The highly anticipated two-day International Youth-Led Summit commenced on Tuesday in Quezon City, with the efforts of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization - Regional Center for Innovative Educational Technology (SEAMEO INNOTEC).
The two-day summit aims to provide a platform for youth leaders in ASEAN to discuss their role in shaping education in the ASEAN region.
Over 160 youth leaders from 10 SEAMEO member countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and the Philippines, gathered for the occasion.
Representatives from the Department of Education, such as DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban, UNICEF Philippines Chief of Education Isy Faingold, and former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, who currently serves as the Center Director of SEAMEO INNOTECH, were also in attendance.
According to former Secretary Briones, today's youth desire to be part of the decision-making process that will shape the future of the ASEAN region, particularly in transforming the education system.
"We know that we must ask them [the youth]. Policymakers pass laws. Bureaucrats issue memorandums, and teachers tell us how to behave and give us tests, but we have to hear from the young people themselves. After all, it is your future," said Briones.
Furthermore, it is expected that the youth participants will share their recommendations with policymakers on how to enhance the quality of education not only within schools but also within communities, the nation, and the entire Asian region.
"This is a wonderful transformation of how the youth can convey their views on what our policymakers could do to take care of them," she added.
The youth delegates will draft a Youth Declaration, which will be submitted to the United Nations and various government bodies to form an action plan that will be implemented across Asia and the world.
