February 8, 2023

Assalamualaikum.

• Ambassadors and Heads of Mission of the SEAMEO Member Countries in the Philippines

• SEAMEO Council President, Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Education, Singapore

• Education Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Heads of Delegation of the SEAMEO Member Countries

• SEAMEO High Officials

• Representatives of the Associate Member Countries and Affiliate Members

• Regional Center Directors

• SEAMEO Council Secretariat

• Delegates

• Ladies and Gentlemen Magandang hapon. Good afternoon to everyone.

Madayaw! Welcome to the Philippines and welcome to the 52nd Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Council Conference!

The last two years have been extremely difficult for all of us, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite all the challenges, we have sustained our alliance with virtual meetings and consultations, until today, when all Member Countries are once again convened in one place, ready and committed to working for the improvement of education quality in the region.

The potential of regional cooperation as an avenue to sustainable development and shared prosperity is still ours to take.

Southeast Asian countries, through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and SEAMEO, have demonstrated to the world the benefits of working together for the common good.

Today’s event is evidence of the region's strength in cooperation and underscores the common objective for which we all toil tirelessly: to sustain our development efforts to enhance the lives of ASEAN citizens through equitable, inclusive, and quality education.

The recent global health crisis has unraveled some of the weakest areas of our countries’ education systems. It has worsened education inequality, with younger, vulnerable, and disadvantaged children among the most affected.

Data from UNICEF indicates that more than half of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries were unable to read or comprehend a simple story even before the pandemic. In addition, learning poverty, or the inability to read and comprehend a basic text by the age of 10, has gotten worse because of the disruption in schooling and is currently thought to be close to 70 percent.

In response to the increased need to address educational inequities throughout the world, the United Nations, through the Transforming Education Summit, created five (5) Thematic Action Tracks guided by the Sustainable Development Goals.

In all of these, one thing is clear: WE NEED TO ACT NOW. We cannot afford to waste more time. As education leaders, we cannot allow ASEAN children to miss out on the beauty and benefits of learning and the wonders of being able to use it to positively impact the ASEAN and the world.

As education leaders, we have a huge responsibility to bear. The decisions we make today will help determine the quality of life in our countries and the entire ASEAN region, and the ripple effect of these decisions can reverberate for generations to come.

The Department of Education in the Philippines will continue to support the strategic partnership between the ASEAN Education Sector and SEAMEO to address two pressing issues—equitable access to education and post- pandemic recovery.

We recently launched our MATATAG agenda. “Matatag” is the Filipino word for resilience. This is our commitment to the country, our learners, and our fellow Filipinos as we work towards improving the basic education sector.

The MATATAG agenda acts as a roadmap of the department as we develop and prepare initiatives to support the Southeast Asian education sector and the Seven Priority Areas of SEAMEO from 2023 to 2025. Under the MATATAG agenda are four key components:

1. MAking the curriculum relevant to produce job-ready, active, and responsible citizens;
2. TAking steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education facilities and provision of services;
3. TAking good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusive education, and a positive learning environment; and
4. Giving support for teachers to teach better.

The Philippine government, under the leadership of our President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., has committed to the MATATAG education agenda and has made a national commitment to increase investments in education. The President has emphasized that we cannot fail our children – we need to help them so they become great.

We have also urged all sectors to help us in intensifying efforts to ensure that the education we give our learners will be relevant and responsive to the changing times.

In the Philippines, the term “Bayanihan” is used to describe the act of coming together to work for a common goal. As the SEAMEO Council convenes today, I urge everyone to embrace the spirit of “bayanihan,” keeping in mind who is at the heart of the work that we do: our ASEAN learners, and the future leaders of our countries.

Like the act of Bayanihan, let us continue to value education as a shared duty.

Once again, I warmly welcome all SEAMEO Member Countries, Associate Member Countries, Affiliate Members, Regional Centres, partners, and education stakeholders to the 52nd SEAMEO Council Conference.

Shukran. Maraming salamat. Thank you very much.