Tuesday, 04 May 2021 on 12:04pm
During the Covid-19 pandemic, education is among the important issues to
overcome, so that students still have opportunities to continue learning
and growing. The Merdeka Belajar program is established by the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia
to provide easy access and flexibility for students in getting education
everywhere and at any time, based on their preferences, talents, and
competencies.
In showing the incessant supports toward the Merdeka Belajar program, the 7
SEAMEO Centers in Indonesia held an international webinar with a theme
"Contribution and Impacts of SEAMEO Centers Indonesia on Education in
Indonesia and Southeast Asia" on 3 May 2021. The International Webinar was
also held to commemorate the Indonesian National Education Day 2021.
R. Alpha Amirrachman, MPhil, PhD, the Director of SEAMEO SEAMOLEC, in his
welcome remarks, stated that the International Webinar aimed to: 1.
emphasize the relevance of celebrating the Indonesian National Education
Day; 2. highlight the critical roles of the 7 SEAMEO Centers in Indonesia
in the education sector in Indonesia and Southeast Asia; 3. share the
efforts of the 7 SEAMEO Centers in Indonesia in generating knowledge and
building capacities of school's headmasters, teachers, and education
personnel toward enhancing the quality of education in Indonesia and
Southeast Asia; and 4. establish potentials collaborations among the 7
SEAMEO Centers in Indonesia and with the other educational institutions.
The opening remark of the International Webinar was delivered by Prof Ainun
Na'im, PhD, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. In his opening
remark, he explained that the Merdeka Belajar program is designed to
promote a spirit of mutual collaboration and cooperation among all
educational institutions in providing a more creative and innovative
learning system for students, to actualize their potentials. "It is
expected that SEAMEO Centers in Indonesia will enforce, facilitate and
support our Merdeka Belajar program", he further explained.
Keynote address sent by Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, the SEAMEO
Secretariat Director, summarized the importance of education in alleviating
poverty by: 1. elevating the economic status of students through the
learnings of skills and economic value systems; 2. assisting students in
becoming leaders and innovators; and 3. setting up the basis for students
in earning income in this era of a fluctuating economy.
The International Webinar of the 7 SEAMEO Center in Indonesia presented the
Directors of 7 SEAMEO Centers in Indonesia as resource persons, delivering
presentations as follows:
- SEAMEO BIOTROP: SEAMEO BIOTROP Contribution and Impacts to Education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
- SEAMEO SEAMOLEC: Development of Distance Learning in Higher Education.
- SEAMEO RECFON: Building Healthy Human Capitals through Freedom Learning.
- SEAMEO QITEP in Science: SEAQIS Contribution and Impacts on Education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
- SEAMEO QITEP in Mathematics: Contribution and Impacts on Education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
- SEAMEO QITEP in Language: SEAQIL Contribution and Impacts on Language Learning in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
- SEAMEO CECCEP: Contribution and Impacts of SEAMEO CECCEP to Education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Each presentation was followed by testimonials videos from the stakeholders
of the respective SEAMEO Centers.
In his closing remark, Mr Hendraman, MSc, PhD, the Acting Head of Bureau
for Cooperation and Public Relation of the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, expressed his
appreciation toward the SEAMEO Secretariat and the Directors of the 7
SEAMEO Center in Indonesia for sharing ideas, knowledge, and experiences in
developing education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, which are in line
with the Merdeka Belajar program. (sis)
