To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN University Network (AUN), the AUN Education Summit and Gala Dinner was held at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand on 6 November 2015. A delegation representing Kyoto University attended the summit, headed by Prof Junichi Mori, vice-president for international relations and director-general of the university's Organization for the Promotion of International Relations (OPIR,) and Dr Masaharu Motokawa, associate professor at the Kyoto University Museum.
The Education Summit was attended by representatives from 56 universities and institutions spanning 12 member countries of the ASEAN+3 Network. The ASEAN+3 Network is a forum for cooperation between the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and universities in the "plus three" countries of Japan, China, and South Korea. The summit opened with an address by Dr Nantana Gajaseni, executive director of the AUN Secretariat. The summit consisted of three sessions, each dealing with a different topic relating to education and research in the ASEAN+3 regions. The first session, "Generation Z: Reality and Perspective -- How do I Learn?" featured presentations by five speakers representing "Generation Z" (persons born in the mid-1990s to the present day). The theme of the second session was "Teaching and Learning for the New Work and Lifelong Learning and Challenges", and the third was titled "Teaching and Learning Strategies for Top University Administrators -- How to Manage Change in the University?" Each session provided valuable opportunities for the participants to discuss the future of higher education in the ASEAN+3 regions through lectures and question and answer sessions.
At the dinner reception held after the summit, Dr Nantana Gajaseni made a speech to express her appreciation to all of the participants for their contributions to higher education in the ASEAN region through the AUN network, giving a special mention to Prof Mori for his efforts.
The AUN was formed in 1995 after being proposed at the 4th ASEAN Summit in 1992. The network seeks to promote academic exchange and research collaboration between its member institutions and other universities around the world in order to advance human resources development in the ASEAN Region. The network currently comprises 30 member universities throughout the ten countries of the ASEAN region. Kyoto University concluded a general memorandum of academic cooperation and exchange with the AUN in 2009, through which it pursues various collaborative endeavors. Through participating in international networks and consortia such as the ASEAN+3 Network, Kyoto University seeks to enhance the scope of its international engagement, and encourage student and faculty involvement in international events, such as academic symposia and meetings, as well as student forums and speech contests.
Prof Mori (right) receives a token of thanks from Dr Nantana Gajaseni (left)
The Education Summit
