Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 28 February-1 March, 2018
Delegates from 14 APEC member economies – Australia; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Republic of Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Papua New Guinea; the Philippines; Russia; Chinese Taipei; Thailand and the United States -- as well as representatives from multilateral organizations, such as UNESCO and APRU, attended the First Annual EDNET Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 28 February to 1 March 2018. They were looking to conclude previous works and survey future education cooperation with respect to the digital economy.
Mr. Francis Hualupmomi -- EDNET Co-Chair from the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology in Papua New Guinea -- highlighted the importance of improving digital connectivity and deepening regional economic integration as one of the policy priorities under the APEC host theme of ‘Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future’. He said, “We encourage the alignment of the EDNET work plan to APEC 2018 priorities.”
To resonate with APEC 2018 priorities, the delegates discussed how the sharing of education-related information and best practices in APEC economies could streamline EDNET work. They reached a consensus on developing a website for EDNET which would share useful and timely information among and beyond APEC member economies. ‘Education Innovation in the Digital Age’ was also a key topic at the meeting. The information and results of relevant projects -- including ‘Quality Assurance of Online Learning Toolkit’ led by Australia; ‘APEC e-Learning Training (AeLT) Program’ led by Korea; and ‘Digital Workforce Development’ led by the United States were shared and discussed. Two new projects, focusing on the fields of ‘Online Education’ and ‘Innovative Curricula in the Digital Age’, were also proposed by Australia and Thailand respectively.
This meeting showed how APEC member economies were looking to embrace the digital economy and were prioritizing the utilization of ICT in teaching and learning. It was agreed the meeting laid a solid foundation to help the Asia-Pacific region meet all the challenges of the digital age.
