Azlan Othman
The Ministry of Education (MoE) through the Department of Higher Education launched the Higher Education Expo 2023 at the Multipurpose Hall, Universiti Teknologi Brunei yesterday.
Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the MoE Dr Haji Azman bin Ahmad was the guest of honour.
The event began with the official launch of the expo by the guest of honour, followed by the launch of the Department of Higher Education’s official website, Higher Education Hub (HE Hub).
The platform acts as an information centre for higher education in the Sultanate and as a source for the students to obtain information on educational development as well as to provide pathways guideline.
The Higher Education Expo 2023 will be held virtually until February 16, from 8.30am to 4.30pm.
This is the eighth expo of its kind organised by the ministry.
The expo’s primary focus is to be a one stop information centre for higher education by gathering post-secondary educational institutions, government and private higher education institutions as well as local education agencies under one platform to provide an overview on the landscape of post-secondary education and higher education in the country.
The expo also provides a platform for visitors to interact with expo participants over live chats and video conferences.
The expo will promote multiple pathways and educational opportunities to higher education in Brunei Darussalam. The participating public higher education institutions include: Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD); Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA); Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB); Politeknik Brunei (PB); and Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE).
Meanwhile, participating private higher education institutions are: Laksamana College of Business (LCB); Cosmopolitan College of Commerce and Technology (CCCT); Kemuda Institute (KI); Brunei Darussalam Institute of Certified Public Accountants Academy Sdn Bhd (BICPA); Jerudong Park Medical Centre College of Health Sciences (JCHS) and Kolej International Graduate Studies (KIGS).
Also joining the expo are three institutions from abroad: Centre for Technology Excellence, Sarawak, Malaysia; Gachon University, South Korea; and i-CATS University College, Sarawak, Malaysia. These institutions will introduce their programmes, terms of admission, registration procedures and other related information to their institutions.
The MoE will also share the latest and relevant information such as the Higher Education Centralised Admission System (HECAS), government scholarships and application for the accreditation of courses/qualifications.
The MoE is represented by the Department of Higher Education, Department of Scholarship Management, Secretariat of Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council, Department of Educators Management, Lifelong Learning Centre, the Counselling and Career Development Unit Department of Schools and the Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre.
Meanwhile, participating embassies, government and private agencies are the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam; the Embassy of China in Brunei Darussalam; Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC), Prime Minister’s Office; HRD Services; Syarikat Pakar Tenaga Bersatu Sdn Bhd; Mahkota Maju Sdn Bhd; Beyond Tomorrow; MEG Educational Services; Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade); Perbadanan Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei (TAIB) Group of Companies; Baiduri Bank; Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd; and Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP).
The expo will also conduct webinars from local educational institutions and expo participants. The sessions will include application procedures for HECAS, scholarship offer opportunities, new programmes introduced by higher education institutions and lifelong learning programmes. The sessions will be uploaded on YouTube through the channel ‘HE Virtual Expo Brunei’.
The expo is open to the public, especially for secondary and pre-university school leavers with the Brunei-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ Level or equivalent qualification, planning to pursue higher education such as the National Technical Education Certificate (NTec), Higher National Technical Education Certificate (HNTec), diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral degree as well as those wishing to upskill or reskill.
The public can register online at https://heexpo.moe.gov.bn.
