The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) had the privilege of joining the ASEAN Policy Forum on Higher Education 2024 held on 11-12 November 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
With the theme “Moving Higher Education Forward Together: Building Resilience and Flexibility by Connecting and Including All,” it brought together representatives from ministries, universities, international organisations, and the private sector from across ASEAN and EU.
This event is the first in a series of annual policy dialogues running from 2024 to 2028 aimed at addressing the evolving needs of higher education and strengthening sustainable connectivity in ASEAN and beyond.
The policy forum opened with a session on key trends and challenges on higher education, followed by a panel discussion which discussed the achievements of the region under the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2021-2025. These exciting back-to-back segments set the stage for the upcoming panel discussions:
- Ecosystem Linkages and Flexibility: Expanding Equitable Access to Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Fostering Employability, Innovation and Relevance in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities
- Sustainability Challenges: Digital Transformation within the Higher Education Landscape
- Fostering Mobility, Regional and Inter-Regional Integration and Recognition in Higher Education
Ms Marina PATRIER of the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Dr Romyen KOSAIKANONT of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation’s Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) brought the policy forum to a conclusion, highlighting key takeaways and ways forward for the region’s higher education agenda. This comes at an opportune time as SEAMEO and ASEAN takes higher education cooperation to the next level following the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Common Space in Southeast Asian Higher Education.
We congratulate the organising committee composed of the Lao PDR Ministry of Education and Sports, UNESCO, and the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education (SCOPE-HE) Programme for a successful event!
We look forward to actively working with our partners in the region towards a future-oriented common higher education space based on principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
This event is line with the work we do in the 10th ASEF Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC10) Project.