Kuala Lumpur: Preparations are underway in Malaysia as the country readies itself to host the ASEAN Education Roundtables. A Bernama check at the event venue, a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, observed workers making final preparations ahead of the forum’s commencement tomorrow. Workers were also seen decorating the venue with floral arrangements.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, throughout the two-day programme, ministers and senior officials are expected to deliberate on a new framework that will guide the region’s educational direction moving forward. In addition to the closed-door ASEAN Ministers of Education Roundtable session, Malaysia’s Ministry of Education (MOE) will host the ASEAN Forum on Education with the theme, ‘Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Mitigating Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) Challenges.’

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek is scheduled to deliver her remarks on Thursday. For the higher education segment, key items on the agenda include the expected endorsement of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Higher Education and the ASEAN Global Exchange for Mobility and Scholarship (ASEAN GEMS).

This marks Malaysia’s fifth time as ASEAN Chair, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.