Officials meet to discuss education in region

The 35th Seameo (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation) meeting, chaired by Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana, is being attended by more than 100 officials from 20 countries as well as international organisations.
The meeting will discuss several important issues, including the progress made in collaborating to provide education to underprivileged children as well as teaching students to help mitigate damage from disasters and boosting cleanliness.
They will also discuss the creation of an education database, a study on the effectiveness of school management in the region, and Seameo’s strategic plan.
The Seameo-Australia Education Links Award was also launched at the meeting.
In his opening speech, Phongthep said the biggest problem in the region was that many students were dropping out of secondary school and there was not much focus on key subjects. Hence, he said, the ministry had launched policies to help boost teachers’ capabilities, upgrade education through the use of technology, and promote the exchange of educational personnel and students at higher education levels within the region.
He added that the ministry was focusing on developing manpower and trying to link education to work experience by collaborating with industries and entrepreneurs to improve vocational education.
Phongthep also presented the Seameo-Japan ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) Award to outstanding schools in the region for teaching young people how to help mitigate natural disasters. The top prize went to a school in Myanmar, followed by the Philippines and Indonesia.
A small school in Thailand also won a special award.
The two-day seventh Asean Senior Officials Meeting on Education and Asean+3 Senior Officials Meeting on Education will convene as soon as this meeting wraps up today.