Her Excellency Sara Z Duterte, Vice President and Secretary of Education of the Republic of the Philippines, and SEAMEO Council President continued to emphasise the power of cooperation and collaboration towards unity and stability in Southeast Asia during her official visits to Malaysia and Cambodia on 13 February and 21 March 2024, respectively. The visits, which included a courtesy call to her education counterparts and a visit to SEAMEO Centres, are part of her role as SEAMEO Council President to strengthen the partnership between and among SEAMEO Member Countries.

On 13 February 2024, VP Sara visited Malaysia and met with the Minister of Education of Malaysia, Her Excellency Fadhlina binti Sidek  where they shared the gains and challenges of each country, particularly on digital education, as well as ideas on how to further improve their respective education systems. Together, the two ministers visited TROPMED Malaysia and learned about the programmes and projects of the SEAMEO Centre specialising in microbiology, parasitology, and entomology. They were also able to learn from the programmes and activities of SEAMEO Centres in Malaysia such as the Space Education Hub of SEAMEO RECSAM and the Inclusive Open Educational Resources (IOER) of SEAMEO SEN. VP Sara lauded the initiatives of the centres in supporting the region in science and maths education, inclusive education, and tropical medicine and believed that the Philippines can learn from their effective practices.

VP Sara also visited the Setapak Vocational College of Home Science, a technical and vocational institution. VP Sara looked at the different programmes offered by the college such as fashion design, culinary arts, and early childhood development and care. VP Sara highlighted in particular how the Philippines can learn from the early childhood and development programme of Setapak Vocational College of Home Science.

On the same visit, Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim introduced the ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls Education (SAGE) Programme, a programme co-led by SEAMEO Secretariat and British Council, to the two ministers. Both ministers expressed support for the focus on girls and women’s education and skills development.

VP Sara visited Cambodia on 21 March 2024 and met with His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport of Cambodia. They discussed the shared goals in education of Cambodia and the Philippines. VP Sara then met with SEAMEO TED, the SEAMEO regional centre specialising in technical education located in Cambodia. SEAMEO TED presented their programmes and initiatives that benefit the region such as activities that seek to understand the labour market needs for the Industrial Revolution 2.0. VP Sara underscored the role of SEAMEO TED in achieving our Priority Area 4, promoting TVET in the region.

VP Sara also visited Anut Wat Primary School where she observed classes and learned from their effective practices. VP Sara also donated books translated to Khmer language to the school.

In both visits, VP Sara encouraged exchange of ideas to build bridges and strengthen the foundations of education systems among SEAMEO Member Countries. She also emphasised the role of SEAMEO Centres whose expertise are crucial in supporting the development and implementation of policies, programmes, and projects of the SEAMEO Member Countries.