Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh lauded the government of 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 support for Chinese schools in the country during the eighth day of the First Meeting of the 22nd Session of the Legislative Council yesterday.

Chinese schools in Brunei Darussalam, she explained, “were among the earliest to be established, and some of the schools are the oldest in the country”.

Overall, there are eight Chinese schools in the country, with at least one school in each district. Chinese schools have consistently shown excellent achievement in examinations, namely Primary School Assessment (PSR), and the Brunei Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level.

Although Chinese schools are private, she said, “the government of His Majesty continues to provide significant support to ensure the quality of education aligns with the nation’s goals”.

She outlined that there are several main forms of support given to the schools, such as providing teachers for core subjects including Melayu Islam Beraja, Malay Language, and Islamic Knowledge.

The government also provides land, where some Chinese schools are built on land leased at very low rates for the long term, as a sign of support for the development of education within the community. Financial assistance is also provided, and Brunei citizen students are given a student allowance.

The national curriculum coordinator also ensures that Chinese schools utilises the National Education System for the 21st Century, similar to government schools.

This includes access to textbooks and official reference materials. There is also alignment in the examination formats for the PSR and GCE ‘O’ Level, while professional training and workshops are provided for teachers and school leaders.

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) has filed and registered more than 70 patents in Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States. Some of the patents that has achieved at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 under UBD’s technology cluster include research in the areas of biosensors and immunosensors, advanced functional materials, clean energy including hydrogen technology as well as healthcare innovation and devices. To expand opportunities for commercialisation of research outputs and innovation activities, the development of the UBD Innovation Hub under the National Development Plan is aimed to encourage the development of technologies from the research and development stage towards higher level of readiness.

(news source: Borneo Bulletin; pic source: Info Foto, Jabatan Penerangan)