17 Sep

Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs yesterday organized the ASEAN ministers’ meeting on human resources development in a changing world of work in the form of videoconferenceing. The virtual meeting was participated by Myanmar’s Union Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe, other relevant Myanmar officials, Ministers of ASEAN member countries, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, officials of ASEAN Secretariat, leaders of Senior Labour Officials Meeting (SLOM), leaders of ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education (SOM-ED), the ASEAN TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) Council Chairperson, officials from ASEAN partner countries including China, the Republic of Korea and Japan, and ILO, UNESCO, UNICEF, and World Bank.

During the meeting, Mr Dao Ngoc Dung, Vietnam’s Minister for Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs delivered an opening speech.

ASEAN TVET Council Chairperson Dr Isidro Lapena explained the organizational structure of the council. The meeting focused on the roles of human resources development partners, the roles of human resources development in the post COVID-19 era, the roles of leaders from private sectors for human resources development, and preparing for future learning systems based on 21st century skills.

Myanmar’s Union Minister U Thein Swe said that new teaching and learning approaches are essential for developing 21st century skills. He added that in accordance with Myanmar’s long-term balanced development project, the country would create equal opportunities regarding high-quality life-long education for people in order to develop 21st century skills of the people. He continued that Myanmar’s new basic education curriculum would focus on people acquiring 21st century skills, soft skills, critical thinking skills, necessary knowledge and attitudes.

He said that Myanmar was cooperating with the ministries and organizations concerned to enhance 21st century skills development through TVET programmes. He claimed that Myanmar drafted the National-level Skills Standard and had issued national-level skill certificates to workers in order to improve the labour market. Currently Myanmar has Employment and Skill Development Law to support TVET system and to help job seekers and employers, according to the Union Minister. He said that from the virtual meeting, he gained good ideas to develop human resources in Myanmar.

Vietnam’s Minister for Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Mr Dao Ngoc Dung delivered the concluding speech of the meeting.

During the meeting, Human resources development stakeholders of ASEAN countries discussed the member countries’ current efforts for human resources development, and sought solutions to implement the relevant tasks. 

MNA (Translated by Maung Maung Swe)