HA NOI, 12 NOVEMBER 2020 – The 8th annual meeting of theASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, ROK) Countries Working Group on Student Mobility and Quality Assurance of Higher Education (8th APTWG) took place virtually in Ha Noi on 12 November. The meeting provided a platform for ASEAN Member States (AMS) and Plus Three Countries to reflect upon the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the higher education sector.
Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) hosted the meeting. Meanwhile, Director General Dr. Pham Quang Hung and Prof. Yuto Kitamura from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, chaired and co-chaired the meeting respectively.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc of MOET Viet Nam commended APTWG members for working hard to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on cross-border student mobility. He also underscored the urgency to promote new modalities of student mobility that are adaptive to shocks and crises.
As with the rest of the education sector, the fallout from COVID-19 for higher education is dramatic. International student mobility has been disrupted due to widespread travel restrictions and university closures.
A sharing of experiences amongst ASEAN Plus Three countries revealed that higher education institutions responded quickly by shifting classes online and implementing blended, flipped or hybrid learning models.
Support to students such as loans and emergency financial assistance, tuition fee exemptions, scholarships, daily health monitoring, and access to internet and digital devices were extended. Virtual career fairs, as well as online entrepreneurship and re-skilling programmes, were also organised for graduating students.
Going forward, the APTWG resolved to ensure the safe reopening of higher education institutions. In addition, they committed to maximise videoconferencing tools and platforms for teaching and learning. The working group will also explore student mobility programmes suited to the new normal, particularly virtual mobility.
The meeting also offered a venue for APWTG’s partner organisations to present updates on their current and upcoming activities related to higher education. These organisations included the ASEAN University Network (AUN), the ASEAN Qualification Reference Framework Committee, the AUN-ASEAN Credit Transfer System Secretariat, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development and the ASEAN Quality Assurance Network.
The meeting likewise discussed the piloting of a guide for universities on publishing student mobility information online and the convening of an expert meeting in early 2021 to identify the working group’s future areas of focus.
The ASEAN Secretariat briefed the APTWG on the higher education priorities, projects and activities proposed for the next ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2021-2025. Issues of student mobility and quality assurance in higher education are expected to again feature prominently in the post-2020 education work plan.
The presentations of APTWG members on their COVID-19 response efforts can be found in the following links:
| Brunei Darussalam |  |
| Cambodia | |
| Indonesia | |
| Lao PDR | |
| Malaysia | |
| Myanmar | |
| Singapore | |
| Philippines | |
| Thailand | |
| Viet Nam | |
| Japan | |
| ROK | |
The APTWG is an intergovernmental group that was established at the ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting in 2012. The working group promotes cooperation among APT countries on international student mobility and quality assurance in higher education.
