Asean 2015: Last two education priorities

IN our last conversation, we focused on the first two education priorities of Asean 2015. What we suggested were a mix of Asean-related activities in and outside formal classes, extending our reach to our various communities through civic engagement. Also as academics, that we enhance our scholarship on the Filipino through literature written by Filipinologists. Let’s find ways to help with the last two priorities in education of Asean – strengthening both the Asean identity through education and the Asean University Network.

In this regard, we can invoke the curriculum and the extra-curriculum. Although together with Singapore and Malaysia we have an edge over the other seven Asean countries in English proficiency, nevertheless, we have to keep improving the English proficiency of our students. English will be the language of Asean. Beginning in 2012, Thailand instituted a policy that English be stressed in various curricula. A research of the Thai Ministry of Education ascertained the state of English language teaching in a number of Thai high schools and selected those high schools where to pilot a new curriculum for language teaching.