Iran attends ASAIHL int'l confab

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 5, IRNA - The 60th Anniversary of Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) International Conference opened here on Monday attended by several university representatives from several countries, Iran in particular. Some 300 participants from 30 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Middle East are attending the three-day meeting. President of the Islamic Azad University Hamid Mirzadeh is also slated to deliver a speech in this prestigious gathering. ASAIHL was established in 1956 as a non-governmental organization at a meeting in Bangkok of the heads of eight state universities in Southeast Asia. ASAIHL's purpose is to assist member institutions to strengthen themselves through mutual self-help and to achieve international distinction in teaching, research and public service. The institutions contribute strength to their respective nations and to the entire region. Specifically, the Association exists to foster the development of the institutions themselves, the cultivation of a sense of regional identity and interdependence and to liaise with other regional and international organizations concerned with research and teaching. It serves as a clearing-house of information, provides regular opportunities for the discussion of academic development and general university development; assists member institutions in the recruitment and placement of faculty and staff, exchanges of professors and students and in the development of co-operative arrangements on specific projects; provides advisory services of consultants; strengthens the relationship with regional and international bodies and keeps member institutions informed about developments; and recognizes and acknowledges distinctive achievements among Southeast Asian institutions of higher education. 1378/IRNA