The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, launched the ASEAN Schools Tour 2008 today; the first stop was Singapore at Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC).

Dr Surin, accompanied by Mdm Moliah Hashim, Cluster Superintendent from the Ministry of Education, Singapore, spoke to 450 students from ACJC, Victoria School and Cedar Girls Secondary School and took questions from them. 
The objective of the event is to bring ASEAN to its people and youth in particular. “We are committed to building an ASEAN community, with people at its centre,” said Dr. Surin. “We hope that this visit will stimulate interest among the youths, to get them talking about ASEAN.  We hope that they will become ambassadors for ASEAN.”
The ASEAN Schools Tour is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education in the ten ASEAN Member States. The programme showcases various fun and interactive activities focused on ASEAN, including quizzes, cultural performances and an animated film on ASEAN.

This is the second year that the ASEAN Secretariat is conducting the ASEAN Schools Tour.  It is aimed at promoting ASEAN to the youth in the region.  Over 4,500 students from 72 schools took part in the ASEAN Schools Tour last year which was held in all ten ASEAN Member States.

After the first stop in Singapore, officials from the ASEAN Secretariat will continue with the programme, visiting schools in the other nine ASEAN countries in the next two months.

____________________

For more information on ASEAN Schools Tour, please contact Ms. Nuraini Soulisa at nuraini@asean.org of the Public Affairs Office