EU Support For ASEAN Higher Education Enhances Student Mobility Via Credit Transfer System

PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), May 26 (Bernama) -- The European Union (EU) cooperation for ASEAN's higher education has contributed significantly in enhancing, among others, student mobility through a credit transfer system. It has also enhanced in the areas of quality assurance and qualification framework and policy dialogues, says Laos Education and Sports Minister Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun, in her opening remarks at the first session of the 9th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (ASED) here Wednesday. Themed 'Fostering ASEAN Community of Learners - Empowering Lives through Education', the meeting attended by more than 200 delegates was officiated by Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid. ASEAN groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam while ASEAN-6 does not include Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Lachanthaboun said in addition, the ASEAN University Network (AUN) had also been strengthened through the revision of AUN Charter in conjunction with its 20th anniversary. "To date, the revised version has been finalised for approval at the current 9th ASED," she added. Lachanthaboun said these achievements reflected the ASEAN leaders' commitment in promoting a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN Community through cooperation in higher education. Touching on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), she said the ASEAN collaboration with German company, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on behalf of the German Government, in the implemention of the new regional TVET Programme in the region had made positive progress. The programme was aimed at supporting and creating personnel, institutional and thematic preconditions for quality improvement of the education and training of TVET personnel in the region, she added. She also said the first ASEAN Five-Year Work Plan on Education (2011-2015) had been successfully implemented, and also the development of the second Five-Year Work Plan (2016-2020). "The second Five-Year Work Plan provides concrete steps in implementing the ASEAN Post-2015 Vision on Education. This plan not only further enhances education cooperation among ASEAN member countries but serves as the basis to strengthen, deepen and broaden education cooperation with ASEAN Dialogue Partners, including other regional platforms for education." Meanwhile, Philippine Secretary of Education Department Armin Luistro said ASEAN member countries needed to identify children who failed to gain education access to empower the education sector in the region. ASEAN member countries should be able to work together with several programmes and share their best practices to help unfortunate children, including those non-citizens in conflict areas along the borders and the refugees, he told reporters on the sidelines of ASED. --BERNAMA