Minister of Education Hang Chuon Naron (centre), General Secretary of Lim Jock Hoi (left) and Hun Many (right) are the speakers of the first ASEAN Youth Dialogue. MoEYS
With the rapidly changing technological landscape, coupled with complex issues the world is facing today, young people must be resilient and ready to face future challenges, said Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron.
Naron was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue, which took place on July 25-26 in Siem Reap province with the theme “Youth in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges in Post-Pandemic Recovery”.
He said the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, continued to shape the global economy and workforce, and ASEAN member states are facing uncertainty over how to prepare youths for the future of work and for work within economies that have undergone the adaptation and adoption of the revolution, which he said is fundamentally changing the way we live, work, and relate to one another.
“I believe that the 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue will provide an important platform for ASEAN young people to discuss important regional and global issues that affect their future, ranging from science, technology, innovation and future for work to sustainable development, climate change and people-to-people exchanges to make them prepared for future shocks.
“We want to hear your voices and your views. We want you to be part of the solution,” he said.
He said that with the rapidly changing technological landscape, old skills would become obsolete and the new skills that replace them would emerge every quickly and that the world we are living in has become more complex, with challenges driven by rapid technological transformation, superpower rivalry and acceleration of global crises such as climate change, thus young people must be resilient and ready to face future challenges.
“Therefore, education systems should be reformed. Firstly, government policies and school reforms are necessary to develop soft skills and 21st century skills.
“That includes STEM education [science, technology, engineering, mathematics] and the new EPIC teaching method – experiential, participatory, imaginary and connected learning – along with the use of digital tools to promote meta-cognitive skills and self-regulated capabilities,” he said.
This would help youths respond to investors’ need for a smart workforce as would government policy for digital transformation, according to the minister.
The education ministry helped organise the 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat and with the support of South Korea.
The event was attended by more than 200 participants, including youth ministers from 10 ASEAN member countries and South Korea, senior representatives of international agencies, senior officials, youth delegates, government agencies, NGOs, civil social organisations, entrepreneurs, research institutes, observers, ASEAN Secretariat, UN agencies and partner organisations.
The forum aimed to provide a platform for ASEAN youth to participate in discussions and recommendations on regional policies and to exchange views with the ASEAN Youth Minister, the Cambodian and South Korean governments and other key dialogue partners.
The dialogue focused on methods in which stakeholders can collaborate with young people to explore the benefits and opportunities emerging from Industry 4.0 and address the challenges posed by global pandemics and the youth delegation had an opportunity to learn from each other by taking advantage of technological, and socio-economic opportunities to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and South Korea.
