Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh yesterday vowed that the Ministry of Education (MoE) will continue with its efforts to produce students able to compete globally.
The ministry has implemented several initiatives through higher education institutions including gaining accreditation of programmes offered by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and higher education institutions by international professional bodies, she said.
She was responding to queries by Legislative Council (LegCo) member Yang Berhormat Chong Chin Yee during the 20th LegCo meeting yesterday on ensuring graduates are competitive and equipped with foreign affairs knowledge and are digital savvy.
The minister said, “We cannot afford not to cooperate with industry stakeholders because the world is interconnected.” She highlighted local programmes accredited by international bodies such as Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s General Engineering programme, the first programme in Brunei to receive accreditation for engineering and technology and the civil engineering programme offered by Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) which received accreditation from the Joint Board of Moderator (JPM), the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Institute of Brunei Technical Education’s (IBTE) School of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and programmes are accredited by the computing technologies industry association. This means that many initiatives have been implemented due to cooperation with industry stakeholders.
Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah said, “It is in our efforts to prepare our students in the face of rapid technological development. Students will be continued to be exposed in accordance with their level of education, from programmes offered in tertiary level which will frequently be updated to stay relevant.” She said to date there are 62 ICT programmes offered ranging from certificates to degree including micro credential as well as ICT modules. – James Kon
