Based on the achievements and challenges faced, the Ministry of Education (MoE) will continue to take a progressive approach to remain relevant and contribute towards realising Goal 1 of Brunei Vision 2035 in producing educated, highly skilled and accomplished people.

Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh highlighted this in her statement on the Wawasan Brunei Motion at the Second Meeting of the 21st Legislative Council (LegCo) Session yesterday.

Despite the achievements recorded in the implementation of education policies and initiatives, she shared that the MoE also faces challenges requiring attention and strategic, coordinated action from stakeholders beyond the education sector.

“The first challenge is based on the combined data from four psychometric assessments. Student performance in numeracy skills has not shown improvement compared to performance in English literacy. This indicates a need to re-evaluate the current teaching and learning methods used, and to explore more intervention programmes,” she said.

The second challenge, she shared is “the limited capacity of post-secondary institutions. The increasing number of individuals falling under the ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’ (NEET) category raises concerns about the effectiveness of the transition ecosystem and the continuity from schooling to post-secondary education and the workforce. Nevertheless, active efforts are underway to expand access to learning opportunities in post-secondary institutions.”

She highlighted that the third challenge “is the mismatch between the supply of graduates and the demand for employment opportunities that has remained a key challenge, as raised by Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusof and several other LegCo members during the debate on the Brunei Vision 2035 Motion. In 2023, the graduate employability rate stood at only 64 per cent within six months after graduation, highlighting the need to strengthen the planning of higher education programmes”.

As an improvement measure, she said “the MoE is prioritising the development of the Labour Market Information System (LMIS) in collaboration with the Manpower Planning Office, in line with the planning under the Manpower Blueprint. The LMIS will support higher education institutions in designing programmes based on actual industry needs and up-to-date, relevant labour market information”. A Feature Analysis Model will be used to evaluate and improve the performance of academic programmes.

The fourth challenge, she shared “is rapid global developments have led to the need for continuous upskilling and reskilling of the workforce. This also requires support from the industry in providing relevant skills training programmes”. She said the fifth challenge “is the shortage of trained educators in the fields of early childhood education and special education that can impact the delivery of inclusive and holistic education, in line with international standards and the recommended teacher-to-student ratios for these sectors.

The MoE is developing a recruitment process for educators in these areas, while also offering in-house training for existing teachers”.

The sixth challenge, she highlighted, “is the rapid advancement of technology, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) that has also introduced new challenges in embedding digital literacy skills among students and the workforce within the MoE”.

“Alhamdulillah, the ministry is currently developing an AI framework for the education system and generative AI guidance for schools,” she added.

The seventh challenge, she said, “is the MoE also faces challenges in ensuring the comprehensive formulation and effective implementation of education policies, data-driven monitoring, and collaboration among various stakeholders in the education sector”.

(News & pic source: Borneo Bulletin)