Students vie for $200 grant from 'BigStart' business competition

FIVE out of 14 participating schools will be selected for a $200 grant in the coming weeks for a two-month business project.

In an effort to expose entreprenurship among secondary and college students, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) and the co-curriculum department, Minister of Education (MoE) through their skills and entrepreneurship division organised the 2012 'BigStart' competition.

Twelve out of the 14 schools stated to be participating presented their projects yesterday at the co-curricular department in Kg Lambak Kanan to a panel of judges from Brunei's business sector, including the Brunei Industrial Development Authority (BINA) and Livewire, as well as judges from the MoE.

Representatives from each team were grilled on various aspects of their project, including cash flow, operational matters as well as their marketing strategies and targets. They were also given some advice by the panel of judges on how they can proceed with their business plan, whether or not they would be one of the five to receive the start-up capital.

In information issued to the press, some of other goals listed for the event include encouraging teamwork and discipline as well as character building and socialisation between students.

It also noted that it hoped to establish dynamic thinking among students about entrepreneurship as well as to give the students a first step of how to handle a transaction. It also serves as a medium of education for entrepreneurship.

Nurqamalina Hj Sahminan, a Year 11 student at PIHM Secondary School in Serasa, Brunei-Muara, said that she had been making puddings for a number of years now, which were well received by friends and family.

Some had suggested to her to sell her puddings.

She said she had found the question-and-answer session quite calming, and did not feel the pressure she had expected. She believed she had answered the questions from the judges well, and now only hoped that her team would be chosen.

Feenadeiah Rusmi, a student from PAP Hjh Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah in Belait, represented her team along with two others for their project presentation on their confectionery business, focused on cupcakes.

She said that she was excited as well as nervous to be able to finally present their proposal, stating that they had worked on it for about two weeks.

She also hoped that they would be chosen as one of the top five, but said that the experience itself had been great for them, "stimulating their entrepreneurial spirit ".

She also said she hoped that Brunei would be able to host more of such contests. Koo Jin Shen

The Brunei Times