EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones stressed the importance of cooperation and sharing during the kickoff of the Department of Education’s celebration of ASEAN Month.

She cited the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in helping the Philippines to achieve its development goals, especially in education.

This year’s event has the theme: “Celebrating Unity: Recognizing ASEAN’s Collaborative Efforts in the Education Sector.”

“This should not only be a one-month activity but a continuing series of activities so that we will not forget that we are in the ASEAN region, that we have neighbors, that we have friends who can give comfort as well as information, tips on survival, and various approaches to more effective learning,” Briones said.

She called on students and teachers to “share knowledge, communicate with people, inform our learners, as well as our teachers and officials about our partnerships, the levels of cooperation that we have attained, and how we worked together not just as one isolated country but always together with other ASEAN countries.”

“It should be a continuing activity so our learners and our citizens will not forget that we are not a state unto ourselves, and that we are a part of ASEAN,” Briones added.

The ASEAN Day Celebrations will be held in the cities of Pasig and Mandaluyong. A forum will be conducted to discuss International Partnerships and Commitments in Basic Education (ASEAN-Focused) while the Webinar Series Session 7 of the ASEAN-SEAMEO will be held on August 26, 2021.

As part of the celebration, the DepEd launched CreASEAN: Art-Making Contest on August 2.