Leadership Capacity – The Key to Building Future-Ready Schools

The 14th SEAMEO-University of Tsukuba Symposium, themed “Empowering Learning Futures: Digital Transformation for Equitable and Sustainable Education,” was held on February 5–6, 2026, at University of Tsukuba. As part of the symposium, SEAMEO RETRAC participated in the expert panel discussion on “Future-Ready Educators and Schools.” The presentation highlighted the pivotal role of school leadership in driving educational innovation, particularly in the context of AI and digital transformation, which are accelerating the shift from traditional training models toward more reflective and contextualized approaches to professional learning.

The presentation also proposed a reflective, flexible, and context-responsive approach to Teacher Professional Development (TPD), aligned with the practical realities and educational priorities of individual ASEAN countries. It further emphasized that a sustainable and innovative educational ecosystem can only thrive under the guidance of visionary and strategically minded institutional leaders.