YANGON, 28 August 2018 – The Second ASEAN Student Mobility Forum started today in Yangon with the aim to empower participating students to positively influence the development of an ASEAN identity in all member states through mobility programmes.
The forum was jointly organised by ASEAN, the Ministry of Education of Myanmar, and the European Union (EU). It brought together about 175 participants, including 130 ASEAN students who had been recipients of any of the following: a SHARE scholarship in ASEAN institutions, the ASEAN International Mobility for Students by SEAMEO RlHED[1], or student mobility programmes of the ASEAN University Network, as well as Erasmus students. Other participating students included those who had been part of other academic mobility programmes both within and outside the ASEAN region, as well as some who had not yet had the opportunity.
The forum was primarily led by students, with discussions revolving on how student mobility—experiencing life and studying in another country—had been valuable in the personal lives of the students as well as their home and host institutions, the communities to which they belong, and the ASEAN Member States.
Myo Thein Gyi, Minister of Education of Myanmar, highlighted that the thematic focus of this forum was student mobility because this was an important element to the development of ASEAN and its member states. “Nowadays, student and labour mobility is seen as a critical factor for global competitiveness, and to grow talent and human capital for economic and social developments. Internationalisation through an agreed credit transfer system and student mobility bring benefits for countries and the ASEAN region through its impact on the economy, innovation and human resources,” the minister said.
On his part, Kristian Schmidt, the EU Ambassador to Myanmar, underlined the EU’s role in providing inspiration and a reference point for ASEAN’s project of building a regional higher education space. “Higher education cooperation and student mobility have been crucial elements for the success of the EU in the past decades. The EU through the SHARE Programme has supported ASEAN in building a stronger and more effective regional higher education area, thereby enduring commitment in strengthening people-to-people connectivity, narrowing the development gap, and contributing to the evolving ASEAN Community. I hope that through our joint efforts we can envisage an ‘ASEAN Scholarship’ that flourishes here just like the Erasmus Scholarship is now in Europe,” the ambassador said.
Ky-Anh Nguyen, Director of the Sustainable Development Directorate of ASEAN, expounded on the role of young people in building the ASEAN Community. “Young people and students are key in ASEAN’s ambitions in building people-to-people connectivity and are important contributors to the evolving ASEAN community,” he said. In addition, he encouraged the students to learn from each other and share their experiences about what it’s like to see first-hand the great diversity and similarities among the ten countries of ASEAN. He expressed his hope that ASEAN students and youth will begin to think of themselves not only as nationals of their own country, but also as full-fledged members of the ASEAN community.
The forum was part of SHARE’s continuing series of Policy Dialogue events, with which the programme supports the emerging ASEAN Higher Education Area by engaging with policymakers, universities and students.
Through the SHARE Scholarship Scheme, Myanmar has so far sent out 148 students to study in other ASEAN countries and is hosting 17 students in three Myanmar universities.
To learn more about share, please visit: https://www.share-asean.eu/
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