The Director of SEAMEO QITEP in Science Prof. Ismunandar along with the Acting Deputy Director for Administration, Dr. Maman Wijaya joined the 47th SEAMEO Council Conference on 19-21 March 2013. Since one of the regulation of SEAMEO Council Conference (SEAMEC) is hosted by the Member Countries on a rotation basis, this year the SEAMEC held in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was the first SEAMEC in two year term period after 2011. By 2011 the Presidency of the SEAMEO Council extended the SEAMEO Council Conference from a one-year to a two-year term period. As a consequence, the SEAMEO Council Conference would be held every two years with the conduct of the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting in the intervening year.
This has been the third time of SEAMEO Council Conference that the Centre joining since the establishment in year 2009. The SEAMEO Council Conference is the summit of all SEAMEO meetings. It is the assembly of the SEAMEO Council which is the Organization’s governing body and comprises the 11 Ministers of Education of the SEAMEO Member Countries. The SEAMEO Council determines the general policies and strategic directions of the Organization. And also has been the highest level of all SEAMEO meetings where the SEAMEO Council sets the direction of programmes and projects of SEAMEO and its units such as the SEAMEO Regional Centres and SEAMEO Secretariat.