The two-day meeting brought scholars from several international organisations to share their expertise on the current global and regional situations and trends in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and parenting with the officials from MOEC Indonesia.

The meeting was part of the preparation of the proposed development of a new regional centre to be known as SEAMEO Regional Centre for Early Childhood Education and Parenting (CECEP), which is aimed to be a regional invigorator for early childhood care and education, and parenting skills development for SEAMEO Member Countries.

Present at the meeting were experts; Dr Sheldon Shaeffer, Director of Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC), Dr Mami Umayahara, Chief of the Director ™s Office and Programme Cycle Management Specialist, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, and Dr Chemba Raghavan, Education Programme Specialist, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO).

Also present were Dr Gatot Hari Priowirjanto, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat, Dr Ethel Agnes P Valenzuela, Deputy Director on Programme and Development, SEAMEO Secretariat, Dr Abi Sujak, Director of SEAMEO SEAMOLEC, Prof Dr Triyanta, Director of SEAMEO QITEP in Science, Dr Harris Iskandar, Director General of Early Childhood and Community Education, MOEC, Indonesia, Dr Ella Yulaelawati, Director of Early Childhood Education Development, MOEC, Indonesia, Dr Sukiman, Director of Family Education Development, MOEC, Indonesia, and officials from SEAMEO and MOEC.

Several other related issues and initiatives, including the feasibility study of the SEAMEO CECEP ™s establishment were also discussed. The forthcoming establishment of SEAMEO CECEP is part of SEAMEO ™s effort in fulfilling the new Southeast Asian Seven Priority Areas endorsed by SEAMEO Council to bring the Organisation forward into the future.