His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam consented to grace the opening ceremony of the International Conference of Islamic Universities 2023 (ICIU 2023) at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall of Empire Brunei yesterday.
Also in attendance was His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA).
On arrival at the ceremony, His Majesty was greeted by Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh and Rector of UNISSA Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal.
The recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah was led by State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned followed with the recitation of verses of Al-Quran by UNISSA student at the Faculty of Usuluddin Abdul Haziq Sharifuddin bin Abdul Habib.
The ceremony continued with welcoming remarks by Dr Haji Norarfan as the chairman of the steering committee, who noted that with the rapid progress of the digital technology and multimedia in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic issue, the world’s uncertain economic situation and changing climate have an impact on Islamic studies, which are the core and image of the Islamic higher education.
The conference aims to be a platform for discussion and sharing best practices of Islamic higher learning institutions in equipping students with the needs of 21st Century education, as well as methodologies that could become guidelines in evaluating standards and produce quality teachers and students, said the rector.
Among the highlights was a presentation of a paper by the State Mufti. After the presentation in the main hall, His Majesty visited the exhibition showcasing the posters at ICIU 2023 and research by graduate students.
The event was organised by UNISSA in collaboration with the Asian Islamic Universities Association (AIUA). Themed ‘Islamic Higher Education Landscape of the 21st Century: Strategies and Visions’, it focused on the challenge of globalisation on higher education.
The teaching medium has undergone a huge transformation, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. Evaluation and the examination system had to accept deviations from tradition, affecting the well-being of students and educators.
Therefore, to ensure that Islamic higher learning institutions in Asian countries remain on the original parameters of its establishment, the conference presented itself as a field for understanding, learning through sharing and emulating best practices to continue empowering Islamic education.
AIUA is an organisation that brings together Islamic higher learning institutions from Asia including Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, the Philippines and Thailand. The Sultanate is represented by UNISSA. – Lyna Mohamad
