A proud day for 996 UBD graduates
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
IT WAS a glorious day for 996 graduates from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) when they received their well-deserved Masters, Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates at the 19th convocation ceremony yesterday.
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang-Di Pertuan of Brunei, UBD's Chancellor, consented to present the certificates to 675 recipients in the morning, while His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, consented to award certificates to the remaining 321 graduates in the afternoon.
Based on their contributions to UBD in the aspects of academic development, their services and leadership towards nation building, Honorary Doctorate Letters were awarded to the State Mufti, Pehin Dato Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, and the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Awang Abu Bakar Hj Apong.
Graduates were advised to arrive as early as half past six to prepare themselves at UBD's Chancellor Hall.
UBD's 19th convocation ceremony started with a procession of graduates from the various disciplines and programmes, followed by one with the lecturers. The ceremony proceeded with the 'Bentara', a man carrying a large al-Quran above his head as a symbol of truth and knowledge, with His Majesty, and His Royal Highness participating in the procession. The Vice Chancellor, Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail Hj Duraman, announced in his opening speech that Masters in Primary Health Care awarded in the past by St George's University in London would be awarded by UBD for the first time through its Institute of Medicine.
He also announced that the Accounting and Finance programme has become a full-fledged programme in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies and has recently received accreditation from the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) UK.
"The recognition shows how much UBD has grown and at the same time uplifts its image and quality," he said.
The Vice Chancellor said that the Postgraduate and Research Unit are continually conducting postgraduate programmes that are being well received in the community. "It gives out a positive picture of the blossoming minds of the community that realises the importance of education," he added.
"At the same time, seeking relevant knowledge is now seen as an investment for the future and that being highly qualified at a young age proves to be an advantage in the context of developing the country".
Dato Paduka Dr Awang Hj Ismail also mentioned that even though levels of research are increasing, it is still in small amounts and scope due to limited funding. "This year's allocation for research and development budget shows how important research is as an ingredient in the country's development," he said. "This is a good sign and it should inject the academics of UBD with the spirit to do more research".
Consenting to present the certificates to the 321 graduates in the afternoon was His Royal Highness, Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Out of the 321 graduates, 90 were males and 231 were females. 25 graduated with distinctions, 178 with credit and 118 passes.
The Brunei Times
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang-Di Pertuan of Brunei, UBD's Chancellor, consented to present the certificates to 675 recipients in the morning, while His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, consented to award certificates to the remaining 321 graduates in the afternoon.
Based on their contributions to UBD in the aspects of academic development, their services and leadership towards nation building, Honorary Doctorate Letters were awarded to the State Mufti, Pehin Dato Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, and the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Awang Abu Bakar Hj Apong.
Graduates were advised to arrive as early as half past six to prepare themselves at UBD's Chancellor Hall.
UBD's 19th convocation ceremony started with a procession of graduates from the various disciplines and programmes, followed by one with the lecturers. The ceremony proceeded with the 'Bentara', a man carrying a large al-Quran above his head as a symbol of truth and knowledge, with His Majesty, and His Royal Highness participating in the procession. The Vice Chancellor, Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail Hj Duraman, announced in his opening speech that Masters in Primary Health Care awarded in the past by St George's University in London would be awarded by UBD for the first time through its Institute of Medicine.
He also announced that the Accounting and Finance programme has become a full-fledged programme in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies and has recently received accreditation from the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) UK.
"The recognition shows how much UBD has grown and at the same time uplifts its image and quality," he said.
The Vice Chancellor said that the Postgraduate and Research Unit are continually conducting postgraduate programmes that are being well received in the community. "It gives out a positive picture of the blossoming minds of the community that realises the importance of education," he added.
"At the same time, seeking relevant knowledge is now seen as an investment for the future and that being highly qualified at a young age proves to be an advantage in the context of developing the country".
Dato Paduka Dr Awang Hj Ismail also mentioned that even though levels of research are increasing, it is still in small amounts and scope due to limited funding. "This year's allocation for research and development budget shows how important research is as an ingredient in the country's development," he said. "This is a good sign and it should inject the academics of UBD with the spirit to do more research".
Consenting to present the certificates to the 321 graduates in the afternoon was His Royal Highness, Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Out of the 321 graduates, 90 were males and 231 were females. 25 graduated with distinctions, 178 with credit and 118 passes.
The Brunei Times
Business Besides Oil
