07/23/2018 – Last week Aide et Action’s Regional Director, Mr. Savy LACH, explored opportunities for collaboration with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), a regional intergovernmental organization of Southeast Asian countries that promotes regional cooperation in education, science and culture in the region.
The 3-day SEAMEO Centres Directors Meeting, held in Bangkok, was chaired by the SAMEO Secretariat’s Director, Dr. Gatot Hari Priowirjanto.
While there were no less than 20 working papers reviewed and adopted, this meeting also presented a networking opportunity for education practitioners, such as Aide et Action, interested in establishing cooperation with one or more of the 24 specialist SEAMEO Centres across the Southeast Asian region that undertake training and research programs in the fields of education, science, and culture. It’s in working together with these centers that lie opportunities to make even bigger strides in bringing quality education to all in the Southeast Asia region.
For Aide et Action and our Director, the meeting was a great platform to shine a light on our work in the region with regards to Access and Quality of Education, Inclusive Education, Sustainable Development and Global Citizen Education; Early Childhood Care and Education, Girls and Women’s education, and Livelihood education, all areas that are priorities (2015-2035) for SEAMEO. Crucially, intense networking at this 3-day event revealed that there might be various opportunities for Aide et Action to collaborate with several of the 24 specialist SEAMEO Centres.
One such opportunity lies in the field of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). Aide et Action is currently implementing a number of ECCE projects in Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Laos. Engaging with key stakeholders is very much part of what we do for all our projects, and in this case, a collaboration with SEAMEO Centres could mean our staff can benefit from technical support, capacity building and skills exchange. Engagement with SEAMEO Centres could also be helpful in conducting reviews of education policies vs. education practices, and in helping formulate recommendations for improvement to governments.
Of the 24 Centres presented at the meeting, the following seemed the most likely to hold opportunities for collaboration with Aide et Action:
- SEAMEO Regional Centre for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Education Personnel in Language (SEAMEO QITEP in Language)
- SEAMEO Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH)
- SEAMEO Regional Center for Early Childhood Care Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP)
- SEAMEO Regional Centre for Food and Nutrition (SEAMEO RECFON)
- SEAMEO Regional Centre for Community Education Development (SEAMEO CED)
- SEAMEO Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO SPAFA)
From AEA’s point of view, any such collaboration could happen in the context of our current projects and programs, but if at any stage the opportunity would arise to formulate a joint project and seek funding for it, formal partnerships with the relevant SEAMEO Center(s) could be developed.
More about SEAMEO.
More about SEAMEO Centres.
