About SEAMEO

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) was born on November 30, 1965 to "...promote cooperation among the Southeast Asian nations through education, science and culture in order to further respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are the birthrights of the peoples of the world." (Charter of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization signed on February 7, 1968 and ratified by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on February 28, 1977.)

Member Countries

• Brunei Darussalam
  Mr Pehin Abdul RahmanTaib, Minister of Education
  - Government of Brunei
  - Ministry of Education
  
• Cambodia
  Dr Kol Pheng, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports
  - Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
  
• Indonesia
  Professor Dr Bambang Sudibyo, Minister of National Education
  - Government of the Republic of Indonesia* in Bahasa
  - Ministry of National Education * in Bahasa
  
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
  Prof Dr Somkot Mangnomek, Minister of Education
  - General Information
  - Ministry of Education
  
• Malaysia
  Dato' Sri Hishammudin Tun Hussein, Minister of Education
  - Government of Malaysia
  - Ministry of Education
  
• Myanmar
  Dr Chan Nyein, Minister of Education
  - Government of Myanmar
  - Ministry of Education
  
• Philippines
  Mr Jesli A. Lapus, Secretary of Education
  - Government of the Republic of the Philippines
  - Department of Education
  
• Singapore
  Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister of Education
  - Government of Singapore
  - Ministry of Education
  
• Thailand
  Prof Dr Wichit Srisa-an, Minister of Education
  - Royal Thai Government
  - Ministry of Education
  
• Timor-Leste
  Dr Joao Cancio Freitas, Minister of Education and Culture
  - Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
  - Ministry of Education and Culture
  
• Vietnam
  Prof Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan, Minister of Education and Training
  - General Information on the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
  - Ministry of Education and Training* in Vietnamese

Associate Member Countries

• Australia
  Ms. Julia Gillard, Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
  - Government of Australia
  - Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

• Canada
  Mr. Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister of Foreign Affairs
  Mr. Pierre Reid, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
  - Government of Canada
  - Ministry of Education

• France
  Mr. Jack Lang, Minister of National Education
  - Republic of France
  • Office of the French President
  • Office of the Prime Minister
  - Ministry of Education

• Germany
  Prof Dr -Ing Habil Dagmar Schipanski, President of Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs
  - Federal Government of Germany
  - Federal Ministry of Education and Research
  
• The Netherlands
  Ms. M.J.A. van der Hoeven, Minister of Education, Culture and Science
  - The Netherlands Government
  - Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

• New Zealand
  Mr. Trevor Mallard, Minister of Education and Environment
  - Government of New Zealand
  - Ministry of Education

• Norway
  Mr. Oystein Djupedal, Minister of Education and Research
  - The Storting - The Parliament of Norway
  - Office of the Prime Minister
  - Ministry of Education and Research

Affiliate Member

• Dr Reidar Roll, Secretary-General and CEO
  International Council for Open and Distance Education
  Oslo, Norway

SEAMEO Council

The SEAMEO Council (SEAMEC) crafts the policies and the main areas of work of the Organization. It is comprised of ministers/secretaries of education of all member countries. The Council president is elected from among the members and serves a term of one year. The current SEAMEC president is from Indonesia, HE Prof Dr Bambang Sudibyo.

The administrative arm of the Council as well as the headquarters of the Organization is the SEAMEO Secretariat (SEAMES) based in Bangkok, Thailand. The SEAMES Director serves as the chief administrative officer and the legal representative of the Organization. The position is currently occupied by Dato' Dr. Ahmad bin Sipon from Malaysia.