations cited similarities
in the experiences in their respective countries. They noted the
policy and governance reforms prompted by the changing demands of
the learners, society and the requirements of the production sector
for differentiated skills and competencies. Singapore’s case,
it was noted, provides the other countries in the region with the
opportunities to share and reflect on their policies and administrative
responses. The Chair likewise underlined the learning opportunities
afforded by the free and frank exchange among the conference participants.
He acknowledged the advantages that Singapore enjoyed in terms of
its ability to mobilize resources for education, but also noted
the achievements of Member Countries such as Vietnam, in developing
centres of excellence and the impressive results garnered, despite
limited resources. |
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Some
countries underlined the need to further explore the modalities
adopted in developing moral education. A religious orientation that
emphasizes content may fall short of the goal of promoting acceptance
of diversity. A more beneficial approach may be the stronger emphasis
on personal behaviour and the promotion of common ethical standards. |
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Member
Countries also emphasized the importance of leadership among school
administrators as the driver for effective innovations and improved
quality. The application of ICT in education, developing capacities
of the various actors and development of content and software were
also cited. Upgrading of teacher competencies remains a common concern.
The important role of vocational and technical education in supporting
the economic development of a country was underlined. Various pathways
will be explored to facilitate deeper sharing of experiences and
promoting best practices among member countries in vocational and
technical education. |
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Effective
instruction in the mother tongue, especially in countries with diverse
ethnic groups and languages, should be explored as a bridge to learning
the national language and English. Towards this end, cooperation
among the SEAMEO Member Countries and the SEAMEO Units can be explored.
The Ministry of Education of Singapore will explore with SEAMEO
RELC on how these concerns could be studied. |
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On
the development of school leaders, MOE Singapore announced that
fellowships for an international training programme on school leadership
will be offered by the Ministry to participants from the SEAMEO
Member Countries in September 2006. |
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In
closing the Policy Forum, the Chair expressed appreciation for the
active participation of the Council Members and Observer Delegations
in the Policy Forum which proved not only mutually enriching but
served to spur further collaborative efforts in responding to common
education development concerns. |
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A
copy of the lead presentation for the Policy Forum is shown in Appendix
7. |
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| 2) | ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting and Dinner | |||
The
First ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (ASED) was held on 21 March
2006 in conjunction with the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference. The
Meeting was attended by the ASEAN Ministers of Education, the ASEAN
Secretary-General and their respective delegations. The Director
of the SEAMEO Secretariat was also in attendance. |
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The
Meeting reviewed and adopted the ASED Terms of Reference, which
would be able to give a strong focus to what ASEAN is doing in education,
and dovetail with other priorities for regional integration. The
Ministers re-affirmed that education plays an important role in
the promotion of regional identity and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural
Community, facilitating inter-cultural and inter-racial understanding
within and among countries. |
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Within
the framework of the ASEAN vision of a cohesive and outward-looking
Community, the ASEAN Education Ministers agreed to support initiatives
towards (1) Strengthening educational resources in the area of ASEAN
studies, (2) Bring together ASEAN students and teachers to engender
the ASEAN consciousness and through such people-to-people interactions
strengthen the bonds that foster ASEAN identity and (3) Initiate
and guide a parallel collaborative process among researchers and
academics of ASEAN Member Countries. |
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| 3) |
Welcome Dinner and Presentation of the SEAMEO Plaques of
Recognition |
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The
Welcome Dinner, hosted by the Singapore Ministry of Education, was
held at the Fullerton Hotel. Aside from the cultural presentations
from selected schools in Singapore, the Welcome Dinner was also
an occasion for H E Tharman Shanmugaratnam, SEAMEO Council President,
to award out plaques of recognition to the winners of the SEAMEO
awards. |
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2005
SEAMEO Jasper Research Award. Mr George Molloy, Director of, International
Programme and Special Projects, Council of Ministers of Education,
Canada (CMEC) presented the award to Prof Dr Nasruddin bin Jaafar
of the Faculty of Community Dentistry of the University of Malaya.
Prof Dr Jaafar’s research, “Evaluation of the “Doctor
Muda” Health Promotion Program in Malaysia,“ was judged
the most outstanding research paper on “Education for a Healthy
Society” which was the theme for the 2005 SEAMEO Jasper Research
Awards. |
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In
presenting the award, Mr Molloy noted that Professor Jaafar’s
model of health education and promotion in primary schools can be
replicated in other countries. The research project’s uniqueness
lies in the fact that the students themselves are empowered to become
peer-to-peer communicators and role models on health issues in the
school community. The full text of presentation speech is shown
in Appendix 5.1. |
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Sixth
SEAMEO-Australia Press Award. Ms Janet Gough-Watson, Education Counsellor
of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, presented the 6th SEAMEO Australian
Press Award to Ms Cheong Yin Fan, Reporter of the Kwong Wah Yit
Poh Press Bhd of Penang, Malaysia. Ms Cheong’s series of articles
entitled “Explore the Ocean Living Series,” was chosen
from journalists’ entries across the region on the theme for
the 6th SEAMEO-Australian Press Award, which was “Education
for Disaster Awareness and Recovery.” |
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Ms.
Watson noted that Ms. Cheong’s series raised relevant issues
as it explored the effects of the 2004 tsunami on the animal kingdom,
calling attention to the need for humans to sense early signals
from marine life and to understand the after-effects of a tsunami
on ecological cycles and natural habitats. These issues have strong
resonance not just within the region but across the world as human
beings now recognize the work that they have to do in solving environmental
challenges that impact on their lives. The full text of the presentation
speech is shown in Appendix 5.2. |
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SEAMEO
Service Awards. The SEAMEO Service Awards recognizes the exemplary
performance of staffmembers of the SEAMEO units for a given year.
In keeping with the decision of the 38th SEAMEO Council Conference
instituting the Service Awards, 16 awardees from the SEAMEO Regional
Centres, Network and Secretariat received their plaques of recognition
from H E Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, SEAMEO Council President.
|
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| 4) | Art and Design Exhibition – Colours of Southeast Asia | |||
Art
and Design Exhibition 2006: Colours of Southeast Asia, organized
by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, displayed more than 100
paintings, sculptures, installations, design products and digital
animation presentation developed by students from the Southeast
Asian countries. It provided a stage for Southeast Asia’s
youth to share the diverse cultures and traditions of the countries
in the region through their works of art and design. |
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| 5) | School Visits | |||
The
delegates were organised into four (4) groups and visited the following
schools and educational institutions: |
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|
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| 6) | Bilateral Meetings | |||
Bilateral
Meetings were held in conjunction with the 41st SEAMEO Council Conference
from 1330 to 1530 hrs on 23 March 2006. Bilateral Meetings were
organised at the hotel venue under the auspices of the Singapore
Ministry of Education. |
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| 7) | Press Conference | |||
In
the press conference, H E Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told the
journalists that the unprecedented SEAMEO and ASEAN meetings were
fruitful and the discussions were productive, as the ministers recognized
diversity as an important issue in education in their agreements
to share experiences in improving school leadership, teaching in
the mother tongue and English and improving secondary education
as a transition to university or vocational and technical training. |
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The
SEAMEO Secretariat Director noted that countries in the region remain
much concerned about the attainment of MDG and EFA targets. This
was a driving force for exploring the use of the mother tongue as
a bridge medium of instruction for cultural communities included
in the last 10% or 15% of the society not yet effectively reached
by the formal educational system. |
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| He reported that the SEAMEO Council expected the enhanced relationship with ASEAN, achieved through the modality of annual back-to-back meetings, to provide greater coherence to the educational initiatives planned and pursued in the region. | ||||
