On 27 November 2024, the 47th Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) High Officials Meeting (HOM) was held in Bangkok, Thailand. Convened by the SEAMEO Secretariat, the HOM was attended by high officials from the Ministries of Education of SEAMEO Member States, representatives from Associate Member Countries, Affiliate Members and partners, as well as directors and senior staff of the SEAMEO Secretariat and SEAMEO Regional Centres/Network. Mr. Zian CAO, Chief (a.i.) of the Global Partnership and Programme Office, International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), was invited to the meeting and shared the work of UNESCO-ICHEI on advancing higher education in Southeast Asia.

Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim, SEAMEO Secretariat Director, and H.E. Surasak Phanchareonworakul, Deputy Minister of Education of Thailand, delivered remarks at the opening session. They underscored the significance of creating an educational ecosystem that is compatible with the changing world, including through multi-stakeholder cooperation. The proposed programmes, finances, and other important matters concerning the administration and operation of SEAMEO were reviewed at the meeting. During the plenary session, high officials from SEAMEO Member States reported progress and achievements in the seven priority areas of the SEAMEO Southeast Asian Education agenda. Some of these priority areas include addressing barriers to inclusion; promoting technical and vocational education and training; revitalising teacher education; harmonising higher education and research; and adopting a 21st-century curriculum.

Mr. Zian CAO, Chief (a.i.) of the Global Partnership and Programme Office, delivered an intervention at the plenary session. He highlighted key work areas of UNESCO-ICHEI in Southeast Asia, such as promoting digital and AI competency building for the higher education workforce, organising Regional High-level Policy Dialogues to drive policy development, producing knowledge products on the digital transformation of higher education, and fostering industry-university cooperation. Mr. Zian CAO stressed that UNESCO-ICHEI would further strengthen its partnership with SEAMEO and other partners to support teachers' professional development, enhance effective exchange and cooperation among stakeholders in higher education, and formulate normative guidelines on AI competencies for higher education workforce.

About SEAMEO

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1965 among governments of Southeast Asian countries to promote regional cooperation in education, science and culture in the region. SEAMEO consists of 11 member countries, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam. At present, it also has 9 Associate Members and 8 Affiliate Members. SEAMEO has established 26 specialist institutions throughout the Southeast Asian region, with a mission to promote knowledge and facilitate educational opportunities for people, from early childhood to life-long learning.