BURIRAM, 26 August 2024 – ASEAN Education Ministers and Senior Officials gathered for a series of education meetings on 23 – 26 August in Buriram, Thailand. Under the leadership of Thailand as the education sector’s chair, the meetings were held under the theme of “Transforming Education in the Digital Era.”
ASEAN Member States and partners came together to deliberate on the crucial digital transformation of education systems, emphasising the urgent need for increased investment in education and collective action to ensure that education systems are resilient and adaptable to future demands. The meetings underscored the importance of integrating technology into education to bridge gaps in accessibility and enhance learning outcomes across the region.
Education ministers provided strategic guidance in advancing the education agenda in the region and beyond, and reaffirmed their commitment and endorsement of key documents such as the ASEAN-SEAMEO Joint Declaration on the Common Space in Southeast Asian Higher Education and the Revised ASEAN Plus Three Guidelines on Student Exchange and Mobility: The New Normal Exchanges and Mobility. The Joint Declaration will be submitted to the ASEAN leaders at the forthcoming 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit for notation.
The meetings also endorsed their joint commitments to further collaboration on education, not only among the ASEAN Member States but also under the framework of ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summit cooperation. The joint statements are available here:
The Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Thailand, with support from the ASEAN Secretariat, organised the meetings which took place in Buriram. The series of meetings included:
- The 19th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education (19th SOM-ED) held on 23 August;
- The 14th ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting on Education (14th SOM-ED+3) and 9th East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting on Education (9th EAS SOM-ED) held on 24 August;
- The 13th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (13th ASED) held on 25 August;
- The 7th ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting (7th APT EMM) and 7th East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting (7th EAS EMM) held on 26 August.
The Minister of Education of Thailand, Police General Permpoon Chidchob, delivered statements at the meetings. He stressed the importance of embracing digital transformation in education and called on the education ministers and delegates of the meetings to collaborate to address the multifaceted challenges the countries face in transforming education. He also emphasised that while digital technology offers great potential to enhance education, he cautioned countries to remain vigilant to ensure that it does not exacerbate the existing inequalities.
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong also delivered statements and emphasised the significance of the meetings in shaping the future of education in the region. He said, “In the dynamic and diverse ASEAN region, the digital revolution presents us with both significant opportunities and formidable challenges. Our varied regional and national contexts mean ASEAN faces unique obstacles in ensuring equitable education for all. Achieving this requires addressing barriers to education access and inclusion, particularly for women, persons with disabilities, and marginalised communities.”
Senior officials from ASEAN Member States participated in the 19th SOM-ED. In addition to the ASEAN senior officials, the 14th SOM-ED+3 and 7th APT EMM involved representatives from China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (Plus Three Countries), while the 9th EAS SOM-ED and 7th EAS EMM involved representatives from Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the U.S. The ASEAN Secretariat, AUN Secretariat, SEAMEO Secretariat, and partner organisation representatives were also in attendance.
The SOM-ED, SOM-ED+3, and EAS SOM-ED were established in 2006, 2010, and 2012, respectively, to strengthen education in the region, as well as facilitate closer collaboration and cooperation on education development among ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summit countries. They report to their respective ministerial body, namely ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (ASED), ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting (APT EMM), and East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting (EAS EMM).
