- Chulalongkorn University President Prof. Dr. Wilert Puriwat elected Chair of the ASEM LLL Hub for 2025-2030
- Thailand becomes the first Asian nation to assume leadership of the ASEM Lifelong Learning consortium
- Chula’s new role strengthens global cooperation in lifelong learning amid rapid digital and educational transformations
A historic milestone in the leadership of international education was set by Chulalongkorn University (Chula) when its President, Professor Dr. Wilert Puriwat, was unanimously elected to take the position of Chair of the ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning (ASEM LLL Hub) for the 2025-2030 terms. His official term of duty in the position starts on 18 November 2025.
This election is particularly significant, as Thailand will become the first Asian country to take the chairmanship of the ASEM LLL Hub. The Hub was established in 2005 as a consortium of higher-education institutions from Asia and Europe with a common purpose: to promote comparative research on lifelong learning and evidence-based policy, and to foster greater mutual understanding between the two regions.
Under the leadership of Puriwat, Chula amplifies its vision of lifelong learning across age and educational modes by constructing the 'Chula Lifelong Learning Ecosystem'.This strategic initiative looks toward expanding learning opportunities beyond traditional degree programmes into informal, non-formal and online platforms.
The ecosystem accentuates universal access to bridge educational disparities and enable learners to tap into new knowledge via such digital assets as Chula MOOC, Chula Neuron, CBS Academy, PIES, CUGS Academy, MedUMore, and the partner platform DegreePlus.
Also Read: China Unveils New Policies to Enhance Job Opportunities Nationwide
In assuming the chairmanship, Chula and its new leader place themselves at the fulcrum of global and regional change in higher education. Within the context of rapid technological, social, and demographic change, lifelong learning is increasingly considered an imperative strategy. It is, therefore, expected that the ASEM LLL Hub should play a key role in shaping international cooperation, policy frameworks, and research agendas.
Through its networks, it will facilitate exchanges among academics, practitioners, and learners from Asia and Europe, bolstering capacity and quality in higher education on a sustained basis.
This achievement testifies to a deeper alignment both for Thailand and Chula with national policy aspirations of inclusive, lifelong education for all, while it reaffirms the university's role as a global actor in learning innovation. Being the first Asian institution to lead the Hub, Chula now carries a strategic responsibility to both advance the Hub's mission and exemplify how an institution can leverage the digital, trans-national, and lifelong dimensions of learning in the 21st century.
