On 25 October 2022, SEAMEO CELLL in collaboration with DVV International organised the seminar “Implication of CONFINTEA VII Marrakech Framework for Action in Southeast Asia and Context of Adult Education Provision and Development in Vietnam.”
The event was attended by nearly 50 participants from a wide range of government bodies of all levels, and education institutions. The speakers and panellists included Dr. Johann Heilmann, Regional Director, Regional Office South-East Asia of DVV International; Mr. Emiljohn Columna Sentillas, Policy & Planning Specialist of SEAMEO Secretariat; high officials of the Ministry of Education of Malaysia, the Philippines; Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, Vice president of Vietnam Association for Learning Promotion, Assoc Prof Dr. Tran Xuan Nhi, President of the Vietnam Association for Education for All; and Ms. Tong Lien Anh, specialist from the Department of Continuing Education, Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam.
After SEAMEO CELLL Director Le Thi My Ha welcomed the participants and expressed her appreciation to all, Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training delivered the opening remarks via the internet, in which he highlighted the role of adult education in transforming society and the significant expected output of this seminar.
In his presentation on the key messages of Marrakech Framework for Action, Dr. Johann Heilmann emphasised that there is no lifelong learning without adult education, there is no achievement of Sustainable Development Goals without adult education, and that the MFA is very clear about the importance of literacy, which is now understood as more than the ability to read and write. He elaborated on the role of adult education for the necessary transformation of our societies.
The presentations by Ms. Tong Lien Anh and the panelists provided the context of adult education development in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. These sparked many ideas of good models of adult education provision.
The seminar featured a group work session that facilitated discussion of the challenges and advantages of adult education provision in Vietnam that led to recommendations to make adult education more accessible, of higher quality to all with a learning need. These were classified into five areas of action – Policy, Governance, Funding, Participation-Inclusion-Equity, and Quality – in line with the 2015 UNESCO Recommendations on Adult Education and Learning.
A parallel session to the group work was also conducted by SEAMEO CELLL Director to promote network initiation among various education institutions in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
This seminar was the first in-person event held by SEAMEO CELLL since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was one of the many CONFINTEA VII follow-up events which have been and will be organised by various UNESCO countries to accelerate adult education.
