ASEAN COMMUNITY AND
SEAMEO’S EDUCATION AGENDA: TOWARDSACHIEVING SDGSBy
Dr Ethel Agnes P Valenzuela
Deputy Director for Programme and Development

Outline of Presentation
Context

SDG 4

ASEAN
Community

The
SEAMEO
Education
AgendaChallengesand Way
ForwardSEAMEO•The Southeast Asian Ministersof Education Organization(SEAMEO)• is a regional inter-governmental organization
established in 1965 among
governments of Southeast
Asian countries to promote
cooperation in education,science and culture in theSoutheast Asian region.

SEAMEO Member Countries
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Indonesia
Lao PDR

Malaysia
MyanmarPhilippines
Singapore

Thailand
Timor-Leste
VietnamSEAMEO’s mandate•9EducationScience andMathematicsCulture• 10•2ASEAN Vision
A concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward
looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity,
bonded together in partnership in dynamic
development and in a community of caring
societies

Thinking Globally, Prospering Regionally!

EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFULTOOL TO MAKE GREAT THINGSHAPPEN IN ASEAN

Post Education For All 2015 Review• In 2012 -2013 - SEAMEO Secretariat has conducted astudy on the foresight of education in Southeast Asia
• In 2014 – SEAMEO Executive Committee (ExeCOM)andHigh Officials Meeting (HOM) endorsed the Synthesis
study to the Ministers of Education for approval• SEAMEO Strategic Dialogue of Ministers (SDEM) held on
Sept 2014 in Vientiane Laos deliberated on the SEAMEO
7 Priority Agenda/ Education Agenda• SEAMEO Council approved the Agenda for 2015-2035 &five recommendations.

SEAMEO’s Strategic Dialogue for Education
Ministers (2014, 2016)

SEAMEO Education Agenda
EarlyChildhood
Care andEducation

SEAMEO

Adopting a
21st Century
Curriculum

Addressing Barriers toInclusion
Resiliency inthe Face ofEmergency

Priority AreasPromoting
TVET

Revitalising
Teacher
Education
Promoting Harmonisation inHigh Education and ResearchSDG 4 and SEAMEO Education Agenda Roadmap

ActionRoadmap of
the 7 Priority
AgendaLinking theseven Priority
Areas with thecurriculum andmoving towards
globalcitizenship.

Promotingteachers andschool leaders’competency
standards in
SEAMEO
MemberCountries.

Utilisation of the 21
SEAMEO Centres as themechanism to implement
the seven Priority Areas at
the national, regional leveland beyond, andsynergising with ASEAN.

Mobilising and sharingof knowledge, skills
and best practices
among SEAMEOMember Countries,
namely in the areas ofTVET, English
proficiency skills,
digital competencies,
21st Century andemployability skills.

Involvementof parents inthe education
systemthrough the“partneringwith parents”
initiatives tofoster
commonunderstanding
on quality
education to
the parents inthe educationof theirchildren.

Strategic Dialogue for Education Ministers(April 2016)
SDEM 2
discussed about
the UN SDG 4 "Ensure inclusive
and equitable
qualityeducation andpromote lifelong
learning
opportunities forall"

SEAMEO’s mandate & its Centres

Education

Science andMathematics

Culture•9• 10•2

SEAMEO Seven Priority Areas
Action Agenda (2016-2020)

SEAMEO Targets

Achieving universal
pre-primary education
for all by 2035

Addressing barriers toinclusion and access tobasic learning
opportunities throughinnovation in
educational deliveries

Preparing schoolleaders, teachers,
students and local
communities inmanaging andmaintaining thedelivery of education
services during
emergencies such asconflicts, extreme
weather and natural
disasters

Promoting TVET among
learners, teachers andparents with more
visible investments andrelevant curricula that
focus on creativity andinnovation with a clear
pathway to lifelong
learning, higher
education and regional
labours skills andlearners mobility

Making teaching apriority of choiceprofession throughcomprehensive ,strategic, and practicebased reforms ofteacher managementand development
systems

Institutional –level
harmonization taking
place with Member
Countries investing instrengthening higher
education institutions
with each HEI
determining theirneeds supported byresearch in order topromote quality
standards and mobility

