MC Management and Liaison (Dr. Shyamal Majumdar)

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar with the CPSC Team welcome in CPSC the Executive Committee Members of the International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA). IVETA held its EC meeting in CPSC last November 2, 2010 and had the opportunity to visit CPSC to learn more about its programs and services. CPSC and IVETA recently partnered in the conduct of the 16th IVETA-CPSC International Conference on ESD in TVET in Manila, Philippines from November 3-5, 2010 (see related story http://iveta2010.cpsctech.org/)

CPSC Director General, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar with Honourable Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education, Brunei Darussalam and other senior ministry officials. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of SEAMEO-VOCTECH (SEAMEO Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Training), Dr. Majumdar was invited to address the Governing Board Roundtable Discussion organized by SEAMEO-VOCTECH in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam on October 6, 2010.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar meets Dr. Wooyong Chung, Director, Policy and Planning Department of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Dr. Majumdar visited KOICA headquarters to continue exploring opportunities for mutual cooperation and support in relevant TVET projects for Colombo Plan countries which was positively welcomed by KOICA.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar presents the CPSC plaque to KERIS President Dr. Se-Yeoung Chun in a courtesy visit in Seoul in September 2010.

Dr. Majumdar is welcomed by Dr. Seunghwan Lee, Director of the UNESCO – APCEIU as he paid a visit in October 2010. Both organizations are exploring mutual areas for cooperation particularly in building capacity of educators and integrating education for international understanding (EIU) in TVET. The two heads of organizations affirmed mutual desire to strengthen south-south cooperation and share expertise in this pursuit.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar is briefed by Dr. Yangsook Lee, Researcher, KERIS on the u-Classroom established by KERIS and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology at the KERIS headquarter.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (3rd from left) joins delegates of the International Symposium on TVET Teachers and Trainers Concepts and Experiences in Academic Education and research organized by UNEVOC in Magdeburg University from Sept 14-15, 2010.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (seated, 2nd row) leads country delegates from CPSC member countries in the opening of the IFAT Entsorga 2010 (International Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials Management) in Munich, Germany. The IFAT was a major world event that provided opportunities for participants of the International Experts Workshop on Green TVET and Capacity Development Needs in Water Education organized by CPSC, InWEnt and UNESCO-UNEVOC to learn about developments in training, equipment, and industry practices and processes in water and solid waste management.

Dr. Majumdar presents the CPSC plaque to Prof. Said Irandoust, President, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) as both CPSC and AIT explore mutual areas for cooperation.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (3rd from right) signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Toyota Motor Foundation President (TMPF) and TMP Vice President, Dr. David Go (3rd from left). CPSC and TMPF agreed to cooperate on TVET-related initiatives of mutual interest.

CPSC Director General Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (left) pays a courtesy visit to Sri Lankan President HE Mahinda Rajapaksa (right) in October 2009 together with other delegates of the IVETA South Asia Regional Workshop held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (right) assists Governing Board Chairman HE Joong-Kyung Choi, Ambassador of Korea (center) and Hon. Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas Chua of the Philippine Commission on ICT (left) at the inauguration of the CPSC Innovative Blended Learning Center in September 2009.

Dr. Majumdar meets the Minister of Education of Bangladesh, Hon. Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid, M.P. (right) at the inaugural ceremony of the In-Country program jointly organized by CPSC and the Ministry in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar visits the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Seoul, Korea in September 2009 to apprise Mr. Park, Jin-Seon (right), Director and Liaison Officer for CPSC, of the programs and activities of the College.

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar presents CPSC plaque to Dr. Klaus Sodemann (right), President of the International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA).

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar explains before delegates of an APEC-TESDA seminar in Manila the CPSC web-based teaching and learning system and other ICT-enabled tools of CPSC in delivering its training programs. The delegates visited CPSC in October 2009.

JICA Training Program. (Left photo) Dr. Majumdar reciprocates the organizers’ invitation by presenting CPSC’s token to JICA Representative (right) during the closing ceremonies of the Industrial Technology Education Training Course 2009 jointly organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Aichi University of Education in Aichi, Japan, lead by Prof. Dr. Hidetoshi Miyakawa (not in photo). Dr. Majumdar delivered lecture on the Emerging Trends in TVET and CPSC’s Response before a group of training participants from Asia Pacific countries attending the course. He also facilitated in the Action Planning for the course. (Right photo) Dr. Majumdar is flunked by Mr. Shoki, Masato (left), Unit Chief, International Cooperation Office of the Minister’s Secretariat of Japan and Mr. Okuyama, Akira, Deputy Director General, JICA Chubu.

