The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) participated in the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Congress 2021 on 28 to 29 April 2021 as one of the supporting partners. The theme of the congress was “Transforming Southeast Asian Education, Science and Culture in the Digital Age.”
As supporting partner, Chancellor Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria served as one of the speakers in the congress. Chancellor Bandalaria spoke under the topic “Transforming Higher Education in the Digital Era.” In her talk, Dr. Bandalaria mentioned that there is a need to be agile or flexible to face various disruptions in education which includes the continuity of learning. She presented data that showed how COVID-19 left millions of students not being able to return to school since most schools were closed or were partially closed. These schools were not able to adapt to the changes needed in times of the pandemic such as the shift to online or remote instruction.
Dr. Bandalaria noted that it is not just the current COVID-19 pandemic that the educational sector should be concerned about. There are other disruptions such as natural disasters which include volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and floods, and peace and order situations, which happen in different parts of the world. Furthermore, Dr. Bandalaria discussed how the pre-COVID-19 educational system has been the same for at least the last 75 years or more. Also, according to The Paris Message, more than 400 million students need higher education by 2030. This is in line with the UN Sustainable Goal #4 which is to ensure inclusive and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.
As a supporting partner, UPOU put up a virtual booth and exhibit which was open to the participants of the congress. SEAMEO Congress 2021 brought together diverse education actors and stakeholders representing the governments of SEAMEO Member Countries as well as public and private educational institutions and agencies. The SEAMEO Member Countries include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. The two-day event was successfully convened with more than 7,500 participants on the Floor platform and more than 31,000 viewers on YouTube. More than 104 speakers from 22 countries shared their research studies related to the theme.
Sustainable Development Goals
Written and Screen capture by Moireen Espinosa
Edited by Joane V. Serrano and Anna Cañas-Llamas