2000 APEC Education Ministerial Meeting

Education Ministers and senior education officials (hereinafter referred to as "the Ministers") from the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) member economies met in Singapore from 6 to 7 April 2000. This was the second meeting of the Ministers. They came together at the suggestion of the APEC Leaders who, in Vancouver, Canada, in 1997, welcomed the holding of a Ministerial Conference on Education in Singapore. The Education Ministers last met in August 1992 in WashingtonDC.

Following the recognition by APEC Leaders at their meeting in Auckland in September 1999 of the importance of co-operation in human capacity building, the Ministers acknowledged that education will increasingly be a key contributor to the economic and social well-being of member economies. Education will assist APEC in achieving one of its aims, which is to develop more effectively the human and natural resources of the Asia-Pacific region so as to attain sustainable growth and equitable development of APEC economies. Education will help APEC to prosper and flourish as knowledge economies in a globalised world and advance the dynamism of member economies.

The Ministers noted the symbolic significance of this meeting, which took place at the start of a new millennium. Education in the 21 st century will be the determining factor in shaping the way we live, the values our societies wish to preserve and the levels of success each of our economies within APEC will strive for and maintain.

The Ministers acknowledged that the world is now truly the global village it was once envisaged to be. Economies have become more inter-connected and interdependent, and this will continue to be more so in the future. In the new millennium, technology and information networks will continue to re-orientate how economies communicate with each other.

The Ministers observed that the new century will be marked by rapid social and economic change, brought about largely by advances in science and technology. The knowledge-based economy will see the rise of new businesses and industries. In such a world, knowledge and its effective application will become the important assets for economic and social advancement. Education must equip the workforce with relevant knowledge and skills for the new economy and society of the 21st century.

The Ministers recognised the vital role students and youth could play in contributing to the better future of tomorrow. Their needs and interests should, therefore, continue to be the prime concern of education providers. Opportunities should continue to be provided for them to play a role in the education development process.

The Ministers agreed that the theme for the 2nd APEC Educational Ministerial Meeting, "Education for Learning Societies in the 21st Century", speaks of the APEC's aspiration of providing education for all, for life. The Ministers also affirmed the importance of promoting education as a means for personal fulfilment.

In the 21 st century, these goals are best realised in a learning society. A learning society prepares its people to embrace change. A learning society is forever learning, evolving, creating and acting upon what is important. Lifelong learning will be the characteristic of this society. As formal pre-employment education continues to be important, continual re-training and upgrading of knowledge for adult workers to develop themselves will also become paramount. With lifelong learning, individuals will be able to better contribute to their communities and work-places. A learning society therefore is an important factor in the continual well-being of its people and the advancement of its community.

Ministers affirmed the important role education can play in shaping a learning society. In the new millennium, education will focus increasingly on developing intellectual capacity, not only in terms of the mastery of content but in processing, adapting, applying existing information, and, more importantly, in creating new knowledge. Education provides individuals the access to knowledge and the means to develop their potential. In particular, high standards in literacy, mathematics, science and technology provide the necessary foundation needed for the new global economy. In this inter-connected world, where knowledge and understanding of the languages and cultures of other communities is an asset and a way of life, the learning of foreign languages can help our people unlock new doors of information and opportunities. Education can help learning societies sustain and enrich cultures, and build mutual respect and understanding that transcends cultural differences. Globalisation presents opportunities for education to play a role in helping people communicate and co-operate in the new world. Education in the 21st century must also continue to instil in the young fundamental individual, social and community values in the new globalised future.

The Ministers acknowledged the importance of information technology (IT) in a learning society. They recognised the immense potential IT has to better prepare students for the future as well as provide opportunities for adults to continue learning. IT offers new and innovative modes of learning at all educational levels. IT can also facilitate greater long-distance research collaborations and distance learning, and the Ministers agreed to encourage these activities and studies on the implications of the advent of "education without frontiers" among the APEC member economies. IT in education will be a key strategy to meet the needs of the knowledge-based economy.

The Ministers recognised the challenges faced in introducing IT into education. These include: identifying clear goals for an IT programme; managing resources and stakeholders; equipping teachers with the attitude, knowledge and skills; designing instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of using IT in education and; formulating policies and programmes to bridge the "digital divide" among economies and among members within each economy so that all can keep pace with the rapid developments of technology. The Ministers appreciated the importance of guiding students in the use of new technology in education, so that cultural and moral values are strengthened and support the holistic goals of education. While it is possible for each economy to develop IT programmes on its own, the Ministers agreed that there is much to be gained from working collaboratively.

The Ministers acknowledged that the teacher lies at the heart of education. The teaching profession should enjoy respect within society, so that the profession will continue to draw able and committed individuals to it and teachers can perform their roles more effectively. Teachers help develop in their students the desire and ability to excel and to pursue life-long learning, a sense of moral responsibility, their own cultural identity, respect for other cultures and ethnic groups and a responsible attitude towards the well-being of their family, society and the world. In the classroom of the future, the teacher will face the challenge of striking a right balance between the more traditional role of delivering structured, content-based lessons and the role of facilitator to encourage open, independent learning.

