| Aziz Idris |
THE closing ceremony of the 5th Strategic Educational Alliance of Southeast Asia (SEA2) Conference was held on Thursday night with a presentation of certificates to head of delegations at the StarLodge Hotel in Jerudong.
On hand to present the certificates and souvenirs was the guest of honour Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education Nadia Lee Siew Hoon binti Abdullah.
Twelve groups with 83 students from 10 established schools in ASEAN attended the five-day conference which focussed on the theme, ‘ASEAN Speaks: Origin of Language’.
Brunei Darussalam was represented by 15 students and three teachers from Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (MSPSBS), Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien College and Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna Secondary School.
Other participating schools were Nanyang Girls’ High School, Singapore; Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore; Darma Yudha School, Indonesia; Jakarta Nanyang School, Indonesia; Assumption College, Manila, the Philippines; Tun Fatimah School, Malaysia; and Strisuksa Roi-Et School, Thailand.
In her closing remarks, Chairperson of the Organising Committee Hajah Susilawati binti Dato Paduka Haji Muhammad, Principal of MSPSBS expressed her sincerest appreciation to all participants for a successful conference.
She hoped that all participants gained valuable lesson to make purposeful differences with the cross-cultural network with the new partnership built and exchange of expertise for a better future.
The night also saw speeches from students’ representatives from participating schools as well as a video presentation on the activities during the five-day conference and cultural performances from participants.
To conclude the ceremony, the guest of honour handed over the ‘Torch’ to SEA2 2019 host country, the Philippines.
During the five-day conference, students shared findings from last year’s project, headlined ‘Lack of Control of Technology’ while teachers also shared their best practices on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Participants presented their ideas through discussion and debate as well as conducted education visits to Kuala Belait Museum, Oil and Gas Discovery Centre (OGDC), Tasbee Meliponiculture Farm, One Village One Product Gallery at Tutong District Office and the Water Village (Kampong Ayer).
SEA2 Conference was formed in 2014 with the intent of connecting schools from Southeast Asia into a powerful network of fellow leading educators and professionals in related fields. In the process, members gained access to the latest research and resources from the global community and also do their part to improve education worldwide.
Among the supporters for 5th SEA Conference were Cityneon Displays & Constructions Sdn Bhd; Oil and Gas Discovery Centre, Seria; Jerudong Park Country Club; Tutong District Tourism Promotion and Coordination Body; Brunei Press Sdn Bhd; Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad (BIBD); BruActiv; DST; Kingston Beverage & Creamery Sdn Bhd; Pekatan Sdn Bhd; Persatuan Ibu Bapa Guru MSPSBS; Roasted Sip Sdn Bhd; Sahid Sdn Bhd; and Yuna 2riffic Enterprise.