Secretary, Department of Education,
(Remarks at the Third Strategic Dialogue for Education Ministers, SEAMEO Council Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia, July 25, 2017)Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am honored to participate in the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Council Conference as Secretary of Education of the Republic of the Philippines.
I am happy to meet once more, the Ministers of Education who attended the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Peru last November 2016 especially our good friend, the Minister of Education in Thailand, and the ASEAN officials whom we hosted earlier this month.
I am equally honored to be part of this Third Strategic Dialogue for Education Ministers (SDEM).
Our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has a very special interest in education. His mother was a schoolteacher. He has generously supported the requirements of the Department of Education ― whether financial, material or human resources.
Our Department stands ready to participate in and support activities, which the SEAMEO Council will initiate as a result of this dialogue.
Before I comment on the topic assigned to me, let me share with you a few general remarks, which I delivered at the High Level SDG Action Event on Education convened last month in New York by the incoming President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson.
1. To achieve SDG 4, and the SEAMEO goals, we must achieve peace.
2. Governments will be more effective if they have a strong legal framework for accessible quality education for all.
3. The legal framework must be backed by adequate financing.
4. Governments must formulate innovative responses to address emerging and country-specific challenges, like high levels of school dropouts, strengthening alternative learning systems, and challenges of natural disasters, as well as social and political threats.
As early as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Campaign, regional groups were already encouraged to formulate strategies, plans and programs for their respective regions. They were encouraged to help each other in recognition of the fact that gaps in levels of development would not be as wide among countries in the same region, relative to those of very developed regions.
Thus, the concept of countries in the same region helping each other has been started.
These strategies would be in the areas of finance, technical assistance in formulating and implementing reforms.
In SEAMEO, the Council has already endorsed the seven priority areas for its Education Agenda. Five recommendations were made.
During the Second SDEM, the Bandung Statement was adopted urging member countries to move beyond national boundaries, consider the relevance of programs to the needs of learners, strengthen the teaching of fundamental skills and engage the public in the advocacy for reforms in education.
This afternoon, the results of SDEM 1 AND 2 were discussed. The findings can serve as a basis for moving forward. The report tells us what more can be done at the regional level.
1. At present, there are bilateral and trilateral activities taking place among member SEAMEO countries. Presumably, these are inventoried by our secretariat.
2. Multilateral institutions have been very active in organizing and financing programs for individual countries. Perhaps these can be expanded to include at least one more country with similar challenges.
3. SEAMEO member countries can be encouraged to share their successful experiences in introducing reforms and innovations.
4. Member countries can also be encouraged to identify areas where they would like to find out the solutions and initiatives developed by member countries.
5. In the case of the Philippines, I am specially interested in initiatives of other countries in four areas specifically identified by the President to be enhanced in our curriculum―drugs, reproductive health, climate change, and alternative learning systems.
Another area for the Philippines is the regulation of Philippine schools operating in other countries.
Much has already been done to encourage regional initiatives on shared challenges as well as triumphs.
What is important is to continually assess these initiatives to ensure that they continue to be relevant and responsive, as well as to identify new regional challenges in education.
