1. The ASEAN Vision 2020 adopted by the Second ASEAN Informal Summit held in December 1997 in Kuala Lumpur, emphasised the importance of human resources development and called for ASEAN to "enhance human resources development in all sectors of the economy through quality education, upgrading of skills and capabilities and training". The ASEAN Leaders envisioned in the year 2020 "a technologically competitive ASEAN competent in strategic and enabling technologies, with an adequate pool of technologically qualified and trained manpower, and strong networks of scientific and technological institutions and centres of excellence".

2. In inaugurating the 6^th Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Education (ASCOE), H.E. Mr. Nguyen Minh Hien, Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam, echoed the vision of the ASEAN Leaders for a technologically competitive ASEAN and stated that science and technology will determine the status of a nation in the regional and international arena. He went on to say that the advance of science and technology in the context of regionalization and globalization offered both opportunities and challenges to the ASEAN Member Countries. He concluded that education thus played an important role in the development of a highly knowledgeable and skilled labor force, which is crucial for sustaining development in all countries.

3. The training of students in mathematical and scientific competencies was discussed at the 6^th ASCOE Meeting. The Meeting agreed that a project on strengthening the teaching of mathematics and science education to gifted students will contribute towards developing ASEAN’s technological competiveness. Another project to study the employability skills of secondary school students will ensure that the region’s schools are able to better prepare students for the workplace.

4. Also high on the agenda of the 6^th ASCOE Meeting were two projects to promote awareness of ASEAN in the schools by integrating ASEAN studies into the school curricula and also through piloting an exchange of secondary school students. The implementation of these projects will further strengthen the commitment of the younger generation in ASEAN to the ideals and spirit of ASEAN.

5. The 6^th Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Education was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 29 to 30 September 1998 and attended by delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the ASEAN Secretariat. An observer from Cambodia also attended the Meeting.