BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei — Following her election as the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Council President last February, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte started her institution visit here to assess the learning strategies of the country’s education system for schoolchildren.

With school principals, officials from Brunei Ministry of Education, and SEAMEO Secretariat Director Datuk Dr. Habibah, Duterte visited Sekolah Rendah Pusar Ulak and Seri Mulia Sarjana International School.

Sekolah Rendah Pusar Ulak is a public basic education school in the city where the Vice President observed a cultural presentation through one of Brunei’s traditional dances called Tarian asli, reading through the use of information and communication technology (ICT), mathematics, and Islamic classes. She also visited the school library where a guided reading class for grade three learners was held.

She also went to witness the education innovations of students in Seri Mulia Sarjana International School, a private basic education institution where she was introduced to different learning methods and interventions like the Learning Development Center, the Student Support Unit, and the ICT exhibit introducing the concepts of programming, digital technology, and virtual reality in basic education.

As SEAMEO President, Duterte also visited the SEAMEO VOCTECH Regional Centre and was presented with the facility’s accomplishments including its professional development, research and development, and knowledge management efforts to equip trainers with necessary competencies.

The visit also highlighted the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the SEAMEO VOCTECH and the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, and SEAMEO VOCTECH and the Philippine Normal University as training and research partners.

VP Duterte also officiated the official launching of the SEAMEO VOCTECH website, and led the tree planting — a practice undertaken by SEAMEO Council President during a visit.

VP Duterte was elected Council President during the organization’s 52nd SEAMEO Council conference held in Manila last February 8-10, 2023. As president, she is expected to visit education institutions in all member-countries within the two years of her term, and learn from the best practices and initiatives implemented by schools to better hone schoolchildren and adapt the dynamics of learning.

The SEAMEO VOCTECH regional center here is one of the 26 SEAMEO centers in the region. These facilities envision to strengthen the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to better develop the skills and potentials of learners and eventually intensify the quality of education in the southeast asian region.