Singapore - Some of Southeast Asia‘s best student brains are now in Singapore to address issues affecting the region, on the wings of funding from Temasek Foundation in its latest project.
And when they take a break next Tuesday, the more than 60 undergraduates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations‘ (ASEAN) top universities will make their recommendations to the 10—member grouping for follow—up action.
In his opening address, ASEAN Secretary—General Ong Keng Yong said the basic idea is to narrow the development gap among members through drives involving not just governments, but also the people.
Delegates attending the 10—day Temasek Foundation—NUS (National University of Singapore) inaugural Model ASEAN Fellowship Programme will present three joint declarations based on economic, security and socio—cultural themes. These and their follow—up projects will be passed on to the ASEAN Secretariat by 2009 for consideration and implementation.
Apart from policy discussions and recommendations, the programme also aims to promote friendship and inter—cultural understanding among the participants.
Costing $220,000, this is the second Temasek Foundation initiative.
In July, it launched the Temasek Foundation—NTU (Nanyang Technological University) Learn programme, committing $980,000 towards an academic exchange programme.
The programme will see 72 students from Singapore going to China, India and Vietnam, and 68 from NTU partner universities across Asia spending a semester in the Republic starting next month.
Source: sg.news.yahoo.com (12 Desember 2007)