| James Kon |
IN BRUNEI Darussalam, women are seen as precious assets of the family institution who must be well-protected and catered for, said Pengiran Dr Norhazlin binti Pengiran Haji Muhammad, Director of the Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS).
Highlighting the history of Brunei’s women in Islamic education during her opening remarks yesterday at the two-day international seminar titled ‘Socio-Educational Empowerment of Muslim Women in the New Century’, she said, “Before the arrival of the British in Brunei Darussalam, people used to practise a strict rule where women were not allowed to go out of their houses without being accompanied by family members.
“They were constrained in terms of receiving education which was conducted on a very limited basis in their own houses.
“Thankfully, changes to this trend have happened as can be seen in the present era where women have equal rights as men in receiving education at formal education institutions,” she said.
Themed ‘Towards Gender Equity through Islam’s Holistic Education’, the seminar is currently being held at the Senate Room of Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s (UBD) Chancellor Hall.
Organised by UBD through SOASCIS in collaboration with the Women Graduates Association of Brunei Darussalam, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati of Indonesia and Fatoni University of Thailand, the seminar seeks to address the various educational and gender equity issues faced by Muslim women from an Islamic perspective.
Officiating at the seminar as guest of honour was Legislative Council member YB Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abdul Rahman. Also in attendance were Acting Vice-Chancellor of UBD Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Ayub Sadiq @ Lin Naing, and officers and staff of the university.
According to Pengiran Dr Norhazlin, “Brunei established seven formal religious schools in 1956 and this resulted in parents becoming more confident and agreeable with sending their daughters to schools. In May 1970, 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 appointed an education commission to highlight to the community the importance of the development of education as a key indicator in assessing the socio-economic progress of the country.”
On this note, she said, “All Bruneian children should be given equal opportunity in education and a common national curriculum should be adopted by all schools in Brunei. This has resulted in an increase in the number of female students attending formal school with the intake rising from 335 in 1962 to 2,272 in 1970. This number nearly doubled in 1971 to 4,202.”
As a result, Pengiran Dr Norhazlin added, “Nowadays the percentage of women that are working and holding degree qualifications is increasing, but then they are facing challenges too. Muslim women, especially in the region, are deeply committed to the realisation of their goal of gender equity in all fields.”
Separately in her presentation in the afternoon session on ‘Milestones in Women’s Education in Brunei Darussalam: Prospects and Challenges’, she said, “A growing number of educated women are entering the workforce and there is also an increasing number of females in high ranking positions like Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Hayati binti Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Salleh, the Attorney General; Datin Dayang Hajah Elinda binti Haji CA Mohamed, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau; and others.
In conclusion, she said gender equality in Islam needs to be ensured, upholding the importance of holistic education for all.
The afternoon seminar also saw presentations by Pengiran Hajah Zabaidah binti Pengiran Haji Kamaludin, President of the Women Graduates Association of Brunei Darussalam on ‘Formal and Informal Female Education in Brunei Darussalam: The Role of Women Graduates Association of Brunei Darussalam’ and Dr Hajah Hairuni binti Haji Mohamed Ali Maricar on ‘The Role of Women in National Development in Brunei Darussalam’.
The seminar hopes to study ways and means of how the socio-educational empowerment of Muslim women in this century can be further enhanced.
The seminar is one of the initiatives made to collect relevant data under the research project on ‘Socio-educational Empowerment of Muslim Women in Southeast Asia in the New Century’.
This year, the seminar features 14 speakers from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, and is attended by around 200 participants.
The seminar additionally aims to provide input for policymakers and policy implementers in the areas of gender equity and holistic education to help them formulate more effective policies in the realisation of gender equity, particularly for women.
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