| Wani Roslan |
GRADUATES should be mindful of changes taking place in the world and be brave in taking on opportunities brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A conscious effort must be made to improve themselves, such as sharpening their problem solving and communication skills, strengthening themselves as leaders and members of a team, and instilling themselves with emotional intelligence and an innovative spirit in preparation of the challenges of the 21st Century.
Speaking during Politeknik Brunei’s Fourth Convocation Ceremony at Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s Chancellor Hall yesterday, Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman added that Bruneians must be prepared to face any challenge amidst the rapid pace of scientific and technological development brought on by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“Changes in many areas of society in this era of globalisation are hard to predict,” the minister said. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution will definitely affect our way of life and work, we have to be prepared for it.”
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah urged public and private higher education institutions in the country to strengthen their corporate governance, emphasising that this is one of the key factors to effectuating more systematic and effective management when it comes to enhancing the quality of programmes offered.
“To uphold Brunei Vision 2035, Politeknik Brunei needs to monitor its ‘5 Year Development Plan 2015-2020’, which is currently in progress. If needed, this plan should be adapted to current industry developments to ensure it stays relevant,” he said.
The minister said that higher education institutions should always be prepared to improve the quality of their programmes, including making revisions to teaching methods (pedagogy) and learning techniques.
“This can be achieved through close collaboration between institutions and industry, to better understand the needs of industry and current job trends,” he said.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah also highlighted that Politeknik Brunei has a number of industry partnership agreements in place to ensure that its learning materials adhere to current industry standards, such as the International Organisation Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015, Academy Partner to Oracle Academy, Cisco Academy, Comptia Academy and Partner in Learning Academy with Microsoft.