From April 22 to 24, 2025, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMES) Secretariat organized a financial training program at the SEAMEO RETRAC headquarters (35 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). This is an intensive training activity to improve the professional capacity of financial officers of the two SEAMEO CELLL and SEAMEO RETRAC Regional Centers in Vietnam.
Attending the training course were Ms. Le Thi My Ha – Director of SEAMEO CELLL; Ms. Le Thi Thuy Duong – Director of SEAMEO RETRAC; and financial and administrative officers of the two centers. The program was directly taught by two financial experts from SEAMES: Ms. Kornkanok Chareonwuthilarp – Financial Manager and Ms. Lamyai Sopa – Accountant.
The opening ceremony took place on the morning of April 22 in a solemn and cozy atmosphere. Ms. Le Thi Thuy Duong welcomed the delegates, students and experts from SEAMES and the two centers, and emphasized the practical significance of the training program for financial management at regional centers, in the context of SEAMEO’s increasingly expanding cooperation and high requirements for financial transparency.
Next, Dr. Le Thi My Ha expressed her thanks to the SEAMEO Secretariat for their attention and organization of the direct training program in Vietnam, creating favorable conditions for the staff of the two centers to exchange, learn and update the latest guidelines. She expected that the trainees would actively participate in discussions, practice and apply the new knowledge to their work.
SEAMES representative, Ms. Kornkanok Chareonwuthilarp, delivered the opening speech of the course, stating the objective of supporting centers to improve their financial planning skills, ensuring full and accurate reporting and compliance with SEAMEO regulations. Ms. Kornkanok also expressed her joy at returning to Vietnam to work with colleagues in the SEAMEO system.
The three working days took place seriously but were open and positive. The contents were implemented systematically, including: introducing the SEAMEO Financial Guidelines (FOM – revised version of July 2018); practicing monthly financial reporting (up to July 31, 2024); procedures for handling unused expenses, end-of-period payment obligations and preparing financial reports for the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2025); instructions for preparing annual financial reports and completing the reporting dossier to send to SEAMES. Interspersed between working sessions was the time for direct exchange between lecturers and students on practical issues in the reporting process at the centers, thereby helping students consolidate their knowledge and handle situations arising in practical work.
On the afternoon of April 24, the training program officially ended with the closing ceremony. The representative of the trainees, Mr. Nguyen Minh Chuyen – staff of the Planning – Finance Department of SEAMEO CELLL – expressed his feelings, respect and gratitude to the lecturers for their useful knowledge, dedicated guidance and professional cooperation throughout the course. He also promised to maintain contact with the two financial experts of SEAMES to ensure the successful completion of the assigned tasks.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Le Thi Thuy Duong affirmed that the course had brought many practical values, contributing to improving the capacity of the finance team of both centers. Ms. Kornkanok Chareonwuthilarp also expressed her impression of the serious learning spirit and the close cooperation between the center staff and the instructors.
After the closing ceremony, the delegates and students took photos and exchanged souvenirs to express their affection and respect for the two lecturers from SEAMES, concluding three days of effective and inspiring work.
The training course not only contributes to improving the knowledge and professional skills of SEAMEO CELLL’s financial officers but also opens up many prospects for cooperation and improving the quality of financial work in the SEAMEO system in Vietnam. With the knowledge gained, SEAMEO CELLL hopes to continue to improve management efficiency, transparency and standardization of financial processes, contributing to the sustainable development of the organization in the future.
Some other images of the training course
