The Role of Education in Building the ASEAN Community by 2015 Views - PDF document

2/23/2009 1 st Regional Seminar on Education to Achieve ASEAN Caring and Sharing Community g g y 23 ‐ 25 February 2009, Bangkok, Thailand Dr. Anish Kumar Roy Director of Bureau for Resources Development p The ASEAN Secretariat The Role of Education in Building the ASEAN Community by 2015 • Views of the ASEAN Ministers of Education (1 st ASED, March 2006): Education sector should not be viewed solely under the ASCC pillar. Education, by developing human resources, permeates through all the three pillars of the ASEAN Community in enhancing competitiveness of individual Member States as well as ASEAN as a region. Hence, education sector plays an important role and immense contribution to building a sense of ASEANness towards the realization of an ASEAN Community. 1

2/23/2009 The Role of Education in Building the ASEAN Community by 2015 • ASEAN Charter (Article 1, para 10): To develop human resources through closer T d l h h h l cooperation in education and life ‐ long learning, and in science and technology, for the empowerment of the peoples of ASEAN and for the strengthening of the ASEAN Community. • ASEAN Community is built on 3 pillars: – ‐ Political – ‐ Economic – ‐ Socio ‐ Cultural • How can the education sector play a key role How can the education sector play a key role in building the ASEAN Community by 2015? 2

2/23/2009 Role in political pillar • Higher educational institutions to be the think tanks that support the governments in policy tanks that support the governments in policy making • Educational leaders in our region should think ASEAN in their visions and strategies • Socializing the ASEAN Anthem and observance of ASEAN Day, 8 August Role in Economic Pillar • The ASEAN Charter, article 1, para 5: One of the purposes of ASEAN is to create a single market and production base which is stable, prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated with among others economically integrated with, among others, facilitate movement of business persons, professionals, talents and labour. 3

2/23/2009 Role in Economic Pillar Supply meets the demand: • Universities to produce competitive human resources with market ‐ relevant skills • Universities adaptive to the new market needs and opportunities • Educational institutions to be competitive in • Educational institutions to be competitive in global setting Role in Socio ‐ Cultural Pillar • The ASEAN Charter, article 1, para 14: One of the purposes of ASEAN is to promote an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse culture and heritage of the region 4

2/23/2009 Role in Socio ‐ Cultural Pillar Education sector can play an important role and immense contribution to: and immense contribution to: • Building a sense of ASEANness • Promoting appreciation for multicultural sensibilities and for deepening an ASEAN identity Building an ASEAN Identity • An ASEAN identity should be premised on the region’s history, rich cultural capital and region s history, rich cultural capital and diversity. The region as a storehouse of cultural ideas and practices remains largely untapped as a resource in education and school curricula. • Education at different levels should be • Education, at different levels, should be utilised to highlight the history and wealth of Southeast Asian cultures to younger citizens. ~ Unity in diversity ~ 5

2/23/2009 Concept of ASEAN identity Reiterating the recommendation of the Conference on "The Role of Education in Building Conference on The Role of Education in Building an ASEAN Socio ‐ Cultural Community“ , January 2007, Singapore (organised by ISEAS): • An ASEAN identity should be strong and distinct enough to respond to the homogenising effects of globalisation of globalisation. • The concept of an ASEAN identity should be dynamic and changing, instead of fixed or static. Concept of ASEAN identity (Continued) • The engagement of younger Southeast Asian • The engagement of younger Southeast Asian citizens in the identity building process is vital. More should be done to promote culture from the ground. • Southeast Asia needs to promote its own brand of pop culture. Educational institutions are f lt Ed ti l i tit ti needed to heighten the profile of Southeast Asia popular culture in order to engage the region’s youth (ASEAN Idol?) 6

2/23/2009 What ASEAN has been doing: APSC • Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS): – To stimulate research and debate within scholarly T ti l t h d d b t ithi h l l circles – To enhance public awareness of the region – To facilitate the search for viable solutions to the varied problems confronting the region. • Need for more research ‐ based educational institutes in ASEAN focusing on ASEAN issues What ASEAN has been doing: AEC • The AUN: strengthen the network among ASEAN ASEAN universities to continuously improving i iti t ti l i i the qualities of faculty, teaching, research and students – Quality assurance self assessments – Towards an ASEAN Credit Transfer System y – Student and faculty exchanges – Joint researches 7

2/23/2009 What ASEAN has been doing: ASCC • Assessment on ASEAN curriculum in primary and secondary schools: aimed at forging and strengthening secondary schools: aimed at forging and strengthening the ASEAN regional identity • M.A. in ASEAN Studies (Univ of Malaya) • ASEAN Schools Tours (2007, 2008) • ASEAN youth volunteers sent to Myanmar for Cyclone Nargis humanitarian work • ASEAN Youth Award • Ten Accomplished Youth Organisations in ASEAN (TAYO) • ASEAN University Student Conferences 2007 ASEAN Awareness Survey • Supported by the ASEAN Foundation & ISEAS • Survey among 2,000 students in key S 2 000 t d t i k universities in Member States; • Questions to measure (a) their attitudes towards ASEAN as a whole, (b) knowledge and orientation about the region and the A Association,(c) source of information about i ti ( ) f i f ti b t the region, and (d) aspirations for regional integration and cooperation. 8

2/23/2009 2007 ASEAN Awareness Survey Highlights of the Survey Results: ‐ Overall, students from around the region are positive about , g p ASEAN ‐ Over 75% agreed that they felt themselves to be citizens of ASEAN ‐ Nearly 70% felt that ASEAN was beneficial to them personally ‐ Most students rated themselves as very familiar or somewhat familiar with ASEAN in general somewhat familiar with ASEAN in general ‐ Most enthusiastic attitudes are found in the least affluent and most recent Member States (CLMV), while those from other Member States considered ASEAN was already “old news” (or worse yet, “boring history”) Question to ponder: ‐ What is the general attitude of our young generation towards ASEAN? ‐ Why ASEAN is considered “old news” or “boring history” among students in ASEAN ‐ 6? ‐ What can educational institutes do about it? What can educational institutes do about it? 9

2/23/2009 General observation • The education sector has a great potential to be an agent of change in and for ASEAN to be a people ‐ agent of change in and for ASEAN to be a people oriented Community • Has educational institutes in the region maximized the ASEAN cooperation for their benefit? • Has ASEAN provided wide opportunities for educational institutes to participate in and benefit from the process of ASEAN integration and community building? Thank you! www.asean.org 10