MOE BRUNEI DARUSSALAM. (Left photo) Dr. Majumdar presents CPSC plaque during courtesy visit on Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Haji Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Abd. Rahman; and during a meeting with Deputy Permanent Secretary for Higher Education, Haji Suhaila bin Haji Abd Karim (right, left photo) and Director for Technical Education, Mr. Noorhaizamdin Hj Mosbi (left). Both meetings aimed to introduce CPSC programs and activities and identify opportunities for cooperation with the Government of Brunei Darussalam.

CPSC receives International Partnership award from UNESCO In recognition of Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education as a UNEVOC international partner dedicated to furthering UNESCO goals in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in Bonn presented to CPSC the prestigious International Partnership Award last April 1, 2009 in Bonn, Germany. Dr. Shyamal Majumdar received the award for the institution and another plaque as Director of CPSC, in Bonn, Germany during of the sessions of the World Conference on ESD. The award puts premium to the recent initiatives undertaken by CPSC in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). CPSC, as an inter-governmental organization mandated to improve TVET systems in the region, has strongly supported the call for re-orienting TVET programs, policies and strategies to encompass global understanding on education such as the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Existing cooperation with UNEVOC underlines the cohesive effort among similar organizations with relevant work in TVET to achieve more in meeting the objectives of life-long learning and continuous development in TVET for all.

ISTE, CPSC discuss cooperation The CPSC Director General in his visit to India met with Prof. Ranjit Singh, Executive Secretary of the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) (right) who represented ISTE President Prof. Shetty to explore possible cooperation and information exchange. Dr. Majumdar renewed his association with ISTE as both organizations mutually express willingness to find suitable areas for cooperation.

Chinese education Vice Minister cites CPSC's important role The CPSC Director General with Hon. Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Minister of Education of China and Chairperson of the Chinese National Commission of UNESCO (left) after the Governing Board Meeting of the International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) in Beijing, China held on February 24-25, 2009. Prof. Shyamal Majumdar, Ph.D. attended the meeting in his capacity as Member of the INRULED Governing Board. The Vice Minister acknowledged the important role of TVET in regional development and acknowledged the role of CPSC in its participating countries across Asia and the Pacific region.

CPSC, ADBI strengthen ties Dr. Majumdar met with the Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) during the conduct of the joint ADBI-CPSC Regional Workshop on SME Development and Regional Economic Integration held in Tokyo, Japan from 22-26 September 2008. The meeting reinforced the cooperation and mutual interest to collaborate in future capacity building programs where both institutions can combine expertise in the program design, development of content and delivery of education and training. The program was the second of the workshops jointly conducted by both institutions for both CPSC and ADB countries. The first on e-learning content workshop held in Manila, Philippines in in 2006. Another program is in the pipeline in 2009.

Commonwealth Sec, CPSC renew ties In an opportunity to renew ties with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar met Mr. Jasimuddin, Adviser for Asia in a recent visit to London, United Kingdom on November 10, 2008.On behalf of both organizations, possible joint cooperation in areas related to institutional development in vocational training, knowledge management, total quality management and sustainable development is under discussion. CPSC and the Commonwealth Secretariat had a long history of cooperation in the initial stage of the College’s development with five CFTC experts sponsored to CPSC in the past.

Linkage with NCVER Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (L) withDr. Tom Karmel, Director ofNCVER during a recent meeting at the University of London, United Kingdom in November 2008. Both were speakers in the International Seminar on Exploring the Changing Nature of Youth Transitions and the Youth Labour Market organized by the Institute of Education of the same university in collaboration with UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in TVET.

CPSC contributes in SEAMEO VOCTECH’s 5-year strategic plan   Consistent with CPSC’s role to provide advisory input and contribute in strategic planning for TVET at regional level, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, Director General, contributed in the discussion towards the finalization of the South East Asian Ministers for Education Organization Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Education and Training (SEAMEO-VOCTECH) 4th Five-Year Development Plan during the Experts’ Meeting called from May 5-7, 2008 in Brunei Darusslam.   Dr. Majumdar was invited to also give a keynote presentation alongside other key players in TVET development in SEAMEO countries.

