PRESS STATEMENT
ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING (ACET) 2015
3 – 5 AUGUST 2015 (Day 1)
The Asia Pacific Conference on Education and Training (ACET) 2015
commenced with the Welcoming Remark by Mr Gwang Jo Kim, Director, UNESCO
Asia and Pacific to almost 650 delegates from Malaysia, international
participants and high-ranking officials from member countries comprising
of Secretaries of State, Director Generals of Education, policy
advisors and Directors.
In attendance were also nine (9)
Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region – Afghanistan, Fiji Island,
Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nepal, Samoa and Solomon Islands.
Deputy Ministers from Kyrgyzstan and Lao PDR were also present at the
conference. The Honourable Minister of Education Malaysia, Datuk Seri
Diraja Mahadzir Khalid graced the event, presenting the welcoming
remark. He emphasized the need for countries to prioritize TVET,
placing it within mainstream education to ensure youths are equipped
with the skills which will enhance their employability rates.
The theme Making Skills Development Work for the Future was deliberated
through the plenary and concurrent sessions involving a total of 22
presenters from various participating countries. In Plenary Session 1,
the issue of labour market trends and their implications on skills
development strategies in the Asia-Pacific region was examined. The
session also looked at the impact of the ASEAN Economic Community on the
labour market and skills development, job creation policies and
practices in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Three international
and one local presenter discussed how the investment in education and
training could provide significant returns to individuals.
Plenary Session II presented a general overview on trends, challenges
and opportunities for skills development, particularly in light of
changes in job structures and characteristics. The session also
outlined concrete strategies and priority action areas to identify
issues and challenges. New insights into skills needs, working models
and best practices were also highlighted.
Five concurrent
sessions involving 15 international and local presenters were held
between 2.30 – 4.30 pm, each looking into training and employment.
Session 1 focused on The Economy and the Informal Sector: Opportunities
and Challenges in TVET, while Session 2 discussed various policies and
programmes related to youth skills development and employment.
Session 3 presented the preliminary findings of a research study that
took stock of the green jobs supporting low-carbon transitions in the
Asia Pacific region and shared experiences on greening TVET and skills
across the UNEVOC Network. The role of Public-Private Partnerships
(PPP) to improve the delivery of relevant, effective and quality TVET
for employment was deliberated in Session 4, where the private sector
shared the critical success factors that determined how PPPs can help
deliver quality learning outcomes to students.
In Session 5,
participants were exposed to transversal skills and entrepreneurship in
the workplace and the innovative practices of infusing these skills in
post-secondary education. 10 exhibition booths were set up showcasing
best practices in TVET by representatives from Malaysia’s Technical
Universities, Community Colleges, Polytechnics and Vocational Colleges.
In his speech during the exhibition launch, The Honourable
Deputy Minister of Education Mr P Kamalanathan reaffirmed that the
Malaysian Government would intensify collaboration with industry to
increase intake into TVET, to enhance the quality of programmes and
institutions and to improve overall branding and profile, in line with
the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.
Ministry of Education Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia
3 August 2015
3 August 2015
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The last day of The Asia Pacific Conference on Education and Training
(ACET) 2015 continued with the welcoming address and overview of Day 2’s
session presented by Mr Borhene Chakroun, Chief of the UNESCO Section
for TVET at UNESCO Headquarters. The participants deliberated the
content of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration – Quality Education and Skills
Development for Sustainable Future which took into account the
developments made in TVET in the region since the Third International
Congress on TVET 2012 held in Shanghai.
The Kuala Lumpur Declaration called for eight (8) recommendations. These are to:
1. Enhance the quality of TVET and its relevance to the changing needs of the world of work;
2. Ensure inclusive and equitable TVET;
3. Expand lifelong learning opportunities through TVET;
4. Integrate greening skills for sustainable development in TVET programmes;
5. Adapt qualifications systems to facilitate learning and career pathways;
6. Strengthen governance and increase investment in TVET;
7. Leverage the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for TVET; and
8. Foster regional integration and labour mobility.
The conference also called upon member states to implement the action framework for TVET development in the Asia Pacific and pledged continued commitment to TVET and skills development in this region.
In a press conference after the adoption of the declaration, The Honourable Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching highlighted that this was a historic event for Malaysia as the Kuala Lumpur Declaration was unanimously accepted by the participants of the conference. The preparation of the declaration itself underwent a comprehensive and rigorous process as it involved input from ministers and high ranking officials of the member states and the participants of the conference.
The Ministry of Education and the Minister of Higher Education Malaysia are committed towards the implementation of the recommendations for TVET in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration as they are in alignment with TVET initiatives in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, the Higher Education Blueprint 2015-2025 and the 11th Malaysia Plan 2016-2020.
The session continued with the discussion on the next steps after ACET 2015 and outlined concrete actions at regional and national levels to implement the recommendations proposed in the declaration. The participants agreed that member states need to foster stronger collaborations in the effort to implement these recommendations.
In her closing speech, The Honourable Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mary Yap supported the call for member states to promote sharing of experiences, knowledge and peer learning through regional organisations, platforms and networks. She emphasised Malaysia’s commitment to implement the initiatives for TVET and for Malaysia to play a greater role in the transformation of TVET in this region.
