Crowds visited the Yes2Malaysia Education Expo 2024 at Mulia Hotel yesterday, which was officiated by Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Dato’ Raja Reza bin Raja Zaib Shah.
“With its focus on excellence, collaboration and cultural exchange, the event paved the way for a brighter future for countless students, laying the foundation for a thriving academic partnership between Malaysia and Brunei,” said the high commissioner.
“The expo is a vital platform for strengthening the educational bond between Brunei and Malaysia. We are thrilled with the success of this year’s event and look forward to building on this momentum in the years to come.”
Showcasing 28 of Malaysia’s top universities and the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, the expo provided a one-stop platform for students to explore diverse academic opportunities and connect with leading institutions.
Rexpo CEO Ahmad Rezal Chan said the number of registrations on the first day was close to 2,000, an increase from the usual 1,000. “This shows a growing demand for education in Malaysia and is a very positive thing,” he added.
“From my experience in the last 16 years, Bruneian students like all types of programmes with the main ones being engineering, medicine and information technology (IT), but there are also students looking for sports management and culinary arts.”
One good thing about the marketing dynamics, the CEO added, is it is diverse as different students are interested in different programmes. “That is the attractiveness of the market in Brunei,” he said.
Another advantage of choosing Malaysia as a study destination is the currency conversion as Brunei’s currency is very strong.
“Students’ study experience in Malaysia becomes better through this cost saving and they actually enjoy through the currency difference.”
Nineteen-year-old Nurul Syafikah binti Osman and 17-year-old Tan Guan Gie, Malaysians born and raised in Brunei, were among the visitors at the exhibition.
Nurul Syafikah was looking into universities offering science subjects as she is interested in nursing. She hopes to enrol in Management and Science University (MSU) as it is a highly recommended university for science subjects, according to her research.
“I decided to pursue my studies in Malaysia as it is where my parents are from, so it will be more cost effective for them,” she said.
Tan Guan Gie shared that he chose Malaysia to pursue his studies in computer science.
“As my family is in Brunei, it will be convenient for me to visit them,” he said.
Meanwhile 18-year-old Bruneian Abdul Azim bin Haji Mohd Rafi, who just finished his ‘O’ Levels, is keeping his options open. “Malaysia is one of the study destinations I have in mind as it has a good number of recommended universities.”
He hopes to take up medicine and is looking into Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Newcastle University represented in Malaysia.
Visitors interacted with representatives from universities including UKM, Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur, MSU, Sunway University, HELP universities and Taylor’s University. The representatives offer academic programmes from engineering, medicine and business to the arts and more.
Meanwhile, the participation of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia added a layer to the expo as representatives addressed queries about scholarships, student exchange programmes and the overall benefits of studying in Malaysia.
The expo featured talks and interactive workshops.
It also provided a platform for networking with students, university representatives and potential employers.
Over the years, the event has seen remarkable attendance and positive atmosphere hence it stands as a testament to the thriving partnership between Brunei and Malaysia in the field of education, which has not only opened doors for countless students but also strengthened the cultural and academic ties between the two nations. – Lyna Mohamad
