What is SEAMEO-RIHED?
The history of RIHED dates back to 1959 when the Regional Institute of Higher Education and Development (RIHED) was conceived jointly by UNESCO and the International Association of Universities (IAU), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation. It was not officially founded, however, until 1970, with seven member states--namely, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In 1985 RIHED became inactive due to some of the member countries being unable to participate fully and the decision was then taken to reconstitute RIHED under the SEAMEO umbrella.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) was established in 1965 in order to hasten the development of the region through regional cooperation in education, science, and culture. In 1993 RIHED, now based in Bangkok, Thailand, became the 12th SEAMEO center, with the mission to promote cooperation for the development of higher education in the region. The original acronym RIHED--from the period when it functioned as a regional institute in Singapore--was retained; however, it is now known as the Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development.

Today, SEAMEO member states comprise Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. SEAMEO's associate member countries are: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

What are the Activities of the SEAMEO-RIHED?
To fulfill its mission RIHED's functions focus on training, research, information dissemination, and the promotion of collaboration and linkages. RIHED is committed to tackling issues of common concern for SEAMEO member countries and not only keeps pace with regional and international developments but has to be one step ahead - anticipating and acting accordingly. In practice the activities take the form of:

To maximize the benefits of RIHED's activities, and at the same time to strengthen regional cooperation, many activities are carried out within regional groupings like EAGA (East ASEAN Growth Area), GMS (Greater Mekong Subregion), and IMT-GT (Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle). Cooperation with the French government is particularly strong with a commitment to providing quality engineering and technology education--especially for the Indochina countries. So the promotion of collaboration and linkage is a continuous process between RIHED and various partners. For example RIHED also works closely with many concerned agencies--like UNESCO PROAP; with university affiliations--like AUAP, ASAIHL and IMT-GT UNINET; with universities on an individual basis, with education ministries in the region; and with other SEAMEO centers - notably SEARCA and INNOTECH in the Philippines and RECSAM in Malaysia.

How is SEAMEO-RIHED Funded?
RIHED is supported by the Royal Thai government. It receives donations from associate member countries and concerned agencies, and has an endowment fund. But in order to increase its scope of activities and to become more self-reliant, training on a fee-paying basis has been initiated. RIHED is a nonprofit organization and as such any earned income is channeled into further development of projects. Close collaboration with concerned agencies, other centers, and educational institutions within the region ensures optimum utilization of resources and facilities, while avoiding any duplication of efforts or waste of funds.

The Future and SEAMEO-RIHED
RIHED will continue to strive to be a regional center of excellence in the area of higher education, research, and training. Specific programs include a higher educational management program, a higher education research program, and an information and documentation program. The promotion of human resource development remains a major focus of the center's activities. Increased information dissemination will be achieved through the establishment of an electronic library and the launching of a new publication - the Southeast Asia Higher Education Review.

Information on RIHED can be accessed at its web site, located at: http:mismua.go.th/rihed/rihed.html.