Ministry of Education Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia
4 August 2015
PRESS
STATEMENT – 4TH AUGUST 2015
ASIA-PACIFIC
CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING (ACET) 2015
3
– 5 AUGUST 2015 (Day 2)
The second day of The Asia Pacific Conference on Education
and Training (ACET) 2015 resumed with the welcoming address and
overview of Day 1’s session presented by Mr Cheoi Hee Kim. Plenary Session 3 focused on the
efforts to integrate ICT as a way to improve the quality of TVET and highlighted
innovative ICT-supported teacher training programmes to improve teachers’ instructional
practices in formal and informal TVET programmes. In Plenary Session 4, participants
discussed lessons learnt for partnership-building from the process of
establishing the ASEAN Qualification Reference Framework (AQRF) in the effort
to strengthen partnerships and coordination within and across borders.
UNESCO's Deputy Assistant
Director-General for Education Dr Qian Tang reiterated the message from the Shanghai
Conference in his Keynote Remark that there is a need to transform TVET
in order ‘to make the most of its potential to stimulate innovation and to
bolster vibrant societies’. He called
upon member countries to make TVET a national agenda. This, he believed would require greater
investment in the effort to achieve a better match between the skills people
acquire in education and training and those needed in the labour market. The conference was informed of UNESCO’s
effort to encourage member states to adopt the post-2015 Framework for Actions
which outlined the vision, rationale and fundamental principles of Education
2030.
The highlight of the
second day was the Keynote Speech delivered by The Honourable Minister
of Higher Education, Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh.
The Minister drew the participants’ attention to envision the scenario
in 2030, where the global workforce was expected to increase to 3.5 billion;
however, a surplus of 90 million low and medium skilled workers was
projected. Thus, it is now imperative to
analyse the current trends and challenges to resolve future uncertainties. Policy makers need to be more proactive to
address unpredictability in the labour market in growing economies around the
region and beyond. The Minister
outlined several pertinent policies that can be adopted to ensure that TVET
programmes will continue to generate high skills and high productivity among
workers to sustain growth.
The concurrent sessions
continued in the afternoon with 18 international and local presenters sharing
their experiences and expertise on TVET.
Session 1 showcased the achievements made in enhancing TVET’s
relevance in the Asia Pacific region based on the findings of two recent
progress reviews. In Session 2,
feedback from the participants was gathered based on the preliminary findings
from a UNESCO research study which examined innovative practices of harnessing
the potential of ICT in TVET in the Asia Pacific region.
In order to ensure that quality
in TVET was not compromised, Session 3 explored efficient and effective
mechanisms and tools of quality assurance in TVET. Session 4 provided insights into
pre-service and in-service TVET teachers’ training programmes. The discussions focused on the strategies to address
existing skill gaps of TVET teachers in the Asia Pacific region. In Session 5, participants discussed
how international and regional networks could contribute to the development of
National TVET systems and provided recommendations to policy makers.
In the final session of
the day, key messages and conclusions of the plenaries, concurrent sessions and
the closed-door ministerial discussion were deliberated upon.
The final draft of the outcome statement will be presented on the last day of
the conference.
Ministry of Education Malaysia and Ministry of
Higher Education Malaysia
4 August 2015--------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESS STATEMENT – 5TH AUGUST 2015
ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING (ACET) 2015
3 – 5 AUGUST 2015 (Day 3)
The Kuala Lumpur Declaration called for eight (8) recommendations. These are to:
1. Enhance the quality of TVET and its relevance to the changing needs of the world of work;
2. Ensure inclusive and equitable TVET;
3. Expand lifelong learning opportunities through TVET;
4. Integrate greening skills for sustainable development in TVET programmes;
5. Adapt qualifications systems to facilitate learning and career pathways;
6. Strengthen governance and increase investment in TVET;
7. Leverage the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for TVET; and
8. Foster regional integration and labour mobility.
The conference also called upon member states to implement the action framework for TVET development in the Asia Pacific and pledged continued commitment to TVET and skills development in this region.
In a press conference after the adoption of the declaration, The Honourable Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching highlighted that this was a historic event for Malaysia as the Kuala Lumpur Declaration was unanimously accepted by the participants of the conference. The preparation of the declaration itself underwent a comprehensive and rigorous process as it involved input from ministers and high ranking officials of the member states and the participants of the conference.
The Ministry of Education and the Minister of Higher Education Malaysia are committed towards the implementation of the recommendations for TVET in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration as they are in alignment with TVET initiatives in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, the Higher Education Blueprint 2015-2025 and the 11th Malaysia Plan 2016-2020.
The session continued with the discussion on the next steps after ACET 2015 and outlined concrete actions at regional and national levels to implement the recommendations proposed in the declaration. The participants agreed that member states need to foster stronger collaborations in the effort to implement these recommendations.
In her closing speech, The Honourable Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mary Yap supported the call for member states to promote sharing of experiences, knowledge and peer learning through regional organisations, platforms and networks. She emphasised Malaysia’s commitment to implement the initiatives for TVET and for Malaysia to play a greater role in the transformation of TVET in this region.
Ministry of Education Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia
4 August 2015
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