discoverFEATURE3100 Years of Formal Education2015 marks a significant milestone for Brunei Darussalam as it celebrates 100 years of formal education with a grand event held at the International Convention Centre, Berakas, in October. All national educational institutions from primary to tertiary level participated in an exhibition to showcase the evolution and transformation of education in Brunei Darussalam over the century.Formal education in Brunei began in 1914 with a Vernacular Malay School set up in a mosque in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan for only 30 male students. The focus of education then was to provide knowledge and the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic (3Rs). Subsequent years saw more schools being opened in Muara, Belait and Tutong districts.The