Lyna Mohamad & Izah Azahari
Some 770 graduates of Laksamana College of Business (LCB) were feted at the Songket Ballroom of The Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong yesterday.
The event was divided into the morning session for the Business, Hospitality, Computing and Culinary courses from Kensington College of Business (KCB), BTEC and City and Guilds programme graduates, and the afternoon session for the LCB University of Chester Bachelors and Masters degree graduates.
Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh was the guest of honour in the afternoon.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah by Ilmami bin Haji Othman followed by speeches by the college’s Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Principal Sivarajah Subramaniam and Head of the Department of Computer Science and lecturer of University of Chester, United Kingdom (UK) Andrew Muncey.
The guest of honour presented certificates to the 439 graduates from the Degree and Master’s programme including the 50 Chester First Class Honours students after which the four top students delivered their personal speeches.
Meanwhile, in the morning session Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, the guest of honour, presented certificates to 339 diploma and foundation graduates.
Sivarajah in his welcoming remarks highlighted the increasing number of graduates from LCB.
“LCB will always continue to support the country’s education provisions by offering more programmes and providing better facilities for students,” said Sivarajah.
He added that LCB aims to provide students with the best of British education, noting that LCB will have a state-of-the-art campus building ready by 2023.
Sivarajah also shared some of the college’s milestones. LCB student Muhammad Wa’ez Asyraf bin Dollah took first place in the Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Thailand, while fellow student and wushu athlete Hosea Wong Zheng Yu contributed to the country’s feat at the World Games 2022 by winning silver medal in the men’s event in the United States.
United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar and Thailand Mark Garnier said the higher education sector has a key role in supporting the return of sustainable growth as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“UK degrees are highly valued by employers globally because of its outstanding reputation for the quality of its higher education,” said Garnier.
“LCB has strong links with top UK colleges and universities. This type of collaborative spirit reflects the close partnership the UK has with Brunei, a partnership that has spanned decades,” added Garnier.
“I commend Laksamana’s efforts to bring the best quality of British Higher Education to Brunei and, in this way, to contribute to Brunei’s Vision 2035 strategy to become a dynamic and sustainable economy.”
The event saw the certificate presentation ceremony by the guest of honour to graduates, followed by speeches by five of LCB’s top students from the various courses.
