As Southeast Asia faces rapid technological change and global issues such as climate change, science education plays a vital role in shaping future-ready learners. From 7 to 8 October 2025 at Mason Pine Hotel, Bandung, Indonesia, SEAQIS convened its 16th Governing Board Meeting (GBM), bringing together representatives from SEAMEO member countries, the SEAMEO Secretariat, and regional partners to strengthen collaboration and explore new strategies for advancing science learning across the region.
The forum served as a platform to review SEAQIS’s achievements during the fiscal year 2024/2025 and to discuss future directions for science education that are contextual, inclusive, and responsive to global developments.
The meeting opened with remarks from the Director of SEAQIS, who highlighted the Centre’s vision to advance science education through regional collaboration, shared commitment, and continuous alignment with future educational needs. The Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat followed by emphasising SEAMEO’s collective priorities, including strengthening organisational effectiveness, promoting inclusion and equity, investing in human capital, and advancing research and innovation, while celebrating 60 years of SEAMEO’s contribution to education in Southeast Asia. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of Indonesia then officially opened the meeting, underscoring Indonesia’s dedication to science, STEM, and climate change education, as well as its continued support for regional cooperation in achieving SDG 4 on Quality Education.
Discussions introduced two new strategic directions for science education in Southeast Asia: the development of STEM learning for Early Childhood Education (STEM-ECCE) and the integration of STEM with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Coding into primary and secondary levels. Both directions aim to prepare students with critical thinking, creativity, and digital literacy skills from an early age, ensuring that science learning remains relevant in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
The meeting also highlighted SEAQIS’ significant initiatives. Through the Southeast Asian Climate Education Programme (SEACEP), SEAQIS continues to promote climate literacy and sustainable practices among teachers and students across the region. Meanwhile, the Master Class for Science Teachers 2025, held in Guiyang, China, provided opportunities for Southeast Asian educators to learn from China’s best practices in science teaching and explore innovative classroom approaches that could be adapted within their local contexts.
As the meeting concluded, participants expressed a shared commitment to advancing science education through collaboration, innovation, and teacher empowerment. The outcomes of this meeting are expected to guide SEAQIS’s future initiatives and strengthen regional efforts to build a scientifically literate, creative, and sustainability-minded generation in Southeast Asia.
Written by Rizwan Darmawan
