What are Sara Duterte’s plans as the President of the Southeast Asian Education Organization?

The Philippines took up leadership of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) from Singapore, with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte assuming the council presidency.

Eleven member states comprise the eleven-member SEAMEO Council, which is the organization’s highest policymaking body. According to the Department of Education (DepEd), the member countries assume the president of the council in alphabetical order on a rotating basis, unless a country wants to be excluded from the cycle.

An earlier version of this article said that the SEAMEO council summit in Manila was held in September. The error has been rectified.

The Philippines will host the SEAMEO council conference from Wednesday, February 8, to Friday, February 10, in Manila. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam are the member states.

Wednesday at the EDSA Shangrila Hotel in Mandaluyong, Duterte asked ASEAN education officials to “act immediately.”

Vice President: “As education leaders, we cannot allow ASEAN youngsters to miss out on the beauty and advantages of learning.”

Duterte warned education leaders that “the decisions we make today will define the quality of life in our countries and throughout the ASEAN region.”

On January 30, Duterte presented her Basic Education Report, in which she detailed the education problems and learning reforms during her administration. Congress was also debating proposals that would make the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) mandatory, a concept that the Vice President has advocated since the election.

“The Philippines’ last SEAMEO Council presidency occurred in 2010 during the tenure of former DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro.” The Philippines’ SEAMEO council Presidency term this year follows its 2020-2021 chairmanship of the ASEAN Education sector. Under the direction of the Honorable Sara Z. Duterte, the Department of Education is anticipated to oversee the council from 2023 to 2025, according to the DepEd.