Catholic educational association centre annual meeting on 'memory and identity’
ASEACCU held its 28th annual conference from 23 to 27 August at the Saint Paul Institute. The Philippines-based group has 86 members. During the four-day event, participants visited one of the Khmer Rouges’ killing fields. For the apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, “despite facing our different cultures, we must always remember our identities”.
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) – The Association of South-East and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) held its 28th annual conference at the Saint Paul Institute in Takeo, a province in southern Cambodia, from 23 to 27 August.
The four-day event looked in depth at the “historical and political memory”, identities, social problems, and current social development of Cambodia and other Asian countries.
The agenda included visits to local communities, exchange of experiences, and some presentations, as well as an interfaith prayer meeting and a stop at one of the places made infamous by the Khmer Rouge, the Choeung Ek killing field, 17 km south-west of Phnom Penh.
Participants discussed “memory and identity”, a particularly important and sensitive topic for the host country.
The association, which is based in the Philippines, is a regional forum recognised by the Vatican and is a member of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU). Its 86 members include the Saint Paul Institute, the only Catholic institution of higher learning in Cambodia.
The IFCU created an Asia-Pacific Forum to promote Catholic higher education and contribute to pedagogical discussions at the international level, beyond the regions in which it is present.
Identity, culture, and reconciliation in Cambodia and the countries of the region were the key themes addressed by those present.
Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, spoke at the conference, noting as a starting point that, “despite facing different cultures, we must always remember our identities”, Églises d'Asie reported.
For the prelate, the meetings and in-depth discussions took on a particular meaning “given that Cambodian society is still engaged in a path of reconstruction after the Khmer Rouge regime”.
In light of this, the conference can “push us to explore our culture and our world", helping to "live in today's world, preserving our memory and our history" in order to "build our identity and shape our future.”
Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Naron Hangchuon was also present. In his address, he said that “in the current world context" it is necessary to find "new ways" to provide "quality education to students".
In his view, as the fourth industrial revolution continues to "shape the global economy and workforce,” young people “must prepare for a new world” while schools must “modify programmes to achieve future goals.”
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