| James Kon |
THE Ministry of Education has always put emphasis on high participation rate in education, especially on transition of students from secondary education to post-secondary and higher education which is of paramount importance to ensure the alignment of human resources for the economic development of the nation, said Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman.
This is in line with 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’s titah to mark the 34th National Day on February 23, 2018 that called for giving close attention to human resources development, the minister noted in his remarks as the guest of honour at the University of Chester (UK) Laksamana College of Business’ (LCB) Graduation Ceremony 2018, held at The Rizqun International Hotel yesterday.
“Focussing on the enrolment to post-secondary education, a National Key Performance Indicator (NKPI) has been put in place to ensure that a high participation rate in education will be achieved in line with the national Vision 2035.
“One of the many initiatives under His Majesty’s Government to support enrolment into post-secondary education is the Technical and Vocational Education Scholarship Scheme (BPTV) to enable further studies at local private higher education institutions in Brunei. Initiatives such as these further underline the importance of the role of private higher education institutions in complementing the national education system to provide targetted human resources for the diversification of Brunei’s economy,” the minister said.
“Significant challenges associated with enhanced globalisation, rapid technological progress and demographic changes lead to uncertainty in the labour market. Countries are struggling to tackle issues such as youth unemployment, the mismatch of skills and job growth and so on. Many countries are finding it hard to generate job growth required to provide employment opportunities for the large number of young people entering the labour market each year.
“Brunei Darussalam too is not spared of these challenges. In the midst of preparing students for a resilient future, I call upon all education institutions in the nation, be it public or private, to be innovative in terms of narrowing the curriculum gap and offer courses that are aligned with the demand of economic development and industries.
“Emphasis should also be placed on the development of students holistically, be it physical, mental and spiritual in accordance with our Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) values as well as the teachings of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jama’ah,” the minister added.
Earlier in the speech, the minister congratulated the graduates, saying that “Education is a never-ending process and higher educational institutions widen your paradigm for life-long learning. As new graduates, your highway to success will be moulded by the kind of commitment you are willing to make to gain more knowledge. Therefore, continuous learning is essential to your personal development that will enable you to effectively contribute to society.”
The minister also congratulated Laksamana College of Business for establishing the Culinary School and offering City and Guild programmes.