1. The Southeast Asian Model of Collaboration
“Reaching the Unreached in Education and Achieving the EFA Goals Together by 2015”
Mr Nicholas Burnett, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO
Dr Gwang-Jo Kim, Director, UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Office, UNESCO
Heads and members of delegations from the different sub-regions and countries in Asia Pacific
Friends and partners from other international organizations
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning
The Southeast Asian Model of Collaboration
By Dato’ Dr Ahamad bin Sipon
Director, SEAMEO Secretariat

2. The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)
It is a pleasure to share with you today our experience of working together in Southeast Asia towards achieving the Education for All Goals that we all aim by 2015.
Please allow me to introduce briefly who SEAMEO is and what we do.

3. The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)
a chartered international organization
established in 1965
promotes cooperation in education, science and culture in Southeast Asia
establishes network and partnerships
provides intellectual forums for policy makers and experts
promotes sustainable human resource development
develops and nurtures the capacities of teachers and school managers in Southeast Asia through 15 SEAMEO specialist institutions
The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization or SEAMEO is an international organization, established in 1965 to promote cooperation in education, science and culture.
SEAMEO works towards achieving this through establishment of networks and partnerships, provision of intellectual forums for policy makers and experts, and promotion of sustainable human resource development.

4. SEAMEO Member Countries
Brunei Darussalam (1984) Cambodia (1971)
Indonesia (1965)
Lao PDR (1965)
Malaysia (1965)
Myanmar (1998)
Philippines (1965)
Singapore (1965)
Thailand (1965) Timor-Leste (2006)
Vietnam (1992)
SEAMEO develops and nurtures the capacities of teachers and school managers in Southeast Asia through its network of 15 specialist institutions that undertake training and research programmes in various fields of education, science and culture.
The SEAMEO Member Countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

5. SEAMEO Associate Members
Australia (1973)
Canada (1988)
France (1973)
Germany (1990)
Netherlands (1993)
New Zealand (1974)
Norway (2005)
Spain (2007)
SEAMEO is supported by eight Associate Member Countries, namely: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Spain. The International Council for Open and Distance Education and University of Tsukuba are Affiliate Members.
The SEAMEO Council, the Organization’s governing body, is composed of the 11 ministers of education of the SEAMEO Member Countries.
SEAMEO Affiliate Members
International Council for Open and Distance Education (1999)
University of Tsukuba (2009)

6. SEAMEO Regional Centres
tropical biology, history and tradition, educational innovation and technology, science and mathematics, language, higher education and development, open learning, graduate study and research in agriculture, archaeology and fine arts, tropical medicine and public health, vocational and technical education and training
Over the years, SEAMEO has established 15 Specialist Regional Centres that provide regional leadership in human resource development and offer diverse expertise in education, health, environment, agriculture and natural resources.
SEAMEO collaborates with other global organizations like UNESCO, UNICEF, UN-HABITAT, the World Bank, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.
The Secretariat, which I lead as the Director, is the headquarters of SEAMEO and is based here in Bangkok.

7. The Southeast Asian Model of Collaboration
“Reaching the Unreached in Education and Achieving the EFA Goals Together by 2015”
Through SEAMEO, we are pleased to share with you that the 11 Member Countries decided to work together and help each other to reach the unreached in education and accelerate the attainment of the EFA goals in Southeast Asia.
We named this model of cooperation as “Reaching the Unreached in Education and Achieving the EFA Goals Together by 2015”.
The Southeast Asian Model of Collaboration

8. Background
UNESCO’s presentation at the 44th SEAMEO Council Conference and 3rd ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting in March 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
major findings of the 2008 EFA Mid-Decade Assessment
emphasis on the situation in the SEAMEO Member Countries
suggested the need to bridge the gaps within SEAMEO Member Countries – for those difficult to reach or unreached children, indigenous and ethnic minority peoples, and for those with special needs
This initiative came to being in March 2008 when UNESCO made a presentation in a policy forum during the 44th SEAMEO Council Conference and the 3rd ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
UNESCO presented the major findings of the 2008 EFA Mid-Decade Assessment, particularly the situation in Southeast Asia. UNESCO reported that there were significant achievements but many issues must be addressed urgently if Education for All is to be met by 2015.
The discussion centered on the need to bridge the education gap, particularly for those difficult to reach or unreached children, indigenous and ethnic minority peoples, and for those with special needs.

