HANOI - Students from Asean member states should
have better access to long-term visas to study in other member nations, says
Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana.
He called
on the 10 countries of Asean to allow foreign students from other member states
to apply for long-term visas.
Mr
Phongthep said visas granted to Asean students to study in other Asean
countries should match the length of their courses.
Foreign
students studying in Thailand are currently required to have their visas
extended every year regardless of the length of their programmes, he said.
Handing
out long-term visas would help promote integration in the region ahead of the
introduction of the Asean Community in 2015, he said.
"The
visa processing system in Southeast Asia does not promote student mobility in
the region," he said.
Mr
Phongthep made his remarks after the closing of the 47th Southeast Asian
Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Council Conference. It was held
last week in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The
conference comprises 11 education ministers from SEAMEO member countries and
high-ranking education officials worldwide who discuss policy and regional
initiatives on education, science and culture.
Thailand
will host the next SEAMEO Council Conference in 2015. The summit is organised
every two years.
Mr
Phongthep said all Asean education ministers agree that student visa durations
should be increased to boost mobility and integration in the region.
Making the
changes will not be easy and will require discussion among several
organisations, he added.
Witaya
Jeradechakul, director of the SEAMEO secretariat based in Thailand, said the
organisation will play a key role in boosting mobility and exchanges of
students and teachers in Asean.
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