| Lyna Mohamad |
THE Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday hosted the 10th Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting between the education ministries of Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, at the Radisson Hotel in the capital.
The meeting was jointly chaired by Permanent Secretary at the MoE Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh and Permanent Secretary at the MoE of Singapore Chan Lai Fung.
In her opening remarks, Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Romaizah expressed delight with the good relations enjoyed by both countries, and hoped for greater collaborations between both ministries in the future.
The Memorandum of Understanding in education and cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore was signed on February 14, 2006 in Singapore, covering collaborations from school to university levels, she pointed out.
These include the school twinning programme attachments for teachers; teachers and school leaders programme; national institute of education exchanges; and collaboration between universities in areas of mutual interest.
Currently, the areas of collaborations under the JWG are School Twining Programme; Singapore Malay Teachers Immersion Programme; Brunei English Teachers Attachment Programme; Brunei Singapore Student Leaders Adventure Camp; Technical and Vocational students and staff exchange programme; and the NUS programme.
In her speech, Chan described the relations between both sides as being “special,” adding that she always looks forward to the exchange of views at JWG meetings.
During a visit to two schools earlier in the day, Chan and her delegation were impressed with the changes in place, the result of frequent exchanges.
The visits were to Katok Secondary School and Pusar Ulak Primary School, where they were welcomed by the respective principals, Penroose Saleha binti Haji Mohd Salleh and Colm Mc Dermott.
The Singapore delegation includes the Divisional Director of Planning and senior officers from MoE Singapore.
The annual meeting between the two ministries serves as a platform to discuss educational collaborative programmes and activities, enabling both sides to stay abreast with the recent educational developments.
At the meeting, the Brunei delegates discussed the developments, which included the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy National Standards (LNNS) to improve the level of English literacy and numeracy among students, preparing them for higher levels of education.
A presentation on the Literacy and Numeracy Programme (LNCP) was also delivered.
The Singapore delegation shared their recent education developments and their ongoing initiatives to support holistic education, as well as their preparation for PISA.
Existing collaborations were reviewed and progress of programmes and activities under the JWG initiatives were also reported at the meeting.
These included the school twinning programmes between primary and secondary schools of both countries; Brunei-Singapore School Leadership Programme; Malay Language Immersion Programme for Singapore Teachers; Singapore Youth Festival; and the launch of the Abode of Peace and the Lion City exhibition in Singapore.
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