UN ESCAP's APCICT Director finds common areas for cooperation with CPSC CPSC welcomed on May 27, 2008 the visit of the Director of the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), Dr. Hyuen-Suk Rhee who came to Manila, Philippines on CPSC's invitation to address the international symposium on Emerging Trends in ICT in Education. During the visit Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, CPSC Director General, conveyed CPSC's appreciation to UN-APCICT Director along with its keen interest to cooperate with the UN-APCICT in future programs in ICT integration in education and training. The CPSC academic board, shared CPSC's institutional profile to highlight CPSC's ongoing cooperative initiatives in capacity building and CPSC's strengths in web-based teaching and learning system. UN-APCICT's programs, acccording to Dr. Rhee, are essentially focused on training, research and advisory, thus she acknowledged similarities between CPSC and UN-APCICT's work and expressed anticipation that there is much that UN-APCICT could learn from CPSC's 34 years of experience as an inter-governmental organization. She considered the symposium on Emerging Trends in ICT in Education as highly relevant in bridging the digital divide by strengthening the capacity. UN-APCICT is a regional institute of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific based in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Malaysian MoHE affirms stronger cooperation with CPSC On behalf of CPSC, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, CPSC Director General expressed the College's appreciation to the Government of Malaysia for its strong national and international commitment to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and assist other neighboring countries in the region through cooperative initiatives with CPSC. A short visit to Malaysia in April 2008 was made by the head of CPSC in conjunction with the conduct of this year's in-country program on Repositioning TVET Institutions through Knowledge Management jointly organized by CPSC and the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE). In close liaison with MoHE officials, Dr. Majumdar reported on the programs and activities of CPSC. He met with the Secretary General of the International and Corporate Affairs of the MoHE and CPSC Liaison Officer, Dato. Dr. Zulkefli bin Hassan; Undersecretary for Policy Coordination and International Division, MoHE Datin Rohani bt. Abdullah; Director General, Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education, MoHE, Mr. Y. Bhg. Dato' Hj. Imran Bin Idris and other senior ministry officials.   The cooperation of the MoHE was conveyed by Dr. Hassan and other officials in acknowledgment of the initiatives of CPSC particularly in identifying new areas in TVET agenda and building strong awareness at country and regional levels on the emerging issues in TVET, which could be new opportunities for enhancing cooperation and partnering with the ministry in its advanced programs in TVET.

Indian Foreign Minister affirms continued support to CPSC The esteemed Minister of External Affairs, His Excellency Pranab Mukherjee expressed the Government of India's positive support and blessing to Colombo Plan Staff College at a courtesy visit paid by the Director General, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar at the foreign Minister's office at New Delhi, India on December 20, 2007. His Excellency Pranab Mukherjee positively conveyed the Government of India's support in the activities of CPSC in acknowledgement of the role of CPSC as a regional organization for south to south cooperation in technical human resources development. The Director General reported his management vision for CPSC and solicited the continued and steadfast cooperation of the Government towards realizing its visions for the Asia Pacific member countries. He also apprised the esteemed Minister about the recent initiative of CPSC to develop proposal for comprehensive capacity building projects for technical human resources development as one of the key strategies to cover technical training needs of the participating governments of CPSC, apart from the regular program implementation of the College. The project is in the pipeline for future discussion and cooperation with the member governments. India is one of the active members of CPSC which played a pivotal role in its inception and further development in cooperation with other participating governments. The Director General also held meetings with Hon. Secretary N. Ravi, Ministry of External Affairs; Hon Aseem Mahajan, Deputy Secretary, MEA; and officials of the Ministry of HRD, Government of India, including Hon. Secretary Ramesh Pal Agrawal, IAS, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, MHRD; Hon. Kalpana Singh, IP & TAFS, Deputy Secretary (Technical), MHRD; Shri Ravi Mathur, Joint Secretary (Technical), MHRD; Hon. K.M. Acharya, Additional Secretary, MHRD; and Dr. CT Mahajan, Additional Apprenticeship Adviser (Technical), MHRD.

CPSC participated in the 11th UNEVOC-APEID International Conference On behalf of CPSC, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, Director General, participated in the 11th International Conference on Reinventing Higher Education: Toward Participatory and Sustainable Development from 14-15 December 2007. The conference was organized by UNESCO Asia Pacific Programme of Education Innovation for Development (APEID), UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for TVET and the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) Ministry of Education, Royal Government of Thailand. The Director General was invited as Panel Speaker for the session on TVET in Support of Education for Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges. He spoke on "Integrating Sustainable Development in TVET Curriculum" where he discussed the three pillars of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic), generic skills and concepts of sustainable development, the models for integrating SD into TVET curricula and the teaching and learning methodologies. The session was chaired by Mr. Rupert Maclean, Director, UNESCO UNEVOC International Centre for TVET.

