Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte was named the new council president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization for 2023-2025.
Brunei Darussalam’s Education Minister, Her Excellency Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Md Salleh, was also elected as the new vice president.
In her acceptance message, VP-Sec. Duterte said she will continue to combat the education challenges and work on programs to fill the learning losses brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Philippines humbly accepts the challenge of leading its Southeast Asian counterparts to post-pandemic recovery, while pursuing much-needed reforms in our education systems, ensuring that these fit within our Priority Education Agenda outlined in the SEAMEO Strategic Plan 2021-2030,” Duterte said.
“It is an honor and privilege to serve as the President of the SEAMEO council. More importantly, it is an inspiration to work harder and more passionately toward bringing impactful changes to the way we prepare our future workforce,” she added.
The country’s education chief also lauded SEAMEO for putting efforts to intensify the education systems among countries and its support to strengthen the capacity of educators to ensure the provision of quality education.
“For decades, SEAMEO has been a proactive partner of the Department of Education by offering multiple forms of support to our teachers, educators, researchers, students, and schools through its three regional centers; Regional Center of Educational Innovation and Technology; Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture; and Regional Centre for Public Health, Hospital Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health,” she said.
Duterte also emphasized the Philippines’ commitment to support educational endeavors that will benefit ASEAN learners and the whole region in general.
“We commit to facilitating a regional cooperation mechanism that will enable the entire ASEAN education ecosystem to realize the theme, ‘Transformation Through Learning Exchange: Building Resilient Systems as a Region,”’ she said.
“Through our recently launched MATATAG education agenda, the Philippine Department of Education aims to prioritize our people’s improved access to quality, equitable and inclusive education,” she added.