In a pivotal move, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Timor-Leste is participating in the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) programme, the first regional large-scale assessment in the region. Timor-Leste is the most recent addition to countries participating in the SEA-PLM 2024, which is the programme's second round of assessment. Other countries engaged in the program include Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. The commitment of...

Virtual | Anieluz Pastolero: The SEA-PLM 2019 data reveals that children who possess good physical and mental states and have basic knowledge and concern about environmental issues tend to perform better academically than those who do not.  This was the crux of the discussion during the policy forum webinar on “Child Well-being and Learning in Six Southeast Asia: Insights from the SEA-PLM 2019 evidence” held virtually on 17 March 2023.  The policy forum webinar discussed the study conducted by...

Manila, Philippines | Anieluz Pastolero: The implementation of the second phase of the SEA-PLM project, SEA-PLM 2024, is timely and on track to achieve its objective across all project outputs within the three programme pillars, according to the SEA-PLM Project Manager Alejandro Sinon Ibanez. During the 3rd Project Steering Committee held on 03 February 2023 at SEDA Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila, Mr. Ibanez said that based on the achievements and milestones of the project's first...

Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam | Merina Cahya Anggraeni: The SEA-PLM 2nd Regional Technical Workshop was successfully organized from 14 to 18 November 2022 in La Vela Saigon Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. As a follow-up from the 1st Regional Technical Workshop in August, the 2nd regional workshop intensified the advancement of preparations for the Field Trial in 2023. The facilitators of the workshop were the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and cApStAn LQC. The workshop...

Bangkok, Thailand | Merina Cahya Anggraeni: The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) Programme was presented during the Thematic Solutions Forum on Accelerating the Learning Recovery and Transforming Education in Southeast Asia through Multi- stakeholder Partnerships (SDG 4) at the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo 2022. The annual global event organised by the United Nations for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) took place from 12-14 September in Bangkok. The member...

Bangkok, Thailand | Jolin Nguyen: SEA-PLM's Annual Regional Technical Workshop took place from 22-26 August—the first technical activity of the SEA-PLM programme—heralding the preparation for the second assessment cycle, SEA-PLM 2024. The workshop witnessed the collective commitment toward SEA-PLM 2024 with a common goal of attaining the UN's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. It underpins the program's three pillars, intending to strengthen and build the capacities of participating...

Wednesday, 03 August 2022 | Merina Cahya Anggraeni Bangkok, Thailand: The second SEA-PLM Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting took place on 25 July 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. Key members of the SEA-PLM programme attended the in-person meeting. Attendees included Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Director and Dr Xayapheth Chaphichith, Deputy Director of Programme and Development of SEAMEO Secretariat, Dr Roger Yap Chao, Jr, Assistant Director and Head of Education, Youth, and Sports...

Friday, 01 July 2022 | Merina Cahya Anggraeni SEA-PLM was featured in a virtual side event for the 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Education Ministers’ Conference (APREMC-II) 2022 on 03 June 2022. The leading discussion during the virtual side event was accelerating learning recovery to tackle the learning losses in the region caused by prolonged school closures. International and regional education experts discussed key thematic areas concerning the pre-existing learning crisis exacerbated by the...

As Southeast Asian countries continue to manage the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in education, continuing investment in global competencies and academic learning data and system and school policy exchange is critical to improving the quality of education and learning across the region. SEA-PLM Secretariat, co-chaired by the UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific (UNICEF EAPRO) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, will organize the...

What is new in SEA-PLM 2024? Building on the success of SEA-PLM 2019, the new round of assessment SEA-PLM 2024 will continue to transform into a more sustainable programme for delivering comparative students' learning trends over time through cyclic rounds of implementation and boosting policy exchange and collaboration. SEA-PLM 2024 will present new opportunities for engaging stakeholders, forging partnerships, motivating new countries to participate and improving the efficiency of the...

On March 24, the SEA-PLM Secretariat convened a virtual roundtable to discuss existing challenges and gaps to inform policy discussions for effectively recruiting, training and managing teachers. The roundtable drew together 90 participants to discuss the findings of the new evidence SEA-PLM 2019 latest evidence in basic education: Supporting teachers to improve learning in 6 Southeast Asian countries, published by the SEA-PLM Secretariat. In his opening remarks, Mr Francisco Benavides,...

The SEA-PLM Secretariat co-managed by UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific (UNICEF EAPRO) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat will organize the webinar SEA-PLM 2019: Discussing New Evidence on Learning - Policy Roundtable: Low Performing Readers. This discussion will bring together Southeast Asian countries and their partners to learn about new evidence from SEA-PLM 2019 as part of their participation in the SEA-PLM programme. The...

SEA-PLM 2019 latest evidence in basic education: Boys’ and girls’ learning in 6 Southeast Asian countries   This publication is the first in a series of regional thematic studies initiated by the SEA-PLM Secretariat – SEA-PLM 2019 latest evidence in basic education. This paper delves deeper into the SEA-PLM 2019 database to examine learning and context disparities between boys and girls, and their differential effects in the 6 Southeast Asian participating countries. The main findings can...

