| Izah Azahari |
UNIVERSITI Brunei Darussalam (UBD) hosted the Brunei Dialogue 2018 at the Royal Berkshire Hall of the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club in Jerudong yesterday.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud was the guest of honour at the event, themed ‘Universities as Drivers of Lifelong Learning and Enterprise’.
The opening ceremony began with welcoming remarks by UBD Vice-Chancellor Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz, in which she shared that UBD launched the first Brunei Dialogue in 2013 with the aim to bring in key institutional leaders from top universities to hold high-level global dialogues around key issues in higher education and research.
The Brunei Dialogue 2018 brought together over 80 university presidents, rectors, vice-presidents and participants from Asia.
The dialogue comprised a keynote speech and three panel discussions.
Sixteen distinguished speakers from top universities in Asia utilised the platform to meet and exchange ideas on current and vital topics including lifelong learning, innovation and enterprise, the digital landscape as well as the development and cultivation of the Quadruple Helix Collaboration between universities, industries, the public sector and the community.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Mokti in his opening speech applauded UBD for providing a great platform for university presidents and senior university administrators to share thoughts on how universities map the future and impact the society through innovating education and research as well as significant knowledge transfer.
Following the launching of the Brunei Dialogue 2018 by the minister, the first keynote speech on ‘The Role of Universities in Promoting Lifelong Learning’ was delivered by President of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Professor Tan Eng Chye.
Professor Tan shared the NUS experience and commitment to lifelong learning for NUS undergraduates as well as alumni. He stressed that lifelong learning is a fundamental mindset change, and industry-relevant education is crucial for the future job market.
This was followed by a roundtable session on ‘The Role of Universities in the Digital Age’, where discussions were centred on the impact, accessibility, adaptability and usability of digital revolution 4.0.
Panellists also highlighted challenges such as infrastructure and mindset towards the assimilation of technologies in teaching and learning.
A second roundtable session on ‘The Role of Universities in Quadruple Helix Collaboration’ discussed the Quadruple-Helix relationship between university, industry, government and community and the increasingly critical role this relationship plays in the production, transfer and application of knowledge in the future, including how these collaborations are developed and fostered.
‘Challenges and Trends Impacting Universities Beyond 2020’ was the topic of the closing panel discussion in the dialogue.
The panel members discussed vigorously the challenges, issues and trends impacting universities in 2020 and beyond.
Matters ranging from funding, philanthropy, teaching and learning, research and innovation to issues on infrastructure and employment were covered.
The discussion involved six panellists – Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya Professor Datuk Ir (Dr) Abdul Rahim Hashim; President of the NUS Professor Tan Eng Chye; Vice-Chancellor of UBD Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina; Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Brunei Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman; Pro-Rector of Yangon University of Economics Professor Dr Tun Aung; and Executive Director of ASEAN University Network Secretariat Dr Choltis Dhirathiti.
According to the UBD Vice-Chancellor, like other universities, UBD also faces challenges such as the ever-changing technological knowledge and changing job markets.
She said that in Brunei, oil prices affect the funding to universities. Her view was supported by Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah who stated that UTB, being a partially autonomous university, depends heavily on funding from the oil and gas industry.
The Brunei Dialogue 2018 delegates will visit the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) in the Temburong District today.
The Brunei Dialogue has provided a platform for university presidents to exchange ideas and brainstorm on issues pertinent to future universities.
UBD has also hosted similar events such as the President’s Lecture and the Future Forum. The next Brunei Dialogue is scheduled to be held in 2020.
UBD is the premier university of Brunei and has continued steadily on its upward path, rising three places to 34 in the QS Top 50 Under 50 World Rankings and is currently 323 in the QS World University Rankings.
UBD continues to focus on high quality academic research which is aligned with the National Vision 2035 that not only has high academic value but also has economic and social impact and applied relevance.
This includes strategic areas such as alternative energy research, biodiversity and the environment including herbal and medicinal plant research, Islamic banking and finance, Islamic governance, data analytics, and cybersecurity.