EDUN N25-02-004 02802
22 July 2002
Singapore hosts fourth IT Exchange Programme for Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Educators (22 July to 31 July 2002)
The fourth and
final APEC Educators Exchange Programme on "The Use of Information Technology in a
Learning Society" will be held in Singapore from 22 July to 31 July 2002. Hosted by
the Ministry of Education (MOE), it aims to facilitate mutual sharing of experiences and
expertise in the use of technology in education among educators of the APEC member
economies. This is in line with a strategic area identified at the 2nd APEC Education
Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) held in Singapore in April 2000, which is to harness the
potential of Information Technology (IT) to enhance teaching and learning and to promote
life-long learning..
2 The ten-day programme is
open to educators involved in the use of technology in education. 17 educators from 8
economies, namely China, Hongkong [China], Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Chinese
Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam are participating in the programme.
3 The programme includes
discussions with Ministry officers on IT implementation issues, visits to schools,
institutes of higher learning and industries to see how Singapore supports the integration
of IT in education. In addition, participants will be participating in some parts of the
iTopia 2002 - IT Opportunities, Innovations & Achievements in Education Conference
which showcases innovative practices in IT for teaching and learning and future
possibilities for IT in education. The programme will end with a sharing by the economies
on best practices in the use of IT in education.
4 This is the last of the
biannual Exchange Programme offered from 2001 to 2002. Twenty-two educators from nine
economies who participated in the earlier programmes gave positive feedback that they had
benefited from the comprehensive coverage of pertinent areas in IT in education such as
Resources, Staff Development and Implementation in schools / Institutes of Higher
Learning. They had also gained a better understanding of the Singapore Masterplan for IT
in Education and appreciated the opportunity given to them to share and discuss
informally, the challenges faced and experiences learnt. This exchange of ideas and
learning provided a rich environment for further communication, interaction and
collaboration amongst schools and organisations in the APEC member economies.