Pursuing radical reform
through systematic
analysis of knowledge,
skills, and values
needed to effectively
respond to changing
global contexts and theregional needsdeveloping teachers
imbued with ASEAN
deals in building ASEAN
community

SEAMEO’S STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FOR
SDG4 (UNESCO & UNICEF)

The SDG 4 Agenda•

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free,equitable and quality primary and secondary education
leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes•

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access toquality early childhood development, care and pre-primaryeducation so that they are ready for primary education•

By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men toaffordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary
education, including university•

By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth andadults who have relevant skills, including technical andvocational skills, for employment, decent jobs andentrepreneurship

The SDG 4 Agenda•••

5. By 2030, eliminate gender disparities ineducation and ensure equal access to all levels ofeducation and vocational training for the vulnerable,
including persons with disabilities, indigenous
peoples and children in vulnerable situations
6.By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial
proportion of adults, both men and women,achieve literacy and numeracy
7. By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire theknowledge and skills needed to promotesustainable development, including, among others,
through education for sustainable development andsustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality,
promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence,
global citizenship and appreciation of cultural
diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable
development

The SDG 4 Agenda•

4.A Build and upgrade education facilities that are child,disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments forall•

4.B By 2020, substantially expand globally the number ofscholarships available to developing countries, inparticular least developed countries, small island
developing States and African countries, for enrolment inhigher education, including vocational training andinformation and communications technology, technical,engineering and scientific programmes, in developed
countries and other developing countries•

4.C By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified
teachers, including through international cooperation forteacher training in developing countries, especially least
developed countries and small island developing states

Ministers 2016 Statement on SEAMEO
Priority Areas and SDG 4• …The need to move beyond one’s national boundaries,
thinking as Southeast Asians, solving common
problems while building on individual country’sstrengths• … To address shared concerns on early childhood
education, technical and vocational training, lifelong
learning and keeping the child at the centre ofinterventions• …. To recognise that public engagement is very
important to the success of educational programmes
and reforms

Action Agenda 2017-2020• Increase regional inter-school collaboration for 21st century learning;• Speed up diffusion of quality education between and among countries
though multilateral partnerships;• Promote innovation in teaching and learning to help bring backchildren to schools, reaching the most marginalized;• Promote technology in SEA and accelerate access to education ofundocumented children, children affected by disasters, and use CSRs inincreasing educational access;• Promote literacy and nutrition , initiating school gardening andinnovation, adopting partner schools to accelerate development;• Support assessment through SEA PLM – measuring literacy, numeracy,writing and global citizenship for grade 5 student; and• Engage and professionalize educators and instill professional
competence and develop capacity to nurture, and inspire children

OnlineTest/Exercise

OnlineSeminarTeacher &StudentMobility

OnlineTraining

Teacher
Attachment
program

E-Collaborative
Learning

Internship
ProgramContent Mobility

OnlineLectureStudentexchangeCollaboration 21 SEAMEO Centres

35 Primary Schools
15 Lower Secondary Schools>70
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,Malaysia, Myanmar, Philipines, Thailand,
Timor Leste, Vietnam

50-70<50Partnership with the University ofTsukuba• Collaborative work on Lesson Study with SEAMEO
Centres and partner Universities• Capacity Building and staff exchange in researchand innovation• Research and publication• Joint- conference (face to face; blended or virtual)• Strengthening ASEAN values for Asean Integration

Challenges
SDG 4
 “Ambitious, holistic, comprehensive

SEAMEO Agenda• overflow of innovative
and aspirational agenda” which
requires adequate financial support
ideas and exciting
and resources
activities• Resources (manpower  Need for more advocacy on SDG 4,to include national (MOEs),and financial)regional organizations and Intergovernmental organizations.
• Making everything
happen (targeting and  Capacity building for education
sector planning, SDG indicators
expansion and more…)
development, development,monitoring, and reportingWay Forward• MOE SEAMEO Agenda Planning (3-year joint
planning sessions)• Upscalling good practices in SEAMEO’s Reaching
the Unreached Projects• Reaching the targets side-by-side with theSEAMEO Centres, Associate Members andPartners (UT)• Ministerial support and commitment• Partnership, partnership and partnership

THANK YOU
ethel@seameo.org