BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

FOUR students and two education officers yesterday left for Singapore, to take part in the second STEP-NUS Sunburst Environmental Programme 2014.

Organised by Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme (STEP) in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS), the academic environmental camp focuses on environmental awareness and protection, and will see participation from some 130 students from ASEAN, China and India.

Among the activities will be research and presentations on environmental topics, interactive talks and small group discussions with environment experts, and study visits to relevant Singaporean areas such as the Botanic Gardens and the Jurong Eco-Garden.

The Bruneian contingent for the five-day programme this year comprised of Md Khairin Izzan Hj Bolhassan of Sayyidina Hasan Secondary School, Md Shahrizan Abdullah Rosmie of Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School, and Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna Secondary School’s Siti Nur Syaza Hidayah Hj Wardi and Syazwani Wasli.

They were accompanied by education officers Dk Marieah Pg Hj Kemaluddin and Abdul Azhim Hj Jali.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Siti Nur Syaza said that she was looking forward to attending lectures by global environmental experts.

“I think environmental awareness is really important as people still aren’t really aware about it. By going overseas for this programme, we will (hopefully) be expanding our knowledge about our environment and surroundings,” she said.

Meanwhile, Md Khairin expressed excitement about the programme, mentioning that it would be his first time going to Singapore.

According to a press statement, all the students were nominated to take part in the programme by the Ministry of Education (MoE). Besides being 13 to 15 years old and being active with school extra-curricular activities, the selected students had to be passionate about the environment, fluent in English, and possess good academic credentials, as well as excellent social and interpersonal skills.

The selected students will be expected to submit a report to the MOE upon their return.

Likewise, they are asked to share their knowledge and experiences with their respective schools.

Among the programme’s main objectives are to inspire, educate and build future champions of environmental protection, and to foster interaction and friendship among the participants coming from various countries.

According to education officer Marieah, this is the second time that Brunei has participated in the STEP-NUS Sunburst Environmental Programme.

The Brunei Times