SEAMEO Conference Opens in Vietnam Today

SEAMEO Conference Opens in Vietnam Today

The 40^th Southeast Asian Minister of Education Organization (SEAMEO) conference starts today for the first time in Hanoi since the country was admitted to the agency in 1992.

The Southeast Asian ministers will put on the table issues that have engaged SEAMEO in recent years, including water education and sanitation facilities in schools, its use of information technology and its application of education as a means for attaining peace.

Besides these three focal issues, the education ministers will attend a special forum organized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to explore education offered to disadvantaged children.

They will also visit a number of elementary and secondary schools in Hanoi’s vicinity.

The conference will mark the entry of Norway as the newest associate member. The six existing associate members are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Other special events will include the signing of a memorandum of understanding between SEAMEO and Microsoft.

SEAMEO consists of 10 countries in the Southeast Asia region, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The SEAMEO Council, comprising of the 10 education ministers of member countries, meets once a year at the SEAMEO Council Conference. The ministers share perspectives on education and discuss programs for education cooperation among the Southeast Asian countries.

Thousands of Vietnamese education staff and officials have joined training courses held by SEAMEO over the past years.
Young People