UBD observes culmination of its Silver Jubilee festivity

THE grand finale of Universiti Brunei Darussalam's (UBD) Silver Jubilee was held yesterday, marking a new milestone of its long journey since it opened its door for the first time to 176 students in October 28, 1985.

Gracing this historical moment was His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, UBD's Chancellor.

Also attending the ceremony were His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pg Anak Isteri Pg Anak Sarah, HRH Prince Hj 'Abdul 'Azim, HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik, HRH Princess Hjh Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah, HRH Princess Hjh Muta-Wakkilah Hayatul Bolkiah, HRH Princess Hjh Majeedah Nuurul Bolkiah, HRH Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bulqiah and HRH Princess Hjh Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the Surah Al-Fatihah by the State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Hj Abdul Aziz Juned.

This was followed with the recitation of the Surah Al-An 'Am verse 160-165 by Hj Muhammad Fikri Hj Metussin, a UBD alumni who also had participated in the national and regional level of Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran competition.

UBD Vice-Chancellor Dato Paduka Dr Hj Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi in his welcoming remarks said that for the past 25 years UBD has evolved into a teaching and research university. The programmes which offered by UBD, he added, have been modified to accommodate and relevant to the current condition and requirements.

He went on to say that the now on-going programmes known as GenNext, promote learning across disciplines, which provide opportunities for students to take courses in different areas and not just focus on one discipline. The lessons are designed in the form of design-centric learning and the experiential learning.

"All the changes are made to prepare the students with skills that they need in this 21st century, with innovative features based on the quality of leadership, entrepreneurship, and sensitivity to the environment," said the vice-chancellor, adding that UBD also gives attention to the importance of life-long learning programmes.

With regards to research, UBD has taken several steps to improve its research activity, such as the establishment of five research groups and 10 research clusters. Several institutions were developed such as Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC), e-Government Innovation Centre or eG.Inc, UBD IBM Centre, Institute of Asian Studies, and Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies. In addition, UBD also established the Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement or ILIA which leads to leadership development. He said that the main factor that has contributed to these developments and have raised the standard of the higher education was the quality of the academic staff.

UBD also provides the atmosphere of conducive learning for its students and staff, for example, the establishment of Centre for Students with Diverse Learning which provides facilities for students with special needs. UBD has an established office of safety, health and environment, he added.

At the ceremony eight academic and administration staff were presented with "Excellence Awards"' by His Majesty, as well as awards to five former UBD vice chancellors as tokens of appreciation. A poem titled "Kecemerlangan Universiti" (university of excellence) was read by Azmey Hj Othman, a student majoring in Education.

The vice-chancellor also presented a pesambah to His Majesty, before the monarch visited the exhibition which showcases the progress, achievements, future research plans and productivity of each faculty. His Majesty later launched the university's new research tech-front developed in partnership with multinational technology corporation IBM. It's a research facility that provides studies in weather, rainforests, climate change, renewable energy and crops.

The Brunei Times