The Brunei Government is determined to realise Brunei’s Vision (Wawasan Brunei 2035) to have its people widely recognised as well-educated, highly skilled and successful. The Brunei Vision is broken down into a series of five and ten-year plans, with the current being the ninth National Development Plan (RKN) 2007–-2012. Under RKN 2007–2012, there is a huge focus on education as well as a corresponding budget of BND 822 million or 8.7 per cent of the total national budget. In addition, the government has allocated BND 295 million for human resource development-related projects, which will include overseas scholarships, among other measures.
Recognising the need to strengthen the education system, the Ministry of Education launch the new 'National Education System for the 21st Century' (SPN21). This will enhance the education structure, curriculum and assessment, as well as provide more opportunities in the field of technical education. It is hope that through SPN21, the Ministry of Education will be able to create multiple pathways for students to progress from secondary to higher education.
The latest HESA figures for 2006 / 2007 recorded a total of 1,220 students from Brunei, 965 being students enrolled in undergraduate and 255 in postgraduate courses. This was a 30 per cent increase in the number of Bruneian students in the UK; a 52 per cent increase in postgraduate and a 28 per cent increase in undergraduate. The most popular subjects are engineering and technology, business and administration studies, computer science, medicine and health-related subjects, as well as education and social studies.
The education system in Brunei is modelled on the British system, with Brunei-Cambridge GCE A-levels being used to prepare students for entrance to university and other higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam and overseas.
The overseas study market essentially centres on scholarships provided by the Brunei government and Britain remains the main study destination. Placing scholarship students in world-renowned higher education institutions has now become a priority.
A record number of 634 students have been awarded scholarships to overseas universities under the Ministry of Education scholarship programme for the 2008 / 2009 session. Scholarships are available at various levels from A-level to undergraduate (diploma, HND, degree), Master's and PhD studies.
Foundation degrees are not yet recognised in Brunei, so students continue to choose HND courses offered overseas in the following subjects: architecture, building studies, quantity surveying, project management, software engineering, health and social care, management information systems, marine studies, sports management and science, and water quality.
The Brunei Vision 2035 will definitely need an educated workforce. A continuous effort will be made to develop the human capital and produce more knowledgeable workers to sustain a large pool of highly skilled workers for Brunei Darussalam. In order to achieve this, the Government will continue to allocate substantial funds to finance the education sector and also for capacity building programmes, such as specialist training and entrepreneurial development.
The main areas of interest in human resource development are managerial and industrial skills, with particular emphasis on entrepreneurial skills, as well as vocational and technical training. Sectors that have strong training needs are information and communication technologies, medical and health, tourism, engineering, construction and the public facility sector, oil and gas-related industries, finance, agriculture, fisheries and forestry.
The net enrolment in higher education in Brunei currently stands at 13.8 per cent and the target over the next five years is 30 per cent. The new SPN21 aims to address some of the problems in existing system, as officials acknowledge that it was not catering to the needs of all students, judging from the number of students who were not pursuing higher studies.
Brunei is focusing on transforming itself into a knowledge-based economy, hence the need for more talented individuals in the science and technology industries. Science, technology and innovation education and training programmes will be further bolstered in order to reach a 60:40 ratio of science to arts students. In an effort to strengthen the country’s capacity for research and development in science and technology, a budget of BND 165 million has been allocated in RKN 2007–2012 to finance the implementation of 58 science and technology and R&D projects.
With the upgrading of the Institute Technology Brunei (ITB) to university status, the University is keen to encourage international collaboration and develop their curriculum so that they are able to offer various degree courses specialising in engineering and technology. Currently, their Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Master of Engineering course are under a twinning arrangement with Queens University Belfast.
ITB hope to offer degree courses in chemical and petroleum engineering by August 2009. These are 1+3 articulation programmes with University New South Wales, Australia. Other four-year degree programmes that will be introduced are electrical and communication engineering, mechanical engineering, Internet computing, and business information technology.
The University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) is looking for more international collaborations with their new programmes starting in August 2009, which include Bachelor of Business (major in business administration, economics or accounting and finance), Bachelor of Arts (major in anthropology, sociology, history, art, geography, Malay, communication, media and English), Bachelor of Health Science (major in medicine, biomedical sciences and nursing or midwifery) and Bachelor of Science (major in biotechnology, geology and petroleum geology and physical education). With the new programmes, students will be encouraged to complete part of their degree in a partner institution abroad or gain work experience in a relevant context in the local industry.
Another area in which UBD is forging partnerships at local and international levels is on research focusing on biodiversity, energy and food security.
Human resource development initiatives in the Brunei civil service cover in-service training in local and overseas educational institutions at different levels. Restrictions on quotas for in-service training applications for each ministry have been lifted, demonstrating the Government’s desire and commitment to promote life-long learning and civil service capacity-building to the maximum.
The British Council ceased operations in Brunei in April 2005. However, there is continued support for UK education through funding of an Education Promotion Officer post under the British High Commission, with further professional management from British Council Malaysia. Education exhibitions continue in Brunei as an optional addition to the Malaysian events. Other promotional activities are carried out through school visits and maintenance of a small public area for counselling and reference materials.
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