| Azlan Othman |
PERMANENT Secretary (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education Dr Haji Azman bin Ahmad said that the 5th Strategic Educational Alliance of Southeast Asia (SEA2) Conference, being hosted by Brunei Darussalam, is aimed at encouraging participating educators to build or strengthen cross-cultural networks through respectful partnerships and exchanges of expertise.
Speaking at the official launching of the conference yesterday at Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (MSPSBS), Dr Haji Azman quoted an excerpt from the Teachers’ Day 2017 titah of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, “As educators, teachers are required to be at their very best, in order to produce successful students. Teachers are the key to success.”
This year’s SEA2 Conference focusses on the theme ‘ASEAN Speaks: Origin of Language’, while bringing together educators and students to amalgamate the rich cultures and languages that are spoken in Southeast Asian countries.
Dr Haji Azman said, “I am informed of the positive feedback shared by previous conference participants. Teachers learnt different pedagogical approaches, and the conference was an eye-opener for them to venture into more innovative approaches in their teaching and learning.
“Our students too have learned about team-building, and best of all, getting to meet new acquaintances from neighbouring countries. I hope that this year’s conference will bring about significant impact and benefits to our teachers and students that will result in significant improvements, particularly in the teaching and learning of our teachers and students.
“SEA2 aims to bring established schools from Southeast Asia together to create greater synergy between educators and students in the region. The goals are to establish a structured platform for like-minded education institutions in the Southeast Asian region to work together; and to provide extended opportunities for students from across the region to work and play together, through experiential learning programmes, student forums and so on.”
The Principal of MSPSBS and event chairperson, Hajah Susilawati binti Dato Paduka Haji Muhammad, also hoped that the conference participants would gain more awareness and knowledge of experiential learning.
A total of 83 administrators, teachers and students from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam will participate in the conference, while also engaging in cultural displays, discussions and touring places of interest until August 17.
The conference will feature student findings from last year’s project, headlined ‘Lack of Control of Technology’. Aside from student presentations, teachers will share their best practices on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).