| Hajah Jamilah |
BRUNEI has joined over 50 countries worldwide to mark the celebration of entrepreneurship worldwide recently with the hosing of a roundtable conference held in iCentre, Anggerek Desa last December 2016.
The roundtable conference saw an introductory remark of Global Entrepreneurship Week, presented by country host Abdul Malik Omar.
He said the event not only aims to promote and build on entrepreneurship but to produce an avenue where Bruneian voices can be shared to stakeholders in the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in South Africa on March 2017 with the intention, “It is paramount not just for Brunei to learn from other countries in the congress, but for other countries to learn from our own unique Bruneian experience. The resolution drawn up from the inputs of Bruneians will serve to achieve that purpose.”
Following the introductory remark, a roundtable simulation conference based upon the ‘UN Model Game’ was held. Presenters injected many ideas that ranged from solving unemployment, improving the transport system, and increasing economic growth, which in turn could benefit policy-makers in the country to consider and deliberate upon.
Zul Zainal of Icon Media pointed out how introducing Employability Skills System (ESS) can help to tackle national unemployment. The introduction of ESS (which institutionalises apprenticeship and training programmes) as an employment agency based upon the German and UK model can help increase employment for people in the local job market.
Referring to the 2006 unemployment statistics published by APTK, Zul Zainal pointed out that over 80 per cent of those unemployed (which then stood at 6000) were O’Level drop-outs. He said the ESS system would be able to train, educate, and equip them with the skill-sets that would allow them to be absorbed into the job market more easily.
Abdul Malik Omar touched on how there should be an intervention programme to understand the causes of drop-outs, in order that no student gets left behind in their education. “In today’s competitive job market, it is paramount that students’ academic performance should get top priority. The statistics are clear. Unless they are able to pass through ‘O’Levels, then the chances of them being unemployed will be high.”
Participants of the Global Entrepreneurship Week conference.
To increase the success rate in ‘O’Level education, Abdul Malik Omar pressed on the importance of English and Mathematics for students. This was pointed out by the Minister of Education himself who said that over 80 per cent of those who achieved five ‘O’ levels and more tend to have credits in their English and Mathematics.
Abdul Malik Omar praised the government for rolling in new programmes and investments in these subjects, because ultimately a government’s duty is to equip its people with education. Parents must also play a part in their children’s education, he added, saying that their primary duty is to make sure their children are able to make a living. Education holds the key to this.
Another participant, Melvin Lai, suggested that Brunei should intensify its efforts to be more open by inviting international investors and businessmen to carry out joint-projects that would be of benefit to all parties. He also suggested that the efforts must be sustained in the long-run. This can be done by improving the long-term confidence of operating in Brunei.
“Brunei is strategically placed at the ‘heart of Asean’. There are six hundred million people in the region, and up north there is China with a billion-plus population, and to the west is India with an additional billion-plus.
“Inviting investors and businessmen will require us to strategically re-position ourselves as our Bruneian ancestors did in the past as a trading hub in the region, where key markets shall flow through Brunei as a core axel,” Melvin said.
The conference concluded with a talk on future opportunities to work with Brunei Enterprise – the organisation which introduced Global Entrepreneurship Week in Brunei.
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