Bangkok, Thailand. The SEAMEO Executive Committee (EC) Meeting was held on 21 August 2020 virtually on the timely leadership of Malaysia as SEAMEO Council President. Datuk Yusran Shah bin Mohd Yusof, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Malaysia, led the five-country executive committee represented by Yang Mulia Dr Shamsiah Zuraini Kanchanawati Binti Haji Tajuddin, Permanent Secretary (Core Education) of MOE, Brunei Darussalam, Dr Evy Mulyani, Head of Bureau of Cooperation and Public Relations of MOEC Indonesia, Mr Lai Chun Han, Permanent Secretary of MOE Singapore, and Prof Dr Pham Quang Hung, Director-General of MOET Vietnam. The SEAMEO Executive Committee Meeting 2020 plays a crucial role in providing advice to the High Officials on the overall thrusts and efforts of the SEAMEO Units, as well as setting directions and making recommendations on the management of the SEAMEO Secretariat.

During the meeting, the Chairman commended SEAMEO for facing the COVID-19 challenges head on by offering innovative and appropriate solutions to shift from conventional practices to a more inclusive and advanced approach to implement its objective for education in the region.  He cited the webinars, e-forums, lecture series and other innovations that show the proactiveness of SEAMEO and hoped that the outcomes of these activities could be shared with partners who are seeking similar solutions.

 

 

The Chairman also cited the Joint Statement of the SEAMEO Ministerial Policy e-Forum on COVID-19 Response held on 18 June 2020 as SEAMEO’s immediate response to the pandemic. The Education Ministers have identified key focus areas for the future of education for the region: encompassing efforts to enhance the capacity of teachers through technology-mediated and alternative learning modalities, fostering a learning environment that is quick to respond to disruption, sustaining the development and advancement of knowledge resources, and developing strategic partnerships and alliances to ensure adequate political commitment and investment in education. The Chairman expressed his hope for these broad ideas to be translated into effective region-wide programmes and projects.

 

 

The agenda of the SEAMEO Executive Committee Meeting 2020  include reports and updates on the past and on-going programmes, the SEAMEO Strategic Plan 2021-2030, SEAMEO Secretariat Financial Status, and SEAMEO Secretariat’s Performance Survey. The following agenda items were also presented:

• Renaming of position titles in the organisational structure
• Inter-Centre Collaboration Programmes;
• Amendments to the SEAMEO Secretariat Staff Rules and Regulations
• SEAMEO COVID-19 Accessible and Responsive Education Support (SEAMEO CARES) Fund
• The formation of the Technical Working Committee to review the SEAMEO Charter
• SEAMEO Congress 2021

 

 

During the meeting, the SEAMEO Secretariat also sought the advice and recommendations of the Executive Committee Members in mobilizing the SEAMEO Strategic Plan 2021-2030. The SEAMEO Executive Committee Members provided valuable advice and directions for SEAMEO to achieve the goal of SEAMEO Strategic Plan 2021-2030 and strengthen SEAMEO’s role as the region’s leader in education, science, and culture.

Since 2009, a total of 11 SEAMEO EC Meetings and three Special SEAMEO EC Meetings have been held, including the selection of candidates for SEAMEO Secretariat Directorship, guidelines on SEAMEO Affiliate Membership application, Guidelines on SEAMEO Council Conference, amendments to the SEAMEO Charter, consultation on financial matters, and implementation of the SEAMEO initiatives. The SEAMEO Executive Committee Meeting 2020 has been successfully conducted through productive discussions, approval of the submitted reports and proposals, and provision of timely advice and recommendations for the management of SEAMEO Secretariat.