9. Background Directive of the Southeast Asian Education Ministers
(Joint Statement of the 3rd ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting)
‘On future cooperation in education, the Ministers agreed that the focus should be on implementing EFA by 2015.  In this regard, the Ministers tasked the SEAMEO and the ASEAN Secretariats to organise a workshop on the theme of ‘reaching the unreached’ to share best practices among ASEAN Member States.’
The Southeast Asian Education Ministers responded positively. In a Joint Statement of the 3rd ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting, the need to work together to attain the EFA goals was emphasized as follows:
“On future cooperation in education, the Ministers agreed that the focus should be on implementing Education for All (EFA) by In this regard, the Ministers tasked the SEAMEO and the ASEAN Secretariats to organize a workshop on the theme of “reaching the unreached” to share best practices among ASEAN Member States.”

10. REACHING THE UNREACHED:
Meeting of Southeast Asian Countries to Achieve
the Education for All (EFA) Goals
Together by 2015
2 – 4 September 2008
Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
In response to this, the SEAMEO Secretariat coordinated with the ASEAN Secretariat and UNESCO Bangkok and brought together the 11 Southeast Asian Countries in a Regional Meeting on 2-4 September 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The meeting focused on the unreached and underserved groups of society and how they could be afforded equal opportunity to education. The meeting primarily aimed to share best practices among the SEAMEO Member Countries on reaching the unreached in education.

11. Objectives:
to take stock of the extent of initiatives/ projects/ programmes provided for the unreached in Southeast Asia
to identify remaining common challenges in attaining EFA goals, particularly for the unreached groups in Southeast Asia
to provide suggestions to accelerate progress towards reaching the unreached
to develop activities/projects that Southeast Asian countries can work together on with the help of EFA partners.
The objectives of the meeting were to:
1. take stock of the extent of initiatives/ projects/ programmes provided for the unreached in Southeast Asia;
2. identify remaining common challenges in attaining EFA goals, particularly for the unreached groups in Southeast Asia;
3. identify potential mutual activities and projects to reach the unreached and accelerate the attainment of the EFA Goals in Southeast Asia;
4. provide suggestions to accelerate progress towards reaching the unreached; and

12. develop activities/projects that Southeast Asian countries can work together on with the help of EFA partners.
The meeting was attended by 75 participants, including high-level education officials from the SEAMEO Member Countries, representatives from international organizations; and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, UNESCO Bangkok and SEAMEO Secretariat.
I believe that many of those who attended that regional meeting are also in this gathering.
41 officials from SEAMEO Member Countries; 13 EFA partners/INGOs; 21 representatives from ASEAN, UNESCO and SEAMEO

13. Activities:
Reviewed existing initiatives on reaching the unreached and determined remaining challenges and priorities
Shared best practices (both countries and EFA partners)
Identified strategies and activities to address the needs of the prioritized groups
Drafted collaborative project proposals for the different target groups
The three-day meeting was truly collaborative. This was the first time that SEAMEO, ASEAN and UNESCO worked hand-in-hand to organize a meeting of Southeast Asian countries to address the needs of the unreached in education.
At the meeting, the representatives from the Ministries of Education reviewed their existing initiatives on reaching the unreached and determined their remaining challenges and priorities.
Through sharing of best practices among themselves and with the EFA partners and international organizations, they identified strategies and activities to address the needs of the prioritized unreached and underserved population groups.
Finally, the concrete steps were drafted into project proposals for the different target groups. Ten collaborative plans were produced.

14. Outputs and Outcomes:
Increased awareness on the different unreached and underserved population groups in the region
Greater appreciation of the need for regional cooperation to attain the EFA goals
10 collaborative project proposals to reach various unreached groups
The discussions led to an increased awareness of the different unreached and underserved population groups in the region. Also, the meeting fostered greater appreciation of the need to work together and take advantage of the strengths and good practices of the SEAMEO Member Countries and partner organizations to advance the attainment of Education for All Goals, not only in each country, but in the whole region of Southeast Asia.
The meeting showed that there are many existing initiatives and good examples of providing education to the different underserved and unreached groups as shared by country participants and EFA partners at the meeting. From those examples, other countries found ideas and solutions to their challenges and difficulties in bringing education to various unreached groups.
The ten collaborative projects are as follows:

15. Project 1 - Transition support for learners with disabilities
Target Groups: Learners with disabilities or with special educational needs
Lead Country: Malaysia
Participating Countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Vietnam
EFA Partners: Disability Action Council, Cambodia, UNESCO UIS-AIMS
Components/Activities: Policy formulation, data collection, exchange programme/training, establish a regional centre
Transition support for learners with disabilities