SEA-PLM 2019 latest evidence in basic education: Low-performing readers in 6 Southeast Asian countries   This publication is the second in a series of regional thematic studies initiated by the SEA-PLM Secretariat – SEA-PLM 2019 latest evidence in basic education. This paper profiles children who are considered to be low reading performers in their respective countries, analyses what these children can do and explains how they are distributed throughout the region. It then explores how systems and...

The SEA-PLM Secretariat co-managed by UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific (UNICEF EAPRO) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat will organize the webinar SEA-PLM 2019: Discussing New Evidence on Learning - Policy Roundtable: Supporting teachers to improve learning (Virtual) on Thursday 24 March 2022, 9:30 – 11:50 hrs. (Bangkok time, GMT +7). The discussion will bring together Southeast Asian countries and their partners to reflect on new...

SEA-PLM 2019 Main Regional Report, Children’s learning in 6 Southeast Asian countries   SEA-PLM Secretariat is honoured to present SEA-PLM 2019 Main Regional Report, Children’s learning in 6 Southeast Asian countries. Findings presented in the five chapters of the Report provide meaningful information to understand the level of resources, practices and learning outcomes in basic education across Southeast Asian countries. Six countries from the region participated in SEA-PLM 2019: Cambodia, Lao...

The SEA-PLM Secretariat, co-chaired by UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific (UNICEF EAPRO) and Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, in cooperation with UNESCO – United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) organize a rich policy roundtable discussion on girls’ and boys’ learning in Southeast Asia across basic education. This discussion will bring together Southeast Asian countries as part of their participation and contribution to the...

    Due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, SEA-PLM Secretariat changed the format of an annual national team regional workshop from a five-day in-person training to a three-day technical webinar and a one-day regional online meeting. The Technical Webinar on Proficiency Scales and Database was organised during 4-6 August 2020. The Regional Meeting on SEA-PLM Activities and Reporting was organised virtually on 7 August 2020. As part of the efforts of SEA-PLM Secretariat to increase the...

Each of the six participating countries achieved coding and data entry operations recently. National teams and operators applied standardised instructions and procedures for scoring students’ response into data sets template. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) coordinated regional and national operations in collaboration with national teams and invited participants to ensure consistency within and across countries-languages versions. Experts supported intense national data...

From left to right: Mr Antoine Marivin, Dr Wahyudi, Ms Weerawan Theeraroungchaisri, Dr Ethel Pascua Valenzuela, Dr Salita Soongsawang, Mr Italo Dutra, Ms Erin Tanner, and Dr Orawan Sriboonruang   We are excited to introduce the 2020 SEA-PLM Secretariat team who will coordinate all SEA-PLM activities. The Secretariat is responsible for planning, programming and implementing the SEA-PLM work plan as approved by the Regional Steering Committee, and in collaboration with participating countries and...

Malaysia has completed school data collection for the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) despite many schools forced to close and reschedule testing due to a toxic haze over some states. Even with the challenges that the uncontrollable environmental situation presented, the team from the Ministry of Education charged with managing the regional learning assessment worked around the clock to see the assessment administered following correct protocol and within the planned...

Ministry of Education officials from across Southeast Asian nations came together in July 2019 at the 10th Regional Steering Committee meeting to discuss the first assessment round of Southeast Asia Learning Primary Learning Metric (SEA-PLM 2019). Looking ahead to 2020 in preparation for the final steps of this long-awaited assessment round, this meeting built regional consensus for the effective dissemination and use of results. Consultation platforms such as the 10th Regional Steering...

"Learning means knowledge, and getting a job", said 10-year-old Phoudthalith, sitting under the shade of a tree outside her small classroom in Vientiane. For Phoudthalith, and many of her friends, the priority is getting good grades in Lao language and mathematics, learning by rote from the blackboard. When asked about what the most fun part of learning is, Phoudthalith looks uncertain about how to answer. Across Southeast Asia, teachers, schools and governments are trying to move from a...

During the 50th SEAMEO Council Conference, the 4th Strategic Dialogue of Education Ministers (4th SDEM) was convened on 24 July 2019 to provide a platform where Southeast Asian Education Ministers would discuss on the trends in education affecting the region in the digital era and Industry 4.0, as well as on how to make SEAMEO education goals more relevant and responsive to the changing contexts. The 4th SDEM focused on issues related to inclusive education and how to utilize technology,...

The first regional assessment of the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) entered its final stretch on the 28th January, with Myanmar being the first country to begin data collection in schools. This large-scale survey will take place in Myanmar, Philippines, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia during 2019 according to the different school calendars. Led through the cooperative tradition among Ministries of Education in the region, SEA-PLM is a project jointly managed by the...