| Azaraimy HH |
TO FACE life’s realities, graduates must be prepared to develop inner strength following their studies.
This was the advice offered by Minister of Education Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman in his speech during the 25th Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) Convocation ceremony held at the Chancellor Hall of Universiti Brunei Darussalam yesterday.
The event saw IBTE passing out a total of 1,776 new graduates for 2017.
In his speech, the minister also congratulated parents and guardians on the success of their children, noting that the students’ success was also down to strong support from them.
He said the students’ achievements were a result of hard work, adding that he hopes “this achievement will be used optimally and the hard work put in by the students throughout the years will not stop but continued by the graduates to further their personal endeavors in the future, be it in further studies or their careers.”
“Whichever the choice made, graduates must be prepared to have inner strength to face the realities of life. The situation today is certainly more challenging than before but the most important factor that has not changed is the need to demonstrate personal resilience,” the minister said.
“Personal resilience, known as ‘tahan pukul’ to our people, is a trait that has created many successes and prosperous lives. So if a graduate feels nervous to face uncertainties in the future, don’t easily lose hope. If there is a will, there certainly will be a way to achieve whatever we want to.”
The minister further advised the graduates to use all knowledge acquired during their formal education and through personal experiences in the best way possible.
“The situation these days requires graduates to be more diligent, creative and innovative and to ‘think outside the box’. The graduates can explore new fields or areas that have always been dominated by foreigners. If the graduates are working with an employer, a diligent work ethic coupled with a creative and innovative mindset will provide added value in their work performance and certainly satisfy their employers,” he said.
“Nonetheless, in efforts to reach success, a graduate must always stand on the right ground. Through the national education policy, graduates are equipped with knowledge – both of this world and the religious kind – to guide them from being swayed onto a deviant way of life. We hope that the graduates’ success and contribution towards their families and the country are accompanied by blessings, in line with the aspiration of developing Brunei into a Zikir Nation.”
In his speech, the minister also highlighted six ‘National Key Performance Indicator – NKPI’ to measure the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented by the Ministry of Education in its efforts to achieve the National Vision 2035.
One of these is an organised programme that helps to channel students toward post-secondary and tertiary education to ensure that none of them stray or drop out from proper study progression due to lack of opportunities.
The minister added that IBTE, as a post-secondary institution, has been urged to help support the ministry to achieve the NKPI, especially with regard to contributing towards the nation’s need to provide high-quality technical education and training.
He said the ministry has taken steps to ensure technical education in the country is comparable to that of other more developed nations, having implemented a technical education transformation programme since 2014.
The minister also urged IBTE to conduct continuous assessments of their curriculum to ensure their programmes are aligned to the needs of the local and international industry, and welcomed the establishment of the ‘Industry Steering Committee’, stating that it is a right step towards stronger collaboration with influential industry players within the country.
“IBTE must always prove itself that it is a trusted, high-quality brand. Thus, the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System (QMS) accreditation across all its seven campuses marks a milestone in technical education in Brunei, bringing greater trust in education at IBTE,” the minister concluded.
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