British Council has been strengthening and deepening links and relations between UK and ASEAN through our close collaboration with SEAMEO, South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, in which are an affiliate member since 2010.

British Council is working together with SEAMEO on the upcoming SEAMEO Congress 2021 on 28-29 April 2021. The SEAMEO Congress 2021 brings together diverse education actors and stakeholders to exchange the effective policy, fruitful teaching experience and share new learning paradigms and practices in the digital age.

We are looking for speakers from the UK with prior experience in working with British Council to demonstrate the impact of the work they have done with us to speak at the congress’ sessions. This is a valuable opportunity to establish relationship with SEAMEO and engage with policymakers, teachers, researchers, and educators from the ASEAN region and beyond.

We are looking for speakers in the following sessions:

1. Plenary Session 1 “Action for People Transformation” scheduled on 28 April 2021 at 11.30 – 12.30 hrs (GMT +7). The duration of presentation is 15-20 minutes.

We are looking for a speaker in the Plenary session which aims to inspire participants on how human resources could be developed and contributed to the social development. The speakers will highlight on the process of their thought and successful experiences, including their inspiration.

2. Parallel Session 2 “Building a Future for the Alpha Generation” under sub-theme B: Transversal Skills, scheduled on 28 April 2021 at 16.15-17.30 hrs (GMT+7). The duration of presentation is 15 minutes.

Inequity and gender bias are still existing even in this digital revolution. This session serves as a platform to share and promote alternative delivery of education through diversified learning modes of using information and communication technology (ICT), online learning and electronic learning and introduce learners to the technology of digital classrooms to tackle gender and equity issues in the region.

3. Plenary Session 3 “Transforming Education Towards Sustainable Communities” scheduled on 29 April 2021 at 09.00 – 10.00 hrs (GMT +7). The duration of presentation is 15 minutes.

This session will address challenges to education due to the rapid change of digital technology that affected all aspects of human life including those of the alpha generation learners. Policy reform in education need to address the new competences needed towards sustaining the communities for the alpha generation learners to be effectively responsive and live in the fast changing and uncertain world in the next decade.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the SEAMEO Congress will be conducted face-to-face and virtual. Speakers from the UK will be joining the SEAMEO Congress virtually.

About the SEAMEO Congress 2021

The SEAMEO Congress 2021 for Education, Science and Culture in Southeast Asia brings together diverse education actors and stakeholders representing the governments of SEAMEO Member Countries as well as public and private educational institutions and agencies to exchange the perspectives on the global and current issues affecting Southeast Asian Countries.

The SEAMEO Congress 2021 has three primary aims:

• Provide a platform for conversations on innovations, breakthroughs and best practices in Education, Science and Culture to achieve SDG4 2030;
• Examine sustainable development platforms, networking and strategic collaboration among education actors and stakeholders in Southeast Asia and beyond for enhancing the quality of learning and ensuring wider access and relevance of education in the region; and
• Build a consensus reflecting and concretising transformative educational programmes and action plans towards the development of a dynamic synergy of strengths, strategies and standards leading to the application of more inclusive and innovative learning paradigms and education policies to meet global standards.

Targeted participants

Around 500 participants are expected for SEAMEO Congress 2021 (joining in by face to face, and virtually) including policy makers, educational leaders, teachers, researchers, and educators

How to volunteer to speak

Please fill out this online form to tell us about your experience and the topic you are going to cover by 9 February  2021 at 5 PM UK Time. The selected speaker will be notified by 17 February 2021. The selection will be based on the speaker’s experience and profile and the relevance of the proposed topic.

Further information

For any queries, please contact Ekkarat Subannarat at ekkarat.subannarat@britishcouncil.or.th