WE, the Heads of State and Government of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (hereinafter referred to as “ASEAN”), namely Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the occasion of the 15th ASEAN Summit in Cha-am Hua Hin;
REAFFIRMING our commitment to support the establishment of an ASEAN Community comprising three pillars, namely political and security cooperation, economic cooperation and socio-cultural cooperation that are closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing, by 2015 as called for by our Leaders at the 12th ASEAN Summit on 13 January 2007;
REAFFIRMING that one of ASEAN purposes as stipulated on Article 1 Paragraph 10 of the ASEAN Charter is to develop human resources through closer cooperation in education and life-long learning, and in science and technology, for the empowerment of the peoples of ASEAN and for the strengthening of the ASEAN Community;
RECOGNIZING the importance of education sector in contributing to the establishment of an ASEAN Community that is people-centred and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the nations and peoples of ASEAN by forging a common identity and building a caring and sharing society which is inclusive and where the well-being, livelihood, and welfare of the peoples are enhanced;
RECALLING the views of the ASEAN Ministers of Education expressed at their First Meeting (ASED) on 21 March 2006 that education sector should not be viewed solely under the socio-cultural pillar but, by developing human resources, permeates through all the three pillars of the ASEAN Community in enhancing competitiveness of individual Member States as well as ASEAN as a region;
RECALLING the Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community (2009-2015) which comprises the three Community Blueprints and the Second Work Plan for the Initiative for ASEAN Integration, which highlight human development as one of the key elements in the development of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community;
ALSO RECALLING the views of the ASEAN Education Ministers of Education in their Fourth Meeting on 5 April 2009 in Phuket which considered and adopted the set of Recommendations from the First Regional Seminar on Strengthening Cooperation on Education to Achieve an ASEAN Caring and Sharing Community during 23-25 February 2009 in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand, as well as the development of ASEAN’s Five-Year Work Plan on Education in strengthening educational cooperation within ASEAN and Dialogue Partners.
DO HEREBY AGREE THAT THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS ARE NECESSARY IN STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN BUILDING THE ASEAN COMMUNITY BY 2015
I. ROLE OF EDUCATION SECTOR IN POLITICAL AND SECURITY PILLAR:
PROMOTE better understanding and appreciation of the ASEAN Charter through the school curriculum on ASEAN and disseminating the ASEAN Charter which has been translated into ASEAN national languages;
GIVE greater emphasis on the principles of democracy, respect for human rights and peace-oriented values in the school curriculum;
PROMOTE better understanding and appreciation of different cultures, customs and faiths in the region among teachers through training and exchange programmes and establishment of an online database on this subject;
CONDUCT a regular school leaders’ forum as a platform for exchanging views on various regional issues in ASEAN, building their capacity and networking. We acknowledge the existing Southeast Asia School Principals’ Forum (SEA-SPF);
II. ROLE OF EDUCATION SECTOR IN ECONOMIC PILLAR
DEVELOP national skills framework in ASEAN Member States as an incremental approach towards an ASEAN skills recognition framework;
PROMOTE greater mobility of students by developing a regional catalogue of information materials of education offered in ASEAN Member States;
SUPPORT greater mobility of skilled workers in the ASEAN region through regional cooperation mechanisms among ASEAN Member States to be accompanied by efforts to safeguard and improve educational and professional standards;
DEVELOP an ASEAN competency-based occupational standard aimed at supporting the development of ASEAN human resources that are regionally and globally competitive and meet the needs of industries in coordination with the ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (ALMM) process;
ENCOURAGE the development of a common standard of competencies for vocational and secondary education as a base for benchmarking with a view to promote mutual recognition;
III. ROLE OF EDUCATION SECTOR IN SOCIO-CULTURAL PILLAR
DEVELOP a common content on ASEAN for schools as a reference for teacher training and teaching;
OFFER graduate courses on ASEAN arts and cultures in universities;
OFFER ASEAN languages as optional foreign language subjects in schools;
PROMOTE regional outreach programmes aimed at raising ASEAN awareness among our youth. We acknowledge the existing outreach programmes, such as the ASEAN Schools Tour, ASEAN Student Exchange Programme, ASEAN Youth Cultural Forum, ASEAN University Youth Summit, AUN Educational Forum and Young Speakers Contest;
SUPPORT wider access of rural communities to quality education by establishing an ASEAN community-based programme for young volunteers to support the learning centers in rural areas and for indigenous people in Member States;
PROMOTE life-long learning in ASEAN Member States in support of the Education for All (EFA);
ESTABLISH an ASEAN educational research convention to promote collaborative research and development (R&D) in the region and as a platform for researchers from Member States to exchange views on various regional issues and concerns;
PROMOTE better understanding and awareness of various environmental issues and concerns in the ASEAN region by integrating it in school curriculum and presenting “ASEAN Green School” awards;
CELEBRATE the ASEAN Day (8th August) preferably in the month of August in schools through various activities, such as singing the ASEAN Anthem, conducting a competition on ASEAN history and cultures, displaying ASEAN emblem and other iconic elements, organising an ASEAN youth camp, ASEAN youth festival and ASEAN children’s day;
AGREE that ASEAN Member States should consider sharing their resources and consider establishing a regional education development fund to ensure adequate financial support to implement the recommended actions;
TASK the concerned ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and the Secretary-General of ASEAN to implement this Declaration in guiding and supporting ASEAN’s Five Year Work Plan on Education as well as monitor commitments supported by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, and report to us regularly through the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council on the progress of the implementation;
PLEDGE our resolve and commitment to strengthen education to realize an ASEAN Community of Actions, a Community of Connectivity and a Community of and for the Peoples of ASEAN.
ADOPTED at Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand, this Twenty Forth Day of October in the Year Two Thousand and Nine, in a single original copy, in the English Language.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th