A total of 911 student-athletes across six clusters will be vying for medals during the 2nd Brunei Darussalam Schools Games (BDSG) 2024.
Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education Dr Shamsiah Zuraini Kanchanawati binti Haji Tajuddin officially launched the multi-sport event during an opening ceremony at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex yesterday.
Co-curriculum Education Director Julaihi bin Haji Mohamad/Mohamat in his capacity as the chairman of the 2nd BDSG 2024 in his welcoming remarks said, “With the involvement of students, this competitive tournament will be able to support holistic student development such as physical development, social skills, emotional well-being, mental health, discipline, resilience, leadership and cognitive development in line with Goal 1 outlined by the Ministry of Education Strategic Plan 2023-2027 which is ‘to nurture future-ready learners’.
He added, “In addition, BDSG also aims to identify student-athletes who have the potential to represent the Brunei Darussalam Schools Sports Council (MS SSBD) in regional and international competitions.”
The director also said that organising BDSG for the second time is used as a platform and opportunity to make advanced preparations in organising the 14th ASEAN Schools Games (ASG) in November 2025, both in terms of management and administration.
“In this year’s BDSG, there are seven out of the eight sports offered during the ASG next year.”
With 267 medals up for grabs, the seven sports that will be contested include badminton, netball, sepak takraw, basketball, athletics, pencak silat and swimming.
The BDSG tournament is open to students aged between 13 and 18 at the level of public and private secondary schools, colleges and sixth form centres including schools under the supervision of the Islamic Studies Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs, with a contingent format according to their school clusters.
Julaihi said, “To ensure that the tournament provides equal access to all students, as many as four events have been included in athletics specifically for persons with different abilities.”
A total of 60 students of persons with different abilities will take part in the meet, an increase in the figure compared to the previous edition in 2022.
This year will also witness a participation rate of 54 per cent for male and 46 per cent for female.
These improvements highlight that the BDSG can assist the nation in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 specifically in Goal 5 which is gender equality and Goal 10 which is to reduce inequality.
The opening ceremony also witnessed an oath-reading led by Mohd Irsyaduddin bin Musa, a student from Tutong Sixth Form Centre of Cluster 5 accompanied by public schools representatives from each cluster.
It was further enlivened with a BDSG theme song choir performance by students from Berakas Secondary School and an aerodance performance by students from Jerudong Primary School and Rimba II Primary School. – Fadhil Yunus
