The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) through its SEAMEO Strategic Plan 2021-2030 embodied the strategic role of the ICT to promote inclusive and equitable quality education. This pathway has been disrupted, but also in many ways accelerated, by the COVID-19 Pandemic that dramatically shifts the conventional classroom learning into online emergency remote learning. The technology-mediated learning is widely utilized and optimised in Southeast Asian countries. This induces the increasing demand for connectivity and learning resources. Given the uneven access to the connectivity services and digital learning resources in the urban-rural areas, there are greater challenges confronting vulnerable and marginalized students. This situation is further exacerbated by the digital literacy skills gaps among teachers, students, and parents. Taken altogether, “Digital Transformation in Education” has become a shared goal for modernizing, reinventing, even reimagining education. 

In the effort to address the remaining major connectivity gaps in several countries, including Indonesia, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Foreign Commonwealth and Development (FCDO) of the United Kingdom, implement the technical assistance and capacity building activities in a) assessing regulatory and policy landscape and framework; b) mapping out school connectivity particularly in underserved communities; c) exploring more sustainable financing; and d) advancing digital skills. The project is closely associated with the ITU-UNICEF led GIGA, a global initiative to connect all schools to the Internet in order to ensure that young people have the access to information and choices. 

In the advent of post-pandemic recovery, and the urgency to regain the momentum towards attaining SDGs, the SEAMEO Secretariat together with its SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre (SEAMEO SEAMOLEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as an ICT specialized agency under the United Nations jointly organise a “Regional Policy Dialogue on Schools Connectivity and Digital Transformation (Virtual)” on Tuesday 14 June 2022.

Objectives 

The Regional Policy Dialogue aims to explore policy options to accelerate school connectivity in the context of pandemic response and recovery based on results and findings from ITU/FCDO school connectivity project in Indonesia as well as global initiatives of GIGA. Specific objectives of this policy dialogue are to: 

raise situation awareness of school connectivity in the region; 

share results and findings from ITU/FCDO project in Indonesia; 

identify areas of policy recommendations; 

gather policy practices on school connectivity; and 5. draw regional implications as inputs to policy option.

Organisers 

The Regional Policy Dialogue is jointly organised by the following organisations:

Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat 

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 

SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre (SEAMEO SEAMOLEC)

A summary report of the discussions consists of the essential content from the presentations and deliberations, recommendations, and proposed follow-through activities to address the school’s connectivity gaps.

Schedule and Platform 

Date: Tuesday, 14 June 2022 

Time: 13:00-16:00 hrs (GMT+7/Bangkok Time) 

Live by the SEAMOLEC YouTube channel

The Regional Policy Dialogue will be participated by the officials of the Ministries of Education in Southeast Asian countries, Southeast Asian schools’ leaders and teachers, as well as representatives of telecommunication providers or EdTech firms in Southeast Asia.

Mrs Cahya K Ratih 

Interim Deputy Director Program of SEAMEO SEAMOLEC 

cahya@seamolec.org 

Dr Pujiono 

Senior Advisor of ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 

puji.pujiono@itu.int 

Ms Pitchayawadi Arreenich 

Knowledge Management Officer of SEAMEO Secretariat 

pitchayawadi@seameo.org; secretariat@seameo.org

Certificate of Participation 

Eligible participants will be provided by an e-certificate of participation through email. To get the e-certificate, participants are required to: