Brunei-Oman keen on educational exchanges
Education opportunities: Brunei's education minister, Pehin Dato Hj Abdul Rahman with Dr Rawya Saud Al Busaidi (R), Omani Minister of Higher Education, during the question and answer session at the Institute Technology Brunei, yesterday. Picture: Dewi Mohd Sofri
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
THE Omani Minister of Higher Education, who was in the country on a a three-day working visit, yesterday went to Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) to learn more about the institute, its programmes and qualification requirements.
Dr Rawya Saud Al-Busaidi's arrival at the institute was greeted by the Brunei's Education Minister, Pehin Orang Kaya Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Dato Setia Hj Mohd Taib and other senior ranking officers from the ministry as well as ITB.
At the conference room, ITB Director Dr Hj Kassim Hj Daud welcomed the Omani minister to the institute and expressed their pleasure and honour at hosting her working visit there.
A power point presentation was then given by the Acting Assistant Registrar, Dk Ida Nurul-Fitri Al-Busaidi centered on the brief history of the school's establishment, facilities, school population statistics and existing programmes offered.
She also mentioned several other courses in the pipeline that the institute is planning to introduce in the near future.
Dr Rawya, who is keen on the prospect of sending Omani students to Brunei for further studies and vice versa, was very concerned about ITB's entry requirements.
She requested for the institute to have a clear distinction on the certificates that are deemed equivalent to 'A' levels to ensure the equivalence to the certificate that they offer, since Omani students do not sit for the Cambridge exams.
Apart from that, Dr Rawya appeared to be quite pleased with the information gathered from the briefing.
The visiting group was later taken on a tour of the school's Network Engineering Section and the laboratories where the minister observed first-hand the facilities and the range of equipment available for the students, who are mostly practical-oriented.
The last item of the itinerary was a group photo session with the senior officers of the school and a luncheon.
Dr Rawya spent the afternoon at the Royal Regalia Museum in the capital before departing the sultanate yesterday.
The previous day, she visited Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (Unissa) after signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Education between the two countries.
The Omani higher education system is provided by its only public university, the Sultan Qaboos University, founded in 1986.
Prior to its establishment, the government sent students to pursue higher education studies in neighbouring Arab countries such as UAE, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt, as well as to UK and America.
Education in Oman is provided free of charge up to the end of secondary education, although attendance is not mandatory at any level.
The Brunei Times
Dr Rawya Saud Al-Busaidi's arrival at the institute was greeted by the Brunei's Education Minister, Pehin Orang Kaya Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Dato Setia Hj Mohd Taib and other senior ranking officers from the ministry as well as ITB.
At the conference room, ITB Director Dr Hj Kassim Hj Daud welcomed the Omani minister to the institute and expressed their pleasure and honour at hosting her working visit there.
A power point presentation was then given by the Acting Assistant Registrar, Dk Ida Nurul-Fitri Al-Busaidi centered on the brief history of the school's establishment, facilities, school population statistics and existing programmes offered.
She also mentioned several other courses in the pipeline that the institute is planning to introduce in the near future.
Dr Rawya, who is keen on the prospect of sending Omani students to Brunei for further studies and vice versa, was very concerned about ITB's entry requirements.
She requested for the institute to have a clear distinction on the certificates that are deemed equivalent to 'A' levels to ensure the equivalence to the certificate that they offer, since Omani students do not sit for the Cambridge exams.
Apart from that, Dr Rawya appeared to be quite pleased with the information gathered from the briefing.
The visiting group was later taken on a tour of the school's Network Engineering Section and the laboratories where the minister observed first-hand the facilities and the range of equipment available for the students, who are mostly practical-oriented.
The last item of the itinerary was a group photo session with the senior officers of the school and a luncheon.
Dr Rawya spent the afternoon at the Royal Regalia Museum in the capital before departing the sultanate yesterday.
The previous day, she visited Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (Unissa) after signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Education between the two countries.
The Omani higher education system is provided by its only public university, the Sultan Qaboos University, founded in 1986.
Prior to its establishment, the government sent students to pursue higher education studies in neighbouring Arab countries such as UAE, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt, as well as to UK and America.
Education in Oman is provided free of charge up to the end of secondary education, although attendance is not mandatory at any level.
The Brunei Times
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