| Azlan Othman |
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 yesterday awarded the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan’s Scholar to three recipients in a ceremony at the Istana Nurul Iman.
Also present at the ceremony were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik, Chairman of the Committee of Governors at Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah; and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
This year, one student has been awarded the prestigious scholarship for the 2018-2019 study session in Egypt, while two will be undergoing post-graduate studies in the United Kingdom.
Abdul Qayyum bin Haji Isa, a former student of the Hassanal Bolkiah Arabic Boys Secondary School, will be furthering his studies in Arabic Language at Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
Muhammad Nasruddin bin Haji Sulaiman was a recipient of the Sultan’s Scholar in 2014, graduating with First Class (Hons) MChem in Chemistry from the University of Oxford. This year, he will be pursuing a PhD course in Chemistry Research at the Imperial College London.
Hajah Hafizah binti Dato Paduka Haji Mohammed Nor also received the Sultan’s Scholar in 2013, and went on to graduate with a BA Second Class Upper (Hons) in Architecture at the University of Cambridge. This year, she will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Architecture with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in the Architectural Association School of Architecture.
To bless the ceremony, a Doa Selamat was recited by State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned.
Before departing from the ceremony, His Majesty posed for a group photo with the three scholarship recipients, and conversed with their parents.
The Sultan’s Scholar is a prestigious scholarship awarded to students who have been identified by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs as outstanding in their academic and extra-curricular pursuits.
The scholarship scheme is aimed at producing excellent and skilled leaders, in line with the socio-economic development plans for Brunei Vision 2035.
From 2006 to 2016, there were 43 recipients of the Sultan’s Scholar. Up to 2017, four have received funding to undergo PhD programmes and three for their Master’s degree courses.