Bandar Seri Begawan, 3 July 2025 – The SEAMEO VOCTECH Regional Centre proudly hosted the SEAMEO Centres Policy Research Network (CPRN) Summit from 3-4 July 2025 in Brunei Darussalam for the second time, further reinforcing its role as a leading platform for regional policy dialogue.
The CPRN 2025 Summit, themed “Building Bridges to a Sustainable Future: Inclusive Collaboration and Innovation in Education, Science, and Culture,” convened over 180 distinguished delegates, including policymakers, researchers, and education leaders from SEAMEO member countries and partner nations such as the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Australia, Hong Kong, and China.
The summit was officially inaugurated on 3 July 2025 at The Empire Brunei, by Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr. Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, Minister of Education of Brunei Darussalam and SEAMEO Council President. Also in attendance were Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat; Ambassadors and High Commissioners of SEAMEO Member Countries and Associate Member Countries to Brunei Darussalam; Permanent Secretaries, Vice Chancellor, Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments from the Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam, Directors, Deputy Directors from SEAMEO centres, and representatives from various ministries, institutions and partner organisations to support the event.
The summit showcased an exceptional line-up of global thought leaders who delivered pioneering keynote addresses across critical disciplines. Mr. Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, evaluated conventional approaches to education reform in his keynote. His insightful analysis of educational systems in SEAMEO member countries combined reflections from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 findings. In his speech, he revealed learning productivity, over learning-time is one of the fundamental barriers to progress and advocated for strategic policy reforms and innovative teaching methodologies to enhance educational efficiency.
From the United Kingdom, was Mr. Tony McAleavy, Chief Education & Skills Officer at Education Development Trust, who delivered a presentation on ‘Innovative Teaching for Quality Education: The Power of Metacognition and Learning Strategies,’. Dr. Eva Maria C. Cutiongco-de La Paz, Executive Director of the Philippines’ National Institutes of Health, then illuminated the vital intersections between health sciences and education reform, while Dr. Margarita Pavlova, UNEVOC Research Fellow will be presenting on the final day of the summit on groundbreaking frameworks for green TVET initiatives that align human resource development with environmental sustainability.
The summit’s dynamic exchange extended far beyond keynote presentations, offering delegates a dynamic platform for multilateral knowledge sharing. Over the two-day program, participants engaged in in-depth research through parallel and panel presentations featuring evidence-based policy solutions from regional experts; thought-provoking panel discussions addressing pressing challenges across education, science, and cultural sectors; and structured policy dialogues focused on operationalising innovative approaches. This comprehensive programming design ensured all stakeholders could both contribute to and benefit from the collective expertise, with each session specifically crafted to transform theoretical discussions into implementable policy frameworks.
