Lyna Mohamad
Malaysia has always been a popular education destination for Bruneians with the main factors being its close proximity, lower cost of living and the similarity in culture and tradition.
Parent Ahmani bin Haji Ahmad, among the visitors of the Yes2Malaysia – the biggest education fair in Brunei yesterday said the reasons behind Bruneians opting to study in Malaysia could be the climate and culture, which are not very different from the Sultanate.
“The food is also among the reasons parents are confident to send their children to pursue studies, as well as majority of the universities and colleges being accredited by our Ministry of Education,” he said.
He said the goal of the visit to the expo was to find the right university for his daughter to pursue her studies in law, adding that there were one or two universities that showed promises.
“If there is rezeki for my daughter to be accepted by one of the universities of her choice, then we will send her to Malaysia to pursue her studies. Choosing Malaysia is also an advantage as we can visit her more frequently,” he added.
Nor Iqa, meanwhile, intends to send her daughter to pursue a foundation course in medicine, and Malaysia has always been in the priority list.
“One factor is that it is close to Brunei. The cost of living is quite low compared to Europe or Australia,” said Nor Iqa.
As a first-time visitor to the fair, she said she was amazed by how many top Malaysian universities are participating.
“The universities are accredited by our government. We have found some universities that my daughter is eligible to enrol. However, we need to check whether these universities are eligible for government scholarship or loan.”
Nor Iqa, whose husband graduated with a degree for Limkokwing University, said after her daughter’s foundation course, she plans to let her pursue further studies in Malaysia.
The two-day education fair is organised by REXPOCentral Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) and Education Malaysia Global Assist (EMGA) and MEG Educational Services (Brunei) and AdXpert Marketing (Brunei).
The event is also under the patronage of the Malaysian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam, who provides the organiser with auxiliary support in terms of networking with organisations and other related ministries that add further value to their exhibitors and visitors.
Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Dato’ Raja Reza bin Raja Zaib Shah visited the exhibition at Caesar Hall of Mulia Hotel yesterday where he was welcomed by REXPOCentral Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Rezal.
Dato’ Raja Reza also mingled with university representatives as well as parents and students, while encouraging visitor to choose Malaysia as their study destinations.
YES2Malaysia continues today at Mulia Hotel from 3pm to 7pm.
