VietNamNet Bridge – Education Ministers from the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) member countries and representatives from regional organisations gathered in Pattaya, Thailand, yesterday (May 7) for the 48th SEAMEO Council Conference.

At the opening session, Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan, who was the President of the SEAMEO Council from 2013-2015, highlighted the role of the organisation in boosting regional co-operation in education, science and culture.

Luan said this year's conference marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of SEAMEO and was contributing to realising the commitment of regional leaders to accelerate the formation of an ASEAN Community in 2015.

During the first plenary session, Thai Minister of Education Narong Pipatan-asai was selected as the new SEAMEO President.

He said 2015 was an important period for SEAMEO's goals in sustainable development, such as fostering community integration, vocational training and applying advanced training programmes.

SEAMEO, a trans-governmental organisation in Southeast Asia, was established in 1965. Its 11 members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

SEAMEO has 20 regional centres and a network to conduct its research and training programmes in different areas including education, science and culture.

VNS