48th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting

As SEAMEO’s premier annual platform for regional policy dialogue, the 48th High Officials Meeting hosted by the SEAMEO Secretariat facilitated dialogue and joint planning among SEAMEO member countries and centres, advancing initiatives in education, science, and cultural development across the region. The meeting convened the 11 High Officials from all SEAMEO Member Countries, representatives from Associate and Affiliate Members, SEAMEO Centre Directors, development partners, and experts from across the region and beyond.

Marking a significant milestone as SEAMEO celebrates its 60th anniversary, the theme “Leading Through Learning: Empowering Schools and Communities in Southeast Asia,” highlights six decades of SEAMEO’s leadership in education, science, and culture across the region.

As a SEAMEO regional centre, SEAMEO RETRAC, participated in Plenary Sessions to receive updates on the strategies, initiatives, and policies to advance sustainable educational development programs across Southeast Asia from the SEAMEO Secretariat, SEAMEO Centres, participating countries and organizations. RETRAC also showcased its initiatives on leadership development and capacity building for education managers in Southeast Asia during these sessions and attended the following accompanying events:

• Two Special Sessions focused on Establishing the Southeast Asia School Leadership Hub and Aligning AI Initiatives in SEAMEO.
• Launch of the Empowering Teachers Initiative (ETI) Regional Report on Teacher Professional Development (TPD)

The year 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of RETRAC’s establishment and its operations under the SEAMEO umbrella. Over three decades, RETRAC has been instrumental in advancing educational leadership, strengthening teacher capacity, and enhancing education quality across Southeast Asia and beyond. In response to the context of internationalization, RETRAC has developed its sixth 5-year development plan, fully aligned with SEAMEO priorities, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and national strategies. This plan has been thoroughly reviewed and endorsed by SEAMEO High Officials at this meeting.