The 7th SEAMEO Centre Policy Research Network (CPRN) Summit, held from 23 to 25 April 2024, at the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei Darussalam, concluded with a resounding call to embrace inclusivity in education, science, and culture for a future-ready Southeast Asia. Hosted by SEAMEO Voctech, the summit brought together delegates from across Southeast Asia, including representatives from SEAQIS, which are Dr Elly Herliani, and Ms Lintang Ratri Prastika, to deliberate on critical issues shaping the region’s educational landscape.
Under the theme “Embracing Inclusivity in Education, Science and Culture Towards a Future-Ready Southeast Asia,” the summit featured three keynote sessions addressing inclusivity in education, science, and culture. They are Dr Margarita Pavlova from UNEVOC Center (Hong Kong), The Education University of Hong Kong; Yang Mulia Ir. Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof (Permanent Secretary from Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Transportation and Infocommunications); and Yang Mulia Dr Chang Yau Hoon, a Professor at Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Additionally, it included plenary, parallel, and poster sessions for SEAMEO Centre representatives, partner institutions, and students to present their research findings.
A notable highlight was SEAQIS’ presentation of research progress in poster format, directly engaging Brunei Darussalam’s Minister of Education, Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Md Salleh, during her visit to the poster session. As a follow-up, SEAQIS committed to continuing research on “Current Practice on The Climate Change Education in Schools across the Southeast Asian Region.” This initiative will involve distributing surveys to school principals, teachers, and students to gather primary data, as well as collating and reviewing various curriculum documents and climate change education implementations in Southeast Asia to obtain secondary data. Collaboration among education ministries, SEAMEO Centres, and other partners will be crucial in this data collection process.
The summit concluded with a focused group discussion (FGD) aimed at addressing the gap between research outcomes from SEAMEO Centres and the policies adopted by Southeast Asian governments. Furthermore, the summit paved the way for exploring collaborations with partners to develop climate change education programs, leveraging the connections established during the event.
Writer: Lintang Ratri P.
Proofreader: Ayu Intan H.
