The 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Education Ministers’ Conference

Child’s Dream participated in the 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Education Ministers’ Conference, held in Bangkok from 5-7 June 2022. The conference was hosted by UNICEF Thailand, the Ministry of Education Thailand, and the People of Japan. A total of 392 individuals attended the conference from 42 different countries in the Asia-Pacific area.

We joined our partner organisation, Foundation for Applied Linguistics (FAL), and one of their supporting organisations, Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation, in presenting on the development of Mother Tongue-Based Bi/Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in northern Thailand. The presentation highlighted the growing cooperation among stakeholders in Chiang Mai province and the efforts that have been made to digitalize MTB-MLE, including the creation of teaching videos on YouTube, graded reading e-books, and the use of mobile applications. The presentation also featured the important impact of MTB- MLE on children, and the need for policy changes to further advocate for MTB-MLE sustainability.

We also joined our partner organisation, Migrant Education Co-coordination Center (MECC), in presenting on Migrant Education Recovery in Tak province, Thailand. The presentation showcased how migrant students from five border districts along the Thai/Myanmar border in Tak province were able to continue to receive education throughout the challenges that were brought on during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through their presentation, MECC was able to share the voice of migrant children in Thailand and raise awareness about migrant educational issues.

In attending this conference, Child’s Dream supported its partner organisations in sharing information about critical work that is being done in providing educational opportunities for disadvantaged children in Thailand. Along with presenting valuable information, we were able to learn from other presenters about important issues such as educational trends in digital transformation, social and emotional skills, entrepreneurship in education, the learner-centred approach, and competency-based curriculums.