New teaching methodologies and better education management are needed to prepare workers for an integrated ASEAN Community, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Education Nguyen Vinh Hien has said.

Hien, who spoke at the Education Leaders Innovation Forum at the Southeast Asian Minister of Education Organisation (SEAMEO)'s Regional Training Centre on July 9 in Ho Chi Minh City, said that universities in the country were trying to train students to be global citizens and prepare them with skills needed for the 21st century.

Speaking at the forum, Professor Hafid Abbas of the State University of Jakarta said that schools should apply innovative learning methods that use supportive technologies, inquiry- and problem-based approaches, and higher-order thinking skills.

Community resources beyond school walls should also be included, he said.

In addition, students need to be trained to think critically, work creatively with others, solve problems, make judgments and decisions, and communicate clearly, he added.

Mastery of core subjects such as English, maths, economics, science, geography, history, government and civics is essential to student success, he said.

The three-day forum, which wraps up on July 11, is a part of the SEAMEO College Project, which aims to strengthen the capacity of education leaders and practitioners and promote education and social development in the Southeast Asia Region for an Integrated ASEAN Community.

The forum, attended by representatives from 11 Southeast Asian countries, was financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction through the Asian Development Bank under the guidance of the SEAMEO Secretariat as the executing agency.

Its four modules include a strategic dialogue with education ministers; a high official country-case study; innovation forum for education leaders; and an innovation forum for youth leaders.-VNA