Jakarta, 26 July 2023 — Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, chaired a roundtable meeting of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Center for Early Childhood Care Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP) at the South East Asia Policy Dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education (SEA PD on ECCE) forum.
This event was held under Indonesia's Chairmanship in ASEAN as part of Indonesia's efforts to make Southeast Asia the epicenter of global growth.
"I want to underline three main assets of ASEAN Member States. First, regional stability, second, economic growth, and third, demographic bonus," said Minister Nadiem, speaking to education ministers and ASEAN high-ranking officials, in Jakarta, Wednesday, 26 July.
Minister Nadiem said the growth in the demographic bonus in the ASEAN region was a promise for the world for a brighter future.
“The next generation will be an important key in ASEAN's journey to becoming the epicenter of global growth. It is our responsibility as the minister of education to mobilize joint efforts to increase the capacity of our children," said Minister Nadiem who took office in 2019 as the youngest minister in Indonesia Onward cabinet.
He added that the critical role and long-term impact of early childhood care and education have been widely recognized. ECCE is the foundation for health and well-being, educational success, and long-term economic and social productivity.
Considering ASEAN's demographic dividend, providing quality education to children in their early years of life is a meaningful investment for the growth and progress of the region.
Therefore, as a continuation of Indonesia's G20 presidency last year, Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology used the ASEAN chairmanship to call for more significant investment in ECCE development.
“It is time for us to send a stronger message to the ASEAN community about the urgent need to provide the best learning experiences for our children from an early age. Because by building the next generation of the future, we are preparing for a better future for ASEAN," he continued.
This philosophy of bottom-up participation and collective action has enabled Indonesia, as the country with the largest and most populous economy in Southeast Asia, to significantly transform its education system. More specifically the quality of learning, availability and access, the competence of teachers and education workers, cross-sectoral partnerships, school-family collaboration, digital innovation, and financial management.
"We need a continuous bottom-up transformation in our education system. For this reason, we have made Merdeka Belajar (Emancipated Learning) policy a mass movement for teachers, parents, families, and communities that enables collective action to bring about essential and large-scale changes," continued Minister Nadiem.
As a manifestation of Indonesia's commitment, the ASEAN education ministerial round table meeting was followed by the launch of the Scoping Studies of ECCE Policies in Southeast Asia initiated by Indonesia. The results of this study will enrich the understanding of various strategies adopted by Southeast Asian countries in implementing early childhood education and care.
The declaration of ASEAN education ministers regarding early childhood care and education is also expected to be one of the outputs of this two-day conference.
"Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN this year is an important milestone in our journey as a nation that develops and becomes part of the international community. Let's join together as one community to make ASEAN the epicenter of global growth, and build our next generation as drivers of global prosperity," concluded Minister Nadiem.
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Photo Caption: Indonesian Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim chairs a roundtable meeting of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Center for Early Childhood Care Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP) at the South East Asia Policy Dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education (SEA PD on ECCE) forum in Jakarta on Wednesday, 26 July 2023.