Azlan Othman
Hundreds of students attended Findlay International Study Fair to meet representatives of universities and colleges from the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Malaysia, Europe, United States (US) and Canada yesterday.
This is the first Findlay event since the lifting of travel restrictions where Canadian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Ambra Dickie; British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam’s Second Secretary (Political) Stephen Taylor; and Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam’s Second Secretary (Economic/Political) Yan Kok met university representatives as a show of support for education in their countries.
Officers from the Department of Scholarship Management at the Ministry of Education provided scholarship and loan information and officials from the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council answered questions on matters pertaining to accreditation.
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) provided information about educational loans while the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) featured its International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Findlay had a table for universities without representatives as well as to showcase their workshops and Morrisby profiling tool helping students find suitable fields of study and career.
Findlay’s Director for Training and Consultancy William Martin said the Morrisby tool are available at the agency’s office with feedback with users having lifetime access to it and can be modified over time as interests change and personalities develop.
Stephen Taylor said the UK is still the most popular destination for education in English speaking countries.
There were 7,680 students in the past 12 years and there are currently 755 Bruneians in the UK, he said.
Stephen Taylor said the UK is a top destination due to its academic excellence and reputation such as top-ranked Oxford University and lively cultural, historical, sports and arts scene providing a good learning experience.
Yan Kok said the exhibition was an ideal opportunity for students to learn about Australian universities and their courses, including high-ranking ones too. She said the country has a multi-cultural community that welcomes 300 new students from Brunei every year.
Findlay Managing Director Sunita Martin said although the exhibition was only for one day, students can still head to the agency’s office today for a two-hour consultation with representatives from selected universities.
