By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

Top educators from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Seoul Friday to launch the "ASEAN-Korea Education Leader's Forum" in cooperation with the Korean Federation of Teachers Associations (KFTA), Korea's largest teachers' group.

A total of 15 teachers' groups from the 10 countries along with the Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia participated in the two-day forum to discuss how to attract talented students to schools and develop better re-training systems for teachers. Some 150 educators participated in the opening ceremony, held at the KFTA building, Friday afternoon.

"ASEAN, which is an association of the 10 nations with an estimated combined population of 577 million, is very meaningful to us," said KFTA President Lee Won-hee. "In the education field, there is much work to be done among ASEAN countries."

Following the ceremony, Park Yong-jo, KFTA vice president made a keynote speech about the teaching environment in Korea. Participants discussed better education systems and environments through a series of presentations.

The "2009 Seoul Declaration," which calls for strengthened partnerships with educators in Korea and ASEAN, will be announced Saturday.

The participants will also have opportunities to learn more about Korean schools and culture during their stay. They have already visited an elementary school in Seoul, Thursday, and the state-run Education Broadcasting System. They are scheduled to visit the Korea Folk Village and Cheonggye Stream, Sunday.

While participating in the ASEAN Council of Teachers' Convention held in Thailand, last February, KFTA proposed the establishment of the joint forum in accordance with the growing relationship between Korea and ASEAN countries.

ASEAN consists of 10 member countries; Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Established in 1947 to boost teachers' right, the KFTA has grown as the largest organization for teachers.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr