BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI and Vietnam have agreed to implement several education projects over the next two years eyed to strengthen education ties and to bring mutual benefits between the two countries, the Ministry of Education (MoE) said in a released statement yesterday.

The agreement was sealed on Thursday during the inaugural Joint-Working Group meeting in Vietnam.

The proposed projects will include exchange programmes for both students and teachers; linkages and exchanges on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education; and the exchange of information and materials on education experience, teaching and learning.

The potential areas of cooperation and collaboration discussed were projects on English Language, Mathematics, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training, added the statement.

Brunei was represented by the Deputy Minister of Education, Yang Mulia Dato Seri Setia Hj Yusoff Hj Ismail, who co-chaired the meeting, and Vietnam was represented by the Vice Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam, Dr Bui Van Ga.

The meeting was the outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries in April last year, said the statement.

During the meeting, the deputy minister shared Brunei’s current education development, especially the transformation of the existing Technical and Vocational Education and Training into a newly established Institute Brunei Technical Education (IBTE).

IBTE, a system that builds on the educational foundation under the National Education System for the 21st Century (SPN21) and positioned as a new pathway in post-secondary education for school leaders, helps build a better educated and skilled workforce, said Dato Seri Setia Hj Yusoff.

It also aims to attract school leavers by equipping them the necessary skills to find jobs in industries, said the deputy minister.

Dato Seri Setia Hj Yusoff highlighted the current developments in the SPN21 where various programmes have been initiated to improve the education system in the country. This includes the progress made in areas of literacy and numeracy; leadership development; the whole school ICT development (WSID) in Brunei schools; the newly launched Brunei Teachers’ Standard (BTS) and others.

The Brunei delegation is comprised of the MoE Permanent Secretary for Core Education, Dr Hj Junaidi Haji Abd Rahman and education officers.

They also visited the Hanoi University of Industry and the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted organised by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training.

The Brunei Times