CPSC joins Experts Meeting on Corporate Social Responsibility and Education for Sustainable Development On invitation by the InWEnt (Bonn) in Partnership with UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for TVET (Bonn), DESD Secretariat (UNESCO Paris), International Hydrological Programme UNESCO (Paris), and UNESCO Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID) (Bangkok), CPSC through the Director General, joined the International Experts' Meeting on "Corporate Social Responsibility and Education for Sustainable Development: Advancing the Partnership" held in Bonn, Germany from 6-7 November 2007. Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, CPSC Director General, joined in the discussion and review of the recommendations of a previous consultation meeting in May 2007 on the same agenda towards developing a strategy for implementation. In view of CPSC's close cooperation with UNESCO and its specialized agencies, the meeting provided the impetus for engaging into active discussion on education for sustainable development as a key component in all CPSC's programs on technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Twenty-four delegates participated from the corporate sector, education sector, TVET and ESD organizations from various Regions. The meeting made several recommendations for engaging more closely with business and industry to explore ways to disseminate across the corporate sector learning-based approaches to sustainable development, and to build the capacity. The event was also a good opportunity to network with global and regional development organizations for future collaboration, which CPSC has initiated in the last six months to build stronger synergy in implementing its work programs. Both InWent and UNESCO-UNEVOC have agreed to collaborate in CPSC's upcoming international symposium as a reciprocal demonstration of interest and support to the work of the College.

DG meets Education Secretary of Bangladesh In his recent mission to Bangladesh for the In-Country Program on "Competency-Based Education and Training" where he acted as Resource Speaker, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, CPSC Director General also took the opportunity to meet with officials of the Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh from October 22-24 2007 in Dhaka. Dr. Majumdar paid separate courtesy visits to Honorable Secretary Md. Montajul Islam, Education Secretary; Md. Humayun Khalid, Joint Secretary; Md. Safiullah, Joint Secretary; Prof. Abul Bashar, Director General for Technical Education and Prof. Dr. Nitai Chandra Sutradhar, Chairman of the Bangladesh Technical Education Board.

Chairman of CPSC Governing Board pays visit to President of Colombo Plan Council; Joint CPSC- CP Secretariat capacity building program in pipeline   CPSC Governing Board Chairman HE Mr. Muhammad Abul Quashem, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Philippines with Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, CPSC Director General, visited Sri Lanka from December 27 to 30, 2007 to pay courtesy visit to the Colombo Plan officials as both commenced their respective terms. The visit aimed to discuss close coordination and better understanding and cooperation between two organizations to address socio-economic development issues of countries in the Colombo Plan region. His Excellency Mr. Quashem and Dr. Majumdar met up with Council President Deshamanya Professor W. D. Lakshman and the new Colombo Plan Secretariat Secretary General, Ms Patricia Yoon-Moi Chia in a luncheon meeting. The Director General discussed CPSC's keen interest to hold joint capacity building programs to benefit member countries to address common development areas of mutual interest. As an outcome, they agreed to hold joint regional programs in the near future. Discussion is in progress on the program area which will be undertaken consistent with the common strategic focus of CPSC and the Colombo Plan Secretariat. The joint programs are expected to be a very excellent amalgamation of socio-economic and technical human resources development aspirations of the Colombo Plan for the Asia Pacific member countries. In the same opportunity, the Chairman of the Board paid courtesy call on the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka and Member of CP Council, HE Md. Shahdat Hossain, who was joined by other Bangladesh High Commission officials, Commodore Asma Awal, Defence Adviser Sri Lanka and Maldives and Mir Akram Uddin Ahammad, Third Secretary and HOC. Moreover, Dr. Majumdar discussed with CPSC Liaison Officer Dr. H.L. Obeyesekara of the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training (MVTT) upcoming program and active cooperation of the Government of Sri Lanka with CPSC.

DG addresses Int'l Forum on Teacher Education in China On the invitation and sponsorship of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, East China Normal University, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and UNESCO Asia-Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education by the UNESCO APNIEVE China, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar addressed the International Forum on Teacher Education as Panel Speaker on November 14, 2007 in Shanghai, China. Dr. Majumdar spoke on the topic New Paradigms for Technical Teachers Training where he emphasized the various changes in the teaching-learning environment in terms of models, focus, role of learner and technology. He said that these changes demand a new learning environment to effectively harness the power of ICT to improve learning. He stressed that the ICT has the potential to transform the nature of education and facilitate the emergence of responsible knowledge society emphasizing life long learning with meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences. The Forum was attended by 300 international delegates and participants from 30 countries including China. In an opportune time to meet Chinese education officials who joined the forum, the Director General explored ways to establish mutual cooperation between CPSC and the Government of China through capacity building program implementation and development.

