Two educators from the College of Education took part in the ASEAN Teacher Education Conference (AsTEC) 2026, convened by the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN) on July 2–3, 2026 at the Golden Prince Hotel and Suites in Cebu City, Philippines.
Prof. Ma. Rosa Caraballe and Prof. Vanessa Joy Judith, joined fellow education leaders, researchers, scholars, and teacher educators for two days of keynote sessions, panel discussions, policy dialogue, and concurrent paper presentations exploring emerging issues and opportunities in teacher education.
COED / Ma. Rosa Caraballe photos
The conference was hosted by the Philippine Normal University (PNU) with the support of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Cebu Normal University (CNU), under the theme “The ASEAN Teacher Identity: Ensuring Quality Teacher Education in the Digital Era.”
It drew AsTEN presidents, heads of delegation, delegates, and representatives from across Asia, reaffirming the network’s commitment to advancing teacher education and strengthening regional collaboration across ASEAN.
The conference formally opened with welcome messages from PNU President Bert Jazmin Tuga, Cebu Normal University President Laurence Garcia, and AsTEN Chairperson Prof. Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, followed by a statement of purpose from AsTEN Executive Director and Conference Convenor, Assoc. Prof. John Carlo Ramos.
A highlight of the gathering was the keynote address delivered by CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis, titled “Advancing ASEAN Teacher Education: Innovation, Resilience, and Collaboration in a Transforming World,” in which she underscored the importance of innovation, resilience, and regional collaboration in preparing future-ready educators and highlighted the Philippines’ leadership in initiatives such as the proposed ASEAN Center of Excellence for Teacher Education and Development (ACTED).
Throughout the conference, distinguished speakers shared insights on quality assurance, literacy, artificial intelligence, and professional development in teacher education.
The event also featured panel discussions on “Who is an ASEAN Teacher?” and “Policy Dialogue on University Social Responsibility and Community Extension,” alongside parallel paper presentation sessions covering teacher professionalism, quality assurance, institutional development, and teacher well-being.
The conference also held an Information and Consultation Session on the proposed ACTED, engaging stakeholders in a consultative dialogue to assess the need for a regional center dedicated to teacher education and to identify priority areas for collaboration, capacity building, research, and policy development.
The participation of Prof. Caraballe and Prof. Judith in AsTEC 2026 reflects CHMSU’s continuing engagement with regional academic networks and its commitment to advancing quality, future-ready teacher education in step with peer institutions across ASEAN.