16. Project 2 - Tracking system for students at risk of dropping out
Target Groups: Underperforming students, students at risk of dropping out
Lead Country: Philippines
Participating Countries: Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Malaysia Singapore
EFA Partners: UNICEF, Disability Action Council, UNESCO UIS-AIMS, ASPBAE
Components/Activities: Inventory of existing researches, identify student tracking and profiling system, workshop to develop framework, system development, toolkit development, capacity building
Tracking system for students at risk of dropping out

17. Project 3 - Conference to promote awareness of education for girls and women
Target Groups: Girls and women in rural areas and ethnic minorities
Lead Country: Malaysia
Participating Countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Philippines, Timor-Leste (To be invited: Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar)
EFA Partners: UNIFEM, UNICEF, ASPBAE, SIL International, WFP, UNGEI, UNESCO GENIA Network
Components/Activities: Sharing of best practices in budget-based gender, school supplementary food programmes, gender responsive projects, basic education for girls
Conference to promote awareness of education for girls and women

18. Project 4 – Tracking mechanism for unreached populations
Target Groups: Learners from remote and rural communities; children who are not registered in schools
Lead Country: To be advised
Participating Countries: Malaysia (To be invited: Other Southeast Asian countries)
EFA Partners: ASPBAE, UNESCO UIS-AIMS
Components/Activities: Research, exchange visits, capacity building
Tracking mechanism for unreached populations

19. Project 5 - Pre-school programme for all
Target Groups: Children from poor families
Lead Country: Brunei Darussalam
Participating Countries: Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand (To be invited: Other Southeast Asian countries)
EFA Partners: UNICEF, Save the Children, ARNEC, UNESCO, Plan International
Components/Activities: Study visits, capacity building, development of regional school readiness competencies, provision of technical assistance to member countries in enriching national standards and curriculum, establishment of pre-schools in remote areas, provision of support services such as feeding, M&E
Preschool programmes for all

20. Project 6 - Multigrade Teaching
Target Groups: Learners from remote, dispersed and isolated areas
Lead Country: Lao PDR
Participating Countries: Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Malaysia
EFA Partners: UNICEF, ASPBAE, UNESCO Hanoi
Components/Activities: Development of guidelines for training of multi-grade teachers, capacity building, M&E
Multi-grade teaching

21. Lead Country: Thailand
Project 7 - Development of more community-based learning centres in rural areas in Southeast Asia for Literacy and Livelihood
Target Groups: Children, youth and adults from poor families in rural/ remote/isolated areas
Lead Country: Thailand
Participating Countries: All Southeast Asian countries will be invited.
EFA Partners: ATD Fourth World, Save the Children, UNESCO UIS-AIMS, UNESCO APPEAL, UNICEF, UNCHR, ASPBAE, ILO, Education Development Center, Inc.
Components/Activities: Inter-Ministerial coordination, assessment and work planning, establishment of centres, capacity building, entrepreneurship, M&E
Development of community-based learning centres in rural areas for literacy and livelihood

22. Project 8 - Inter-country schooling programme for stateless and undocumented children (coordination between governments)
Target Groups: Stateless/non-documented children in the states’ borders
Lead Country: Indonesia
Participating Countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam
EFA Partners: UNICEF, UNCHR, INEE, Save the Children
Components/Activities: Setting-up of special border schools
Inter-country schooling programme for stateless and undocumented children

23. Project 9 - Project on HIV and AIDS using an integrated approach (providing education, care, treatment and counseling services to learners affected or infected by HIV and AIDS)
Target Groups: Children, youth and adults infected and affected by HIV and/or AIDS
Lead Country: To be advised
Participating Countries: Myanmar (To be invited: Other Southeast Asian countries)
EFA Partners: UNAIDS, UNICEF, WAF (Myanmar), AIDS Council (Malaysia), Youth Union (Lao PDR), Education Development Center, Inc.
Components/Activities: Data collection, care and treatment, curriculum strengthening, capacity building, M&E
Project on HIV and AIDS using an integrated approach

24. Project 10 - Education in emergencies and disaster preparedness
Target Groups: Children in difficult circumstances
Lead Countries: Indonesia and Philippines
Participating Countries: Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor-Leste
EFA Partners: UNICEF, E-Net Philippines, Save the Children, ASPBAE
Components/Activities: Provision of kits and guidelines, teachers and community involvement, refurbishment of structures, advocacy
Education in emergencies and disaster preparedness

