BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Minister of Education yesterday urged students to be more prepared for the challenges or crises that the country may face in the future.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Awg Abu Bakar Hj Apong made the call in an address to students of the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) at the university’s auditorium.

YB Pehin Dato Haji Awang Abu Bakar said one way to be prepared is to seek knowledge from a variety ofsources, besides just books, as it will allow the students to have the right skills and attitude to help the country grow against the challenges of the changing globalised world.

He called on the students to be adept in the fast changing Information and Communication Technology as new job opportunities may still arise from such industry in the future.

For the country’s education sector, the minister said that its mission is not only to produce quality graduates, such as lawyers, but ones who can withstand uncertainties or new jobs that may take shape in the future.

“I emphasised that this is important because the education sector, particularly the higher education institutions in the country, faces ‘VUCA’,” he said.

He was referring to the military term that stands for “volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous”.

“That is why the budget for education approved during the recent Legislative Council (LegCo) amounted to $6 billion, which will focus on developing the human capital of Brunei,” he added.

YB Pehin Dato Haji Awang Abu Bakar said the budgetary allocation for education demonstrates the government’s efforts to further develop the country’s human capital.

Besides urging students to be prepared, the minister also explained the SPN21 curriculum, which seeks to create well-rounded students not only through academics but also through co-curricular activities.

The minister’s talk was titled “Producing a Visionary Generation Through Education Based on Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB): The Roles of Higher Education Institution.”

The Brunei Times