- SEAMEO CPRN Summit 2025 convened 180+ delegates in Brunei, spotlighting collaborative policy research in education, science, and culture across Southeast Asia.
- Keynotes from global experts, including OECD’s Andreas Schleicher, urged reforms focused on learning productivity, metacognition, and green TVET aligned with sustainability.
- Minister Dr Hajah Romaizah hailed SEAMEO CPRN’s role in shaping evidence-based educational policies, driving regional innovation, and meeting Southeast Asia’s evolving development needs.
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Centres Policy Research Network (CPRN) played a crucial role in improving SEAMEO Centres' and the Secretariat's relevance and responsiveness to the policy research requirements of Southeast Asia's education leaders.
Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia, Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, who is also SEAMEO Council President, emphasized the significant role of SEAMEO CPRN in SEAMEO CPRN Summit.
"Our odyssey has been characterized by major milestones and meaningful research activities. From having delved into the incorporation of biodiversity in environmental education, as represented by SEAMEO BIOTROP, to responding to priority issues in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, our SEAMEO Centres have been busily occupied with a wide array of research". These past and ongoing research activities are not mere academic exercises; they are vital contributions that inform policy, shape educational practices, and ultimately improve the quality of life for millions across our region. They embody the very essence of our collective role as regional think tanks, proactively conducting reliable and valid research that aligns with, and often leads, development trends”, she added.
This year's meeting, she explained, "will have a shared policy research discussion, to assist and bring forth suggested policy research titles, for the purpose of building clear direction of research undertaken by SEAMEO Centres. The session here is focused on sharing concepts, noting challenges, raising recommendations and determining next steps". This session is a significant milestone in SEAMEO, by coordinating our activities in the three areas of education, science and culture, and by sharing our collective knowledge; we have a better opportunity to meet the pressing needs of our time and to be ready for the ones to come.
The summit featured a roster of world leaders in thought who presented trailblazing keynote speeches on key fields. OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher assessed traditional methods of education reform in his keynote.
His thoughtful critique of the educational systems of SEAMEO member countries was enriched by observations from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results.
He disclosed learning-productivity, rather than learning-time is one of the key obstacles to success and called for strategic policy changes and instructional reform approaches to improve educational productivity.
Chief Education and Skills Officer at Education Development Trust Tony McAleavy presented a talk on 'Innovative Teaching for Quality Education: The Power of Metacognition and Learning Strategies'. Philippines' National Institutes of Health Executive Director Dr Eva Maria C Cutiongco-de La Paz shed light on the crucial crossroads between education reform and health sciences. UNEVOC Research Fellow Dr Margarita Pavlova will speak on the last day of the summit about revolutionary frameworks for green Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs that align human resource development with sustainability.
During the two-day programme, learners took part in intensive research through parallel and panel presentations of evidence-based policy solutions from regional experts; penetrating panel discussions that touched on critical challenges facing education, science, and cultural agendas; and guided policy conversations centered around operationalizing innovative modalities. Through this programming architecture, it was possible for all the stakeholders to both give and receive from the shared expertise, with every session being particularly designed to translate abstract conversations into actionable policy frameworks.
The CPRN 2025 Summit, with the theme 'Building Bridges to a Sustainable Future Inclusive Collaboration and Innovation in Education, Science, and Culture', brought together more than 180 highly representative delegates, comprising policymakers, researchers, and education leaders from SEAMEO member states and partner countries like the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Australia, Hong Kong, and China. Brunei Darussalam hosted the summit for the second time, further solidifying its position as a premier forum for regional policy discourse.
