PASAY CITY, December 3, 2018 – Around 300 participants, including government officials, policy makers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and other professionals, from 18 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies convened for the 14th APEC Future Education Forum (AFEF) and 16th International APEC Learning Community Builders (ALCoB) Conference from November 27 to 29 at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.

The event, themed “Future Education for Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities in the Digital Age,” was co-hosted by the Republic of Korea, through its Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Republic of the Philippines, through the Department of Education (DepEd).

In her speech, DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones reminded the participants to forge linkages and take advantage of the good practices and even the challenges of other countries in delivering quality education.

“I hope that you benefit from the experience of other countries. Some of them have challenges which are similar to ours, and some also have advances and new things which we may use in advancing our own education system,” Briones stated.

She added that the insights gained by the participants in this gathering must be put to use in their respective areas of work: “When you go back to your respective islands, mountains, municipalities, barrios, you bring back new ideas for your school learners, and community, and I hope that you continue nurturing and improving them.”

The Secretary likewise conveyed her gratitude to all individuals and organizations behind the successful organization of this event, and emphasized that it is indeed high time to put premium efforts for the betterment of education delivery.

Also present at the event were MOE-Korea Director General Eun-ok Choi, IACE President Dong Sun Park, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Dong-man Han, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Special Assistant Eric Gerardo Tamayo, DepEd-International Cooperation Office (ICO) Director Margarita Ballesteros, and other officials, experts, and professionals – both local and international.

The annual AFEF aims to gather participants from APEC member economies to solidify the vision of future education and to materialize an ideal model of future schools from a wide spectrum of viewpoints on future society and education. It has accommodated around 3,300 participants since its inception in 2005. The annual ALCoB Conference is a venue and festival for ALCoB members to congregate, strengthen its network, and share outcomes and insights from its activities. At the conference, the Institute of APEC Collaborative Education (IACE) reviews the activity progress, such as ALCoB Cooperative Projects (ACP) and ALCoB Internet Volunteers (AIV) Workshop, and shares the best practices of the year.

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