Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held the Chancellor’s Scholar Award, a prestigious scholarship awarded annually by UBD to the country’s outstanding youth seeking to pursue an academic career, and a signing ceremony yesterday.
This year’s award recipients were Dayangku Amirah Najibah binti Pengiran Aliuddin and Ahmad Zakwan bin Haji Mohd Salleh.
Dayangku Amirah Najibah will be pursuing a DPhil in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from UBD where she graduated with first-class honours, specialising in general engineering. She was also a recipient of the Book Awards for Outstanding Performance in Level 4000 and 5000 modules during the 2021/2022 academic year. She also received the Book Awards for Outstanding Academic Performance in General Engineering with a Concentration in Energy Systems.
She also represented UBD in the ASEAN Data Science Competition, where she applied her expertise in data analytics to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) using SAP Analytics Cloud.
Her team also won the gold medal in the national finals and secured a top-three finalist position in the regional finals. This accomplishment was significant for Brunei as it marked the first time it was recognised among the top teams among ASEAN member countries.
Ahmad Zakwan was awarded the Ministry of Education scholarship for his undergraduate studies and achieved a first class in BSc Mathematics from Imperial College London, a world class and highly competitive university. He will be pursuing MSc in Finance and Technology at Imperial College London as well.
Even before his bachelor’s degree, he was already an MoE scholar, sent to pursue his A-Levels at Jerudong International School where he accomplished four A stars.
He was the camp commandant for Kem Ibadah 13, an event held in the Lake District of England, which aimed to improve Bruneian students’ mental, spiritual and emotional well-being.
He was also previously the president of Brunei Religious Officers Students Association, or more commonly known as BruROSA, an association that organises the annual Kem Ibadah and other events related to maintaining the students’ spiritual well-being.
With this presidential position, he was given the responsibilities of the Male Religious Secretary of Brunei Students’ Union where he assisted the Union’s High Council in organising various projects in helping Brunei students in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
He was also appointed president of Brunei Hall Student Committee (BHSC) from 2020-2022 where he worked with his team to create a well-integrated community within Brunei Hall.
Scholars receive exemplary education at first class universities for a postgraduate and/or doctorate degree.
The scholars will also receive personal development programmes, mentorship and placements with academics at UBD and at overseas institutions. Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh attended as the guest of honour.
Also present was UBD Vice-Chancellor Dr Hazri bin Haji Kifle, and senior management of the university.
The Chancellor’s Scholar Award was first introduced in 2012 to enhance capacity building, to serve in the academic workforce in UBD to provide high quality education and research in tertiary education in the Sultanate.
UBD continues to play an active role in recognising the potential and training of future generations.
Recipients of the Chancellor’s Scholar Award play an important role in the pursuit of excellence and sharing the vision and direction of Brunei Vision 2035 to build a knowledge-based economy.
The scholars will be expected to contribute to the nation’s capacity building and lead the future of Brunei Darussalam as some of its brightest minds.
To date, 13 students have received the award. – Izah Azahari
