'Education key to brighter Asean future'
EDUCATION and teaching standards are the key factors to unite the Asean Community and prepare it for the world stage, former Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said. Pointing to rote-learning practised in most Asean countries, he said they should inst
“Education will help Asean youths respect the economic, social, cultural and educational differences and thus unite the Asean Community. Good education will turn them into good-quality citizens who can help boost the region’s competitiveness,” he said.
He added that it was necessary for teachers to help children learn how to think, analyse as well as teach them how to find answers on their own. “We must dare to dream and learn to share because nobody can live alone,” he said.
Surin was speaking at the Princess Maha Chakri Award Ceremony held last Friday by the Princess Maha Chakri Award Foundation, the Education Ministry’s Teachers’ Council of Thailand and Quality Learning Foundation.
He also said the Asean Community’s motto is “unity despite differences” and the mission is to invest in research and development for innovations to boost the region’s bargaining power.
“The new generation cannot follow these missions if they don’t understand them,” he added.
He said studies by agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank had pointed out that Asean could find itself in a tough spot in the near future if it does not invest more in research and development.
Currently, Asean countries invest less than 2 per cent of their gross domestic product in developing science and technology.
