Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman shared key initiatives by Brunei Darussalam in providing students’ equitable access to quality education, including access to technological knowledge, highlighting the need for educators to cope and be knowledgeable of technological developments related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in ensuring excellent delivery of quality education.
He made these comments during the virtual 39th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Human Resources Development Working Group Education Network (APEC HRDWG EDNET) yesterday.
The meeting, also being held physically in Bangkok, Thailand, continues until today.
The annual meeting involves delegates from APEC member economies and other relevant multilateral organisations convening to summarise and evaluate their work related to joint educational projects, initiatives and activities over the previous 12 months, and to formulate future work plans.
The two-day event comprises 12 sessions, and is hosted by Thailand as the APEC Chair for 2022.
The meeting began with welcoming remarks from Thailand’s Minister of Education Treenuch Thienthong, followed by presentations of pre-recorded statements from Education Ministers of APEC member economies who shared their vision of education towards 2030 and the priorities of education development in their economy and in the APEC region.
The minister also shared that the Ministry of Education (MoE) is constantly addressing disparity gaps to stay responsive and relevant to the future of work for the overall development of the economy, highlighting the importance of strengthening and shaping human capital towards the dynamics of the global market.
The meeting also shared Thailand’s key deliverables and presentations of APEC projects. The meeting convenes again today, with presentations from various APEC member economies on the ‘Future of Student Learning in Digitalised World’ and ‘Development of Skills for Potential Future’, as well as presentations on ‘Cross-Fora Collaboration for a Shared Future’ from other multilateral organisations, who were also invited to share their viewpoints on the future of education towards 2030 and to discuss any potential opportunities for collaborations with APEC.
Officials from Brunei Darussalam’s MoE were also present at the meeting.
