BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah will send Sultan’s Scholars graduates to Singapore and learn about good governance, as part of a new programme to shape the nation’s brightest graduates into leaders.

In a briefing with local media, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) Assistant Managing Director Hjh Donnaliza Abdullah Puasa said the new professional development programme aimed to equip graduates of the prestigious scholarship with the knowledge and experience to lead Brunei to greater heights.

As part of the inaugural programme, nine graduates will depart to Singapore on Sunday for an internship at the city-state’s Public Service Division.

Hjh Donnaliza explained the three-day internship will involve visits to various ministries to enable recipients of the Sultan’s Scholars to gain a better understanding of key issues in the Singaporean model of good governance.

“This is going to be a learning journey for our Sultan’s Scholars, giving them a real-life example of how public service is being delivered successfully,” she said at the YSHHB Complex.

Prior to their internship abroad, the graduates together with other recipients will also take part in a two-day leadership and team-building trip to Temburong as well as attend briefings delivered by government agencies.

The assistant managing director added the professional development programme will be effective and useful in grooming Brunei’s top graduates.

“They can use the experience when they move on to public service.

“Importantly, I am sending this message to students that we are paying a lot of money to run this programme. It is an opportunity for them to gain the skills and knowledge to be valuable Sultan’s Scholars,” she said.

A total of 36 recipients have been awarded scholarships since the scheme was introduced in 2006.

The Sultan’s Scholar is one of the most prestigious scholarships offered in the sultanate.

It is granted to selected students who achieve excellent results in their academic studies and were active in extra-curricular activities as well as community work.

The Brunei Times