Cambodia Highlights AI Integration and Regional Cooperation at ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting

Ms. Prof. Dr. Bou Chanlekika, Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and ASEAN Senior Official on Education for Cambodia, led the Cambodian delegation to the 21st ASEAN Senior Officials on Education Meeting held in Singapore on July 20, 2026. The meeting was attended by ASEAN Senior Officials on Education representing all 11 ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, and ASEAN partners in the education sector. The meeting aimed to update the implementation of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education and set directions for future activities. It served as a platform for sharing and discussing common challenges in education and for reviewing and adopting key initiatives, terms of reference, statements, and documents within the framework of ASEAN educational cooperation. Key agenda items included decisions and progress in ASEAN education over the past year, updates on the implementation of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026-2030, progress in coordination between the ASEAN Secretariat and the SEAMEO Secretariat, updates on ASEAN higher education and the ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council, progress on the implementation of regional projects and initiatives by ASEAN member states and partners, and a discussion on the proposal to establish an ASEAN-China Education Ministers-level cooperation mechanism. In her intervention, the Under Secretary of State commended the efforts of the ASEAN Secretariat and congratulated Singapore on its chairmanship of ASEAN education for the 2026-2027 term. She reiterated Cambodia's support for the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026-2030, which focuses on six programs: 1. Early Childhood Care and Education, 2. Basic Education, 3. Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 4. Higher Education, 5. Effective Policy Making, Management, and Leadership, and 6. Regional Cooperation. Furthermore, Ms. Bou Chanlekika highlighted Cambodia's priority on human capital development and national achievements in modernizing the education system, particularly through the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning. Cambodia has also achieved positive results in promoting basic education, as evidenced by the strong performance of Cambodian students in the 2024 Southeast Asian Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM 2024) assessment, especially in mathematics. She affirmed Cambodia's commitment to lead four regional activities under the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026-2030.