History

Southeast Asian Minister Education Organization (SEAMEO) is an international organization with the purpose to promote cooperation in education, science, and culture among countries in the Southeast Asian region which was born on 30 November 1965. The organization comprises 11 Member Countries1; 7 Associate Members2; and 3 Affiliate Members3. Over the past fifty two years, SEAMEO has developed 21 centres throughout Southeast Asia, one of them is SEAMEO Regional Centre for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Education Personnel in Mathematics (SEAQiM), which is located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The proposal of SEAQiM has been endorsed by the SEAMEO High Officials Meeting (HOM) in November 2007 and presented in the In-camera Session of the 43rdSEAMEO Council Conference, 12-13 March 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On 7-8 August 2008, representatives from 10 SEAMEO Member Countries convened in Yogyakarta for an international workshop on strengthening educational quality in Southeast Asia through networking and partnership to gather input and support on the establishment of SEAQiM. After passing over a period of years, the Centre was finally launched in Jakarta on 13 July 2009 by the President of SEAMEO Council, Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit.

The Centre’s main purposes are (a) improving the quality of mathematics teachers and education personnel in the region, (b) conducting research and development, providing training and information services and clearing house as well as engaging in other related activities in mathematics within and beyond the region, (c) establishing network for the purpose of resource sharing, information exchanges, research and development in the area of mathematics education, and (d) providing access for decision makers to up-to-date, accurate, and consistent data and information in mathematics for the benefit of the region.

Since 2009, SEAQiM has experienced valuable moments in nurturing the quality of mathematics teachers and education personnel in Southeast Asia under the lead of its former directors, Mr. Herry Sukarman and Prof. Subanar, Ph.D. Together with the board of staff and management they been able to bring about much development in the Centre at both national and regional levels. In summary, SEAQiM has trained more than 1,700 teachers from SEAMEO Member Countries and released 6 journals. The Centre has also been able to partner with many international institutions for promoting mathematics knowledge to a wider range of stakeholders.

In this fiscal year, the Centre prepares for more various programmes to meet the need of mathematics teachers and education personnel such as regular courses, in-country and regional training, and mathematics teaching model development. Recently, SEAQiM also begins its research and development on Energy Efficiency, Security, and Resiliency. Those outstanding programmes are expected to make great impact on energy issues in mathematics education.

 

1Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.

2Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain.

 3The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), the University of Tsukuba, and the British Council.
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