25. At present, 8 projects have lead countries.
Projects without a lead country:
Project on HIV and AIDS
Project on Tracking mechanism for unreached populations
The roles of a lead country:
Initiate the needed work on the proposal
Suggest and seek funding
Establish mechanisms on project development, implementation and management
Work with the SEAMEO Secretariat and ASEAN Secretariat in the full development of the projects and their implementation
At present, 2 projects do not have lead countries yet. The SEAMEO Secretariat will advise on this in due course.
Lead countries are expected to:
1. initiate the needed work on the proposal
2. suggest and seek funding
3. establish mechanisms on project development implementation and management
4. work with the SEAMEO Secretariat and ASEAN Secretariat in the full development of the projects and their implementation

26. SEAMEO Process
Presented the 10 collaborative project proposals to the SEAMEO High Officials for review, comments, input and endorsement to the SEAMEO Council during the 31st SEAMEO High Officials Meeting on January 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand
Presented the proposals (including input of SEAMEO High Officials) to the SEAMEO Council for approval during the 44th SEAMEO Council Conference on 6-8 April 2009 in Phuket, Thailand
As a usual procedure in SEAMEO, we presented the 10 project proposals to the SEAMEO high-level education officials during the 31st SEAMEO High Officials Meeting in January 2009 in Bangkok. The high officials discussed on the details of the lead and participating countries; and endorsed the proposals to the SEAMEO Council.
The SEAMEO Council approved the 10 project proposals at the 44th SEAMEO Council Conference last month in Phuket. The SEAMEO Council approved the proposed lead countries, participating countries and participating non-governmental organizations in each project.

27. SEAMEO Council Resolution
The 44th SEAMEO Council Conference:
took note of the Meeting Report
approved the 10 proposed collaborative projects
approved the proposed lead countries, participating countries and participating non-governmental organizations in each project
directed the SEAMEO Secretariat, ASEAN Secretariat and lead countries to start the full development of the projects and other subsequent actions.
It was agreed upon that discussion on the details of the funding sources, mechanism for implementation, coordination and roles of stakeholders would be tabled in the 32nd SEAMEO High Officials Meeting.
Per instruction by the Council, the SEAMEO Secretariat in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat will coordinate with the SEAMEO countries for the full development of the projects and other subsequent actions.
Other details which need further decision of SEAMEO Council will be presented at the 32nd SEAMEO High Officials Meeting at the last quarter of this year.
You will note that the SEAMEO Secretariat plays a coordinative role only. The initiative and the decision come from the SEAMEO Member Countries. This is the reason why SEAMEO follows a process of consultation through our annual cycle of SEAMEO meetings.
In the development of Strategic Framework of Action at this meeting, I would like to encourage the representatives from the SEAMEO Member Countries to build on what we have started. The 10 projects have been endorsed by our Education Ministers. They directed us to develop and implement them.
As I have mentioned, many of the proponents of the 10 projects are present at this gathering. You know very well how we developed these plans in September last year.

28. True to the spirit of cooperation, SEAMEO works with various organizations in Southeast Asia and beyond. Please note that the list of projects that we distributed to you is still open for any other organizations who wish to work with us on any of the 10 projects.
It would be remarkable to know if non-SEAMEO countries present at this meeting take interest to work with us on any of the projects. We would be pleased to learn from you and share the good practices that we have in SEAMEO.
Bangkok Post
2 Sept 2008
Bangkok Post 30 Sept 2008

29. Conclusion
EFA is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all.
The challenge to achieve EFA Goals in Southeast Asia by 2015 is to reach the unreached population groups in the region.
By working together, there is a greater chance to address the remaining challenges.
It is indeed timely and essential that we address the inequality and bridge the education gap in Southeast Asia.
With more than four decades of the existence of SEAMEO and the cooperation developed between Member States and beyond, we will work together to facilitate and accelerate efforts to reach the unreached and strategize and target our goals better.
SEAMEO Member Countries share many similarities. On the other hand, the diversity of cultures, levels of development and policy among the Member Countries is a source of many good practices and lessons, particularly in providing everyone equal access to education.
Certainly, this is the very reason SEAMEO exists – to promote cooperation in education.
I would like to end by echoing the statement of our 43rd SEAMEO Council President and former Minister of Education of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein. In his speech, he said:
“With the present challenges, such as the worldwide economic crisis that the SEAMEO family faces, there is no other choice but to work together.”

30. www.seameo.org Thank you. email us at secretariat@seameo.org
With this, I would like to thank UNESCO and everyone for this opportunity to share the brand of collaboration in Southeast Asia, through SEAMEO, to reach the unreached in education.
Thank you very much.
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