Participants discussed policies aimed at encouraging the development of open education and distant training in regional countries. They emphasised the important role of distant education in training tertiary students as part of the country’s human resource development strategy. In Vietnam, the Hanoi Open University Institute is considered a university, which operates effectively in the distant training system for students coming from every corner of the country. It has helped hundreds of students study higher education programmes without going to university.

Professor Atwi Suparman, Rector of Terbuka Open University (Indonesia) said in order to improve the distant education system, it is imperative to apply advanced information and technology such as video tapes, computers, satellite and Internet connections in teaching and helping learners.

Deputy Director of Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council Awang Othman bin Haji Simbran said the distant education system has helped people with disability and ethnic minority people study in an effective way. To ensure the quality of distant training courses, the Government of each country should increase investment in building material facilities for schools which run distant education courses as well as exempting poor students from school fees.

At the seminar, many delegates and rectors in Southeast Asia presented reports and contributed different opinions on expanding and improving the distant education system such as intensive training programmes for post-graduates, job creation for students, curriculums and text-books for students.

The seminar was held by the Hanoi Open University Institute in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training.