Socio-Cultural Development and Education
BIMP-EAGA wants to enrich people’s appreciation of their shared culture and heritage and develop a pool of skilled manpower to sustain growth and foster economic cooperation. People are key to the success of regional cooperation.
The subregion has a rich heritage, culture, and traditions, including a diversity of games and sports. Increased access to technology, particularly information and communication technology, is fueling the need to be more informed on regional and global culture and history.
The private and public sectors are actively involved in human resource development in BIMP-EAGA. The subregion has many internationally recognized technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education institutions (HEIs), including research-oriented universities.
To strengthen socio-cultural development and the education sector further, BIMP-EAGA plans to:
- Promote, preserve, and sustain BIMP-EAGA culture and heritage through socio-cultural events, such as culinary, cultural and sports festivals, visits to cultural and creative industries, and art exhibitions. These events will broaden people’s appreciation for the different cultures in the subregion.
- Pursue multi-sectoral consultation and collaboration. The TVET forum and higher education summits serve as platforms for developing institutional partnerships and networks. The events will identify the needs of industries and guide efforts to produce knowledge products and services, such as training and research. Partnerships between the academe and industry will help ensure students can easily find jobs once they graduate.