AUN News

Collaboration is a powerful force multiplier. This is why on 21 November 2023, Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director of the ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat, together with Dr. Gregorio Z. Gamboa, Jr., Chair/President of the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP) Board of Trustees entered official partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This established an official collaborative framework between AUN and AACCUP geared to drive forward Quality Assurance (QA) excellence in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) across the ASEAN region via dialogue engagement, sharing of non-confidential information, as well as undertaking joint projects.

On 25 November 2023, the ASEAN University Network Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN) had the opportunity to share their good practices and the Healthy University Rating System (HURS) at the Global Health Congress in Japan. During the event’s symposium, universities that achieved 5 or 4 star ratings in HURS were also invited to share their good practices in health promotion to interested health practitioners, experts, and university staff from Japan who were present at the symposium.

As the year 2023 is coming to a close, AUN-QA Programme Assessments (PAs) for this year is entering its final phase. For the first half of December, the AUN-QA team has details to share on 3 PAs with a total of 8 programmes assessed.

As a collaborative initiative working to promote a new set of standards for comprehensive Information and Communications Technology (ICT) quality and management in ASEAN universities, the development of AUN-ICT required input and contributions from experts, tacticians and academics who work in the field of ICT for universities and qualification agencies to help set the project in the right direction. Following the success of AUN-ICT Workshop, several panellists, speakers and group leaders provided some thought provoking perspectives about the initiative – including its potential, challenges and opportunity ahead in reshaping the landscape of data, technology and ICT management in ASEAN universities.

The ASEAN-Japan Youth Forum: Take Actions for Social Change (TASC) 2023 came to a conclusion on 25 November 2023 in Tokyo. Co-organised by Kamenori Foundation, Japan Foundation and ASEAN University Network, TASC 2023 was aimed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relationship and provide an international platform for the countries’ upcoming generations of young leaders to network and work together for the prospect of building a better future. Over the span of 5 months in 3 ASEAN countries and Japan, the forum saw the participation of 30 youths from 9 ASEAN countries and Japan.

How can we make sure that higher education institutions (HEI) curricula are actually preparing undergraduates for the job industry? One way is to have authentic assessments to ensure that universities’ current programmes are capable of equipping students with “Future-Ready” knowledge and competencies. At the 14th CALOHEA National Meeting at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Zaleha Abdullah Mahdy, comprehensively explored the role of authentic assessments in preparing industry-ready graduates.