Izah Azahari
Over 60 per cent of programmes and initiatives under the National Youth Policy Action Plan and Strategy 2020-2024 have been implemented, said Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad during yesterday’s 19th Legislative Council (LegCo) session.
The minister said under this strategy, efforts have been made to increase the capability of the youth through industry training and development of skills.
This included enhancing the quality of the Youth Development Centre programmes to improve the marketability of youth in securing meaningful employment, pursuing entrepreneurship, or undertaking further training or education.
He noted that between 2020 and 2022, 261 individuals from the centre obtained employment, 24 engaged in entrepreneurship, and 40 continued their studies, representing a 61 per cent marketability rate.
Meanwhile, he noted that the National Service Division is utilising aspects of civil defence training to reinforce traits such as self-identity, resilience, volunteerism, and preparedness for disasters.
They have teamed up with the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) and the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) to implement two phases of the Self-Identity Programme for nearly 300 IBTE students, he said.
The minister said efforts to strengthen the ecosystem for youth entrepreneurship saw the provision of incubator programmes and platforms for youth entrepreneurs to start businesses and the allocation of land for agricultural purposes.
The minister said the Infrastructure Preparation project aims to upgrade youth centres into centres of excellence for youth empowerment. He noted that from 2021 to 2022, there were over 43,000 individuals using the centre and 533 dormitory guests.
“The programme also focusses on value development, with more than 38,000 youths involved in leadership, religious, health, and comprehensive capacity development programmes,” he said.
MAINTAINING MALAY HERITAGE
The minister outlined plans to uphold the Malay language as the official language of the country through the Language and Literature Bureau.
He said the bureau promotes the language through competitions, writings, and publications; collecting works, including poems and language corpus research, to formulate Malay language terms; and actively re-branding libraries as community centres and promoting diverse learning.
The minister noted that they hope to improving the presentation of heritage sites to give the community educational space to learn.
He said that the Brunei Museum is currently in Phase 3 of renovation.
