BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

MORE Bruneians have chosen the United States to further their education, the US ambassador to Brunei said.

Craig B Allen said there are currently about 130 Bruneian students pursuing higher education in the US, with numbers increasing for the past few years.

In an interview on the sidelines of the SCOT Run 2K15 last Sunday, he said Americans are also encouraged to study in Brunei.

The number of Americans studying here is not large, but the number will increase, said Allen.

“The ones we’ve spoken to are having a good education and also having a good time making friends and knowing the culture.

“Learning in Southeast Asia is beneficial to the students, Brunei is one of the dynamic places in this region. We welcome and encourage American students studying here as well,” he added.

The ambassador said it was important for both countries to utilise education as another way to strengthen bilateral ties.

“Relations between US and Brunei are really excellent and have a long relationship since 170 years ago. We hope it will get stronger especially through education,” he continued.

The ambassador said the US has a large education sector with about 3,000 universities offering courses ranging from cooking, technical fields to “everything in between”.

“Our schools are very international with a large percentage of the best schools and Bruneians should strive for the best. It doesn’t get better than Harvard, MIT and Stanford,” he added.

The envoy, who has been in Brunei for two months, went on to say that there are more than 300 Americans residing in Brunei, with most of them working in the oil and gas industry and as teachers.

The Brunei Times