My friends, ladies and gentlemen, Assalamualaikum.

Madayaw ug maayong adlaw kaninyong tanan. Good day to everyone!

I express my warmest Christmas greetings to all the members of the SEAMEO Council, the Secretariat, the Regional Centers and Network and our Associate and Affiliate Members.

Let me thank all of you for your tireless cooperation in empowering the Southeast Asian community through education, innovation, and learning.

Our resiliency and unity have brought us to better avenues of growth toward excellence in lifelong learning and development for every learner.

The road ahead may be complex and challenging. Still, our collective pursuits for greater competency will empower us further in fostering a culture of academic research, sound education policy reforms, and teacher training in the ASEAN region.

As members of this dynamic community, let us strengthen the ties of collaboration in collectively pursuing improved outcomes and innovative teaching strategies that are responsive to the needs of our academic communities.

This coming year, let us continue working towards our education recovery efforts, working together to facilitate policy dialogues and foster leadership programs across the ASEAN region so our citizens can thrive and become an agent for progress, especially in education, science, and culture.

Let us celebrate the Yuletide in the spirit of selfless service as we provide more innovative learning platforms and better opportunities for every learner and educator's advancement.

Let us strive to build an empowered student-teacher community — well-prepared to overcome the travails of higher education and well-equipped to usher in the social and economic development of the region.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Shukran.