Minister: Use of e-Hijrah strategy, ICT blueprint vital in education

THE Minister of Education stressed the importance of the use of e-Hijrah strategy and the blueprint for Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education across Brunei, a statement said yesterday.

During a special retreat and working session on refining the implementation stages of the e-Hijrah Strategy and Blueprint, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong, affirmed how e-Hijrah was enabling the migration to new ways of working with ICT across the ministry and within schools.

Pehin Dato Hj Abu Bakar said that he was pleased that the ministry had learned from the report on e-Government projects completed in 2008 on the critical importance of aligning ICT initiatives with strategic priorities.

"There's a need to continue focus on project and change management through the e-Hijrah Office of Programme Management (OPM) to overcome the complexity in implementing ICT," said the minister in the statement.

"Cooperation and team work across all the departments under the ministry is crucial for the success of e-Hijrah and I thank the senior officials for their release of personnel to the e-Hijrah OPM and their continued support of the initiative," he said.

E-Hijrah, the minister added, was providing both the framework and the processes to ensure that any ICT solutions developed were based on what was best and needed for Brunei in the long term rather than being vendor-driven.

The purpose of the two-day meetingwhich started yesterday, was to finalise and coordinate the planning and design of the 47 proposed initiatives associated with the e-Hijrah Strategy and Blueprint for ICT in education throughout the country.

Also present at the event were the deputy minister of education, permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries, head of departments and senior officers from the ministry.— Sally Piri

The Brunei Times