Teacher preparation is key to equipping teachers at all levels to adapt their new roles as facilitators of learning. Teacher development is a life-long process comprising both pre-service training and continual professional development. Ministers recognised that theory and practice must be integrated in pre-service training, and that teachers must be actively involved in their own career-long professional development. The Ministers also welcomed the efforts of economies to train teachers to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. They noted that APEC economies are increasingly concerned with developing fair, valid, timely and cost-effective means to assess the quality of teaching, as teaching is both an art and a science.

The Ministers acknowledged that all sectors within APEC economies should have access to an affordable education. Effective school leadership and management of education systems and the requisite resources must be set in place so that all students can benefit from quality education suited to their needs and abilities.

The Ministers agreed that the monitoring and evaluation of outcomes will be an essential component of education management systems, especially with the new educational objectives of the 21st century. Using data at the school, system, and global levels in a continuous improvement process would be an essential part of a quality education management system.

An education system is only as good as its individual schools. A good monitoring system should be developed to ensure that education policies and reforms are effectively translated at the school level. This could be done, for instance, through school appraisal systems that are aligned with the desired outcomes of education. At the systemic level, education management systems should be focused on achieving efficiency, effectiveness and equity. Quality assurance systems should be developed to ensure that good standards of school management lead to good learning outcomes. At the global level, the introduction and comparison of educational indicators will be helpful tools in facilitating comparisons and learning across education systems.

Principles and practices similar to those outlined above should be applied to educational institutions at all levels.

The Ministers noted that, in the globalized future, economies will no longer develop their education systems in isolation. Global economic and social trends will have an impact on the development of education systems. The diversity of the various member economies makes APEC an ideal platform for the exchange of information, ideas and expertise as economies seek to overcome similar challenges. The advent of technology increases the opportunities and modes available for such exchanges. The Ministers encouraged greater exchanges and interactions among economies at all levels - education planners, academics, teachers, and students - both physically and through virtual means facilitated by IT. The Ministers recognized that while exchanges could be facilitated through electronic means, there was no replacing the value of people-to-people exchanges.

To promote better interaction and understanding within the Asia-Pacific, the Ministers welcomed the focus on increasing youth exchanges between member economies. They hope that, through these exchanges, the peoples of the region will come to better appreciate the rich diversity, the many strengths and the synergy of a region seeking to enter the new millennium in harmony.

At the 1st AEMM, the Ministers called for greater co-operative action in education among member economies and established the APEC Education Forum (EdFor) for this purpose. The Ministers agreed that the EdFor had achieved the goal of closer collaboration in education. They pledged their continuing support for the EdFor's initiatives and programmes in the areas of high quality instruction in key subject areas, monitoring performance in education, and mobility of persons and exchange of information for human resources development. The EdFor should continue to co-ordinate joint activities in the field of education and pursue projects of mutual benefit to economies in the region.

In recognition of the need to constantly adjust the focus of education efforts to prepare for an ever-changing future, the Ministers acknowledged the decision by the 21st Meeting of the APEC Human Resource Development Working Group (HRD WG) in January 2000 to rename the APEC Education Forum as the APEC Education Network (EDNET). This network would foster strong and vibrant learning systems across APEC economies, promote education for all, and strengthen the role of education in promoting social, individual and economic development. The Ministers also noted the rationalisation of the APEC HRD WG into a three-network structure, one of which is the EDNET.

To realise the vision of education for learning societies in the 21st century, the Ministers agreed to recognise the achievements made and continue their support for efforts to promote collaborative action in education. Examples of existing efforts are shown in Annex A.

The Ministers recognised that, in the new century, the Asia-Pacific region will face new opportunities and confront unique challenges in all areas, including education. These opportunities and challenges have to be managed actively in order to realise our people's hope for life-long self-improvement. Education must play a critical role in preparing students for the new future, to be successful and responsible global citizens who can contribute to the social and economic progress of their community and the world. In response, the Ministers have identified four strategic areas as the next steps in transforming their education systems to become the foundation and impetus for "Learning Societies in the 21st Century":

To realise the four strategic areas, the APEC Education Ministers endorsed and supported the examination by EDNET of initial activities in the following areas:

Ministers further agreed that a workplan (including a timeline, project details, and expected results) should be developed for projects in the strategic areas agreed to at the 2nd APEC Education Ministerial Meeting. The workplan will be co-ordinated with the overall efforts of the HRD Working Group. The workplan will be developed and updated regularly at EDNET meetings, and members will report annually to education ministers on progress made in these strategic areas.

As their collective commitment to developing learning societies in the 21st century, the Ministers declared their intent to meet once every 5 years. These meetings will review the progress of joint initiatives, survey current trends that will impact upon education within the APEC region and allow the Ministers to chart future visions and directions for co-operation in education. Under the umbrella of regular Ministerial Meetings, education officials and practitioners could engage in regular dialogues and exchanges. The Ministers agreed that the details and host of the next AEMM will be discussed by officials in the APEC EDNET.

The Ministers requested that Singapore report on the Education Ministerial at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Brunei Darussalam on 15-16 Nov 2000.

The Ministers expressed their appreciation to Singapore for its hospitality and excellent work as host of the 2nd APEC Education Ministerial Meeting.