By Prof. Maristel Decio
Prof. Lesley Dignadice, LILAC Director (3rd from left); Prof. Maristel Decio, COEd Student Mobility Coordinator (3rd from right); Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat (center); and liaison officers from Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia, took a photo opportunity during the 10th Batch Evaluation Meeting of the Sea-Teacher Project held on August 5-6, 2025.
The Sea-Teacher Project, originally launched by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat in 2016, organized an evaluation meeting for the 10th batch on August 5-6, 2025. This year’s host institution is Universitas Brawijaya, located in Malang, Indonesia.
Prof. Maristel Decio, Student Mobility Coordinator of the College of Education (COEd), and Prof. Lesley Dignadice, Director of the Local and International Linkages and Affiliations Center (LILAC), represented Central Philippine University (CPU).
The two-day meeting and evaluation aimed to revitalize teacher education among pre-service teachers, coordinators, and partner universities. Member, associate, and affiliate institutions convened inside the auditorium of one of the biggest universities in Malang. The SEAMEO Secretariat presented a recap of the program evaluation for inbound/outbound student teachers and coordinators from participating schools in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan, which generally yielded positive responses.
Contributions of onsite participants on co-creation discussions focused on identifying solutions to challenges faced in terms of project implementation and sustainability. These included enhancing project quality and monitoring, improving administrative processes, and strengthening institutional coordination, communication, and partnerships. The delegates worked in groups to advance their concerns through plenary sharing and came up with priority recommendations.
Prof. Decio and Prof. Dignadice’s participation in the event is crucial in solidifying bonds with existing partner universities and in establishing ties with new partners that will further strengthen CPU’s Sea-Teacher project endeavors.