GB Chair address ICT in Education seminar in India CPSC Governing Board Chairman HE Muhammad Abul Quashem, Ambassador of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the Philippines, addressed the National Seminar on "ICT in Education" on joint invitation by the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) Chennai and CPSC in Chenai, India on December 26, 2007. Chairman Quashem emphasized on mainstreaming technical education and information and communication technology (ICT) from the bottom up to a certain level in the education ladder to allow for specialization and to bring about desirable revolution in terms of employment generation, income generation and improvement of life of the people. He noted the digital divide between the urban and rural areas where he has shared exemplary initiatives of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. He exemplified how ICT bridged the gap and revolutionized the lives of the rural women within the microcredit program of the Grammen Bank by using ICT as a tool. Building on his economic expertise and relevant experience as Secretary of Planning Ministry, Government of Bangladesh, he encouraged delegates to pursue innovations in integrating ICT in education. "These innovations may be in the form of infrastructure development in educational institutions, curricular reforms and massive training of teachers in technological capabilities," he stated in the context of working up ways to overcome obstacles related to technological isolation in rural zones and poor countries. "Let us transform the ripples of Information Revolution into big waves in the Asia Pacific region to bring about a significant, visible and positive change in the life and living of the peoples in the region," he concluded. The seminar was attended by more than 100 local participants from education and ICT industry sectors.

DG lauds Philippine Gov't commitment to south to south cooperation in the region CPSC represented by the Director General extended its appreciation to the Government of the Philippines through Department of Foreign Affairs for its sustained commitment with CPSC as one of its strong members since 1973, and host country for 20 years now. In an opportunity to renew ties and meet key officials of the department at the beginning of his term as new Director General, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar paid visit to the DFA United Nations and Other International organizations (UNIO) and the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines (TCCP) on November 19, 2007. He met with Ms Maria Rosario Aguinaldo, Director, representing Ms. Grace Princesa, Executive Director and HE Mr Evan Garcia, Asisstant Secretary, DFA-UNIO, to further extend CPSC's commitment in providing more demand-driven capacity building programs for the region. The Government of the Philippines is actively involved with CPSC through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) as the focal government agency overseeing technical and vocational training implementation and development in the country. Dr. Majumdar, with CPSC Specialist and Chair of the Project and Consultancy Development Division of CPSC, Prof TJ Gayondato, also paid courtesy visit to TCCP Alternate-Chair HE Zenaida Rabago who expressed her support to the College and interest to conduct joint programs between TCCP and CPSC. As a strong development partner, the Government of the Philippines has played a pivotal role in further developing and strengthening the College through its committed hosting arrangements since 1987 in Manila, Philippines and indirect service to Asia Pacific member countries through its support to the operational funding of CPSC. Dr. Majumdar cited that the strong commitment of the Government of the Philippines and demonstrated cooperation will give an excellent boost to raising CPSC into new heights. "I thank the Government for its long-standing commitment and significant role in the Asia Pacific region. I know that under my management, the Philippine Government will be helping the region in a big way, with my keen interest to explore more partnership programs and make CPSC instrumental in assisting the Government in its cooperation with other member governments of this south to south cooperation body," he said.

CPSC revitalizes efforts to strengthen relations with Royal Thai Government DG meets Education, Foreign Affairs officials On the invitation by the Royal Thai Government through the Ministry of Education and Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT), Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, CPSC Director General visited Bangkok, Thailand on November 30, 2007 to meet H.E. Varakorn Samakoses, Ph.D., Deputy Minister of Education and other education officials. The meeting provided opportunity for Dr. Majumdar to formally discuss on behalf of CPSC the Ministry's support in reviving the active membership of the Royal Thai Government to CPSC. The meeting became a very vital stage for the Director General to open the dialogue, emphasize on the big role of Thailand in strengthening south to south cooperation and clearly present the opportunities, value addition and institutional benefits of being CPSC's member. Taking the cue from the rapid progress in Thailand's economy and knowledge development, and its excellent efforts in strengthening the education sector through international cooperation, the Director General stated CPSC's keen interest to offer its cooperation in assisting Thailand in capacity building, technical and professional development of teachers and other areas of mutual interest. Earlier, the Director General also met with the Secretary General of the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, MOE, Mr. Veerasak Wongsombut and Deputy Secretary General of OVEC Dr. Siripan Choomnoom to open the discussion on CPSC's TVET programs for the member countries. He also paid courtesy visit to the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he met Mrs. Chitriya Pinthong, Director General. He apprised TICA on the progress and revitalization of CPSC's capacity building programs in the region and explored ways to have short-term joint collaboration in the mean time. The meetings were facilitated by the President of Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) Assoc. Prof. Numyoot Songthanapitak. RMUTT has been CPSC's strong partner in renewing ties with the Royal Thai Government.