Brunei-S'pore meet to strengthen education ties
Dialogue: Permanent Secretary of Education, Dato Paduka Sheikh Adnan Sheikh Mohamed (C) chairing the Second Joint Working Group Meeting between Brunei and Singapore's education ministries. Picture: Syafie Nadi
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
BRUNEI'S Ministry of Education hosted the two-day Second Joint Working Group Meeting with its Singapore counterpart yesterday at the ministry headquarters in Berakas.
The meeting was chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Dato Paduka Sheikh Adnan Sheikh Mohamed. The delegation from Brunei included the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Director General of Education and other directors under the ministry.
Singapore's Permanent Secretary of Education, Tan Ching Yee, led visiting delegation, which included the director general of education and directors of schools, curriculum planning and development and planning.
The meeting was aimed at promoting exchanges in the field of education, to consolidate and strengthen those exchanges and cooperation between Brunei and Singapore as proposed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2006 between the governments of Brunei and Singapore. The first meeting was hosted by Singapore in July that same year.
The two-day meeting will focus on the recent development in education in both countries, review the progress of the action plans of the last meeting and discuss proposed activities and programmes for 2008.
During the meeting, Brunei's Director of Planning, Research and Development shared the sultanate's current progress, particularly with the new National Education System for the 21st Century (SPN21).
Meanwhile Singapore's Director of Planning shared their developments and recent reforms in education, specifically in areas of school management, English language and technical education. Though both nations have distinct differences in various aspects of education, both agreed that a major issue that needs tackling is the problem with students who lack communication proficiency, despite their English language abilities and excellent performance in examinations.
Singapore's Permanent Secretary Tan Ching Yee expressed the ministry's willingness to extend future programmes to even more participants, following the successes experienced so far.
Since the MoU was signed in 2006, 11 of the proposed programmes have been successfully organised, bringing exchanges between students, teachers and ministry officers from both countries.
In May 2006, three primary schools and four secondary schools were involved in school twinning programmes with their respective joint projects and sharing of their best practices.
For the Closing Ceremony of the Singapore Youth Festival 2006 held on July 28, 2006, Brunei sent a dance group made up of 10 students.
At a uniformed group national camp from August 10 to 13, 2006, another 20 students and two teachers participated.
At the Inaugural Singapore-Brunei Student Leaders Adventure Camp from November 12 to 16, 2007, another 20 students and four teachers were sent to Singapore.
From June 25 to July 27, 2007, four English language teachers were sent to various schools for attachment and secondment.
The Leaders in Education Programme (LEP) conducted by National Institute of Education (NIE) saw four Bruneian principals and headmasters go through a nine-month long course that started in January 2007.
For 2008, another four educators are being sent.
A total of six other principals, deputy principals and headmasters were invited to a two-week long International Leaders in Education Programme (ILEP) also conducted by NIE since 2006.
Singapore's Ministry of Education has also brought in assistance and consultancy in areas of ICT, Planning and Research, and Curriculum. One student is currently studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS) High School under Brunei Government Scholarship since January 2007 and recently an additional five were recently selected to follow in her footsteps starting January this year.
Participants at the meeting will visit the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) College and the Nakhoda Ragam Vocational School.
The Brunei Times
The meeting was chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Dato Paduka Sheikh Adnan Sheikh Mohamed. The delegation from Brunei included the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Director General of Education and other directors under the ministry.
Singapore's Permanent Secretary of Education, Tan Ching Yee, led visiting delegation, which included the director general of education and directors of schools, curriculum planning and development and planning.
The meeting was aimed at promoting exchanges in the field of education, to consolidate and strengthen those exchanges and cooperation between Brunei and Singapore as proposed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2006 between the governments of Brunei and Singapore. The first meeting was hosted by Singapore in July that same year.
The two-day meeting will focus on the recent development in education in both countries, review the progress of the action plans of the last meeting and discuss proposed activities and programmes for 2008.
During the meeting, Brunei's Director of Planning, Research and Development shared the sultanate's current progress, particularly with the new National Education System for the 21st Century (SPN21).
Meanwhile Singapore's Director of Planning shared their developments and recent reforms in education, specifically in areas of school management, English language and technical education. Though both nations have distinct differences in various aspects of education, both agreed that a major issue that needs tackling is the problem with students who lack communication proficiency, despite their English language abilities and excellent performance in examinations.
Singapore's Permanent Secretary Tan Ching Yee expressed the ministry's willingness to extend future programmes to even more participants, following the successes experienced so far.
Since the MoU was signed in 2006, 11 of the proposed programmes have been successfully organised, bringing exchanges between students, teachers and ministry officers from both countries.
In May 2006, three primary schools and four secondary schools were involved in school twinning programmes with their respective joint projects and sharing of their best practices.
For the Closing Ceremony of the Singapore Youth Festival 2006 held on July 28, 2006, Brunei sent a dance group made up of 10 students.
At a uniformed group national camp from August 10 to 13, 2006, another 20 students and two teachers participated.
At the Inaugural Singapore-Brunei Student Leaders Adventure Camp from November 12 to 16, 2007, another 20 students and four teachers were sent to Singapore.
From June 25 to July 27, 2007, four English language teachers were sent to various schools for attachment and secondment.
The Leaders in Education Programme (LEP) conducted by National Institute of Education (NIE) saw four Bruneian principals and headmasters go through a nine-month long course that started in January 2007.
For 2008, another four educators are being sent.
A total of six other principals, deputy principals and headmasters were invited to a two-week long International Leaders in Education Programme (ILEP) also conducted by NIE since 2006.
Singapore's Ministry of Education has also brought in assistance and consultancy in areas of ICT, Planning and Research, and Curriculum. One student is currently studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS) High School under Brunei Government Scholarship since January 2007 and recently an additional five were recently selected to follow in her footsteps starting January this year.
Participants at the meeting will visit the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) College and the Nakhoda Ragam Vocational School.
The Brunei Times
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