SCOPE-HE Contributes to ASEAN’s Roadmap for Future-Ready Education
At ASEAN’s main education meetings in Singapore, the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education Programme (SCOPE-HE) shared its progress as education ministers launched a new regional Work Plan that explicitly includes SCOPE-HE among its planned activities.
From 20 to 23 July 2026, the Singapore Ministry of Education, as Chair of the ASEAN Education Sector, convened the 21st ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Education (SOM-ED), the 14th ASEAN Education Ministers’ Meeting (ASED), and related meetings.
Dr. Frank Feulner, Team Leader of SCOPE-HE, and Joerg Meier, Key Expert, represented the programme during the partners’ sessions. They presented SCOPE-HE’s progress, discussed upcoming activities with ASEAN partners, and participated in the AI Forum on Navigating the Age of AI, underscoring the programme’s alignment with ASEAN’s priorities for responsible and future‑ready digital transformation.
H.E. Desmond Lee, Minister for Education of Singapore, delivers the opening remarks at the 14th ASEAN Education Ministers’ Meeting.
A shared direction for education in ASEAN
A major milestone of the meetings was the official launch of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026–2030.
Developed to support the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the Work Plan provides a common framework for education cooperation across the region. It prioritises equitable access, the relevance of education to the future of work, improved learning outcomes, evidence-based policymaking, and stronger regional cooperation.
These priorities respond to challenges that are also central to SCOPE-HE’s work, including skills mismatches, digital divides and the need to prepare institutions and learners for the green and digital transitions.
“The new ASEAN Work Plan provides a shared direction for translating regional priorities into practical cooperation. It aligns closely with SCOPE-HE’s efforts on mobility, research partnerships, stronger TVET-industry linkages, and the digital and green skills that learners will need for the future,”
Dr. Frank Feulner, Team Leader of SCOPE-HE.
ASEAN education ministers mark the official launch of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026–2030 at the 14th ASED in Singapore.
From consultation to implementation
SCOPE-HE contributed to several rounds of consultation on the ASEAN Work Plan, particularly in relation to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The final Work Plan now includes dedicated TVET programmes addressing equitable access and the quality and relevance of vocational education. Key priorities cover closer cooperation between TVET institutions and employers, more industry-relevant curricula, digital competencies, green skills, and stronger pathways from education into employment.
This aligns closely with SCOPE-HE’s efforts to strengthen cooperation between vocational education institutions and businesses, improve employability, and help institutions respond to evolving labour-market needs.
The activity matrix also highlights Malaysia’s capacity-building programme for ASEAN TVET institutions, Building Future-Ready Institutions for ASEAN’s Green and Digital Economy, with SCOPE-HE identified as a partner. This initiative will support ASEAN TVET institutions in strengthening leadership and institutional capacity to meet the challenges of the region’s green and digital transitions. Both references are included in the official ASEAN Work Plan.
The inclusion of these activities creates a clear link between ASEAN’s regional policy framework and SCOPE-HE’s implementation. It provides a pathway for programme experience and lessons to contribute to wider regional cooperation, while ensuring SCOPE-HE remains responsive to priorities identified by ASEAN Member States.
Dr Frank Feulner, Team Leader of SCOPE-HE, presents the programme’s progress and upcoming activities during the 21st ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Education (SOM-ED) in Singapore, July 2026.
Preparing education for the age of AI
Frank and Joerg also participated in the AI Forum on Navigating the Age of AI, a timely discussion given that the new ASEAN Work Plan emphasizes the proper, responsible, and safe use of digital technologies, including AI.
This priority resonates strongly with SCOPE-HE’s focus on digital transformation, particularly its efforts to strengthen institutional cooperation, enhance digital skills, and foster knowledge exchange between ASEAN and the European Union.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by Nuffic and DAAD, SCOPE-HE forms part of the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package under the Global Gateway initiative. The programme aims to strengthen sustainable connectivity and people-to-people links within ASEAN and between ASEAN and the EU through cooperation in higher education, research and TVET.
Ms Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, receives a copy of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026–2030 from Ms. Amalia M. Serrano, Senior Officer at the ASEAN Secretariat’s Education, Youth and Sports Division (EYSD), joined by Dr Frank Feulner, Team Leader of SCOPE-HE, at the 14th ASED in Singapore.
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