| Lyna Mohamad |
UNIVERSITI Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and other higher education institutions need to continuously ensure that their programmes are relevant and of high quality towards producing marketable and future-ready graduates, said His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD.
“This requires strong cooperation with relevant stakeholders such as the recently established National Human Resources Planning Council as well as various industries to upgrade graduates’ employability,” the monarch said in a titah at UBD’s 28th Convocation Ceremony yesterday.
In the titah, His Majesty consented to the establishment of the Centre for Lifelong Learning, or C3L, which is aimed to act as a catalyst to improve the higher learning and teaching systems in the country, covering continuous and professional education.
As Brunei is not exempted from the impact of a challenging global economic situation, we must not compromise on the quality of education, the monarch noted, hoping that the new centre will contribute significantly towards development of the nation and creation of a knowledge-based society and economy.
Expressing desire to see UBD produce quality research, His Majesty said research and knowledge discovery are integral components of higher learning and they are important for contributing to the welfare of economy.
It is vital that UBD and other higher education institutions to be involved in strategic planning to meet their targets, the monarch added.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) presenting a certificate to one of the PhD graduates during the UBD 28th Convocation Ceremony held at the Chancellor Hall. – PHOTOS: AZROL AZMI
His Majesty delivering his titah during the UBD 28th Convocation Ceremony held at the Chancellor Hall.
His Majesty also expressed hope that the initiatives that UBD has initiated under its Five-Year Strategic Plan 2016-2020, will carry the university to a higher level in the future.
Acknowledging the increase in number of graduates this year compared to last year, including Doctorate recipients, the monarch said that rising numbers at higher education level is important to generate a knowledge-based economy and raise the nation’s competitiveness.
Touching on employability, the UBD Chancellor said he was happy to learn that UBD has pioneered collaboration with several industries locally and globally, with the first batch of the Bachelor of Engineering in the field of Chemical and Process Engineering graduating yesterday already receiving job offers as a result of one such collaboration.
On this note, His Majesty noted that one’s most important qualification factor is lifelong learning.
On UBD’s initiative to provide flexible learning opportunities, the monarch said it will be able to provide all citizens and residents a bigger access to higher education without the need to hold back their employment or business.
His Majesty hoped that the new graduates will take their success as a motivation to continue success in whatever fields they venture into, and stressed on the need to use their achievements for a good life now and in the hereafter.
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