EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones shared her department’s strategic directions to keep educational opportunities accessible to all learners during the 5th Strategic Dialogue for Education Ministers.

Briones bared initiatives in supporting early childhood education, the inclusion of students with special educational needs, and how to better leverage public and private sectors partnerships to support vulnerable students.

“As member of SEAMEO, it is important that we share our initiatives and programs in providing accessible education to our learners. Embracing our ASEAN spirit, we are also eager to listen to neighbor countries’ insights to improve our education services and in keeping educational opportunities accessible to all our children,” she said, referring to the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization.

Briones and education ministers from Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand tackled “education as an uplifting force.”

Meanwhile, Education ministers from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam discussed “Preparing Future-Ready Learners” to highlight the importance of having responsive and future-oriented education systems.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education is a regional intergovernmental organization that promotes the enhancement of regional understanding and cooperation in education, science, and culture.

The Strategic Dialogue for Education Ministers was first conceived in 2014 as a venue to share country practices, review priority areas, and agree on the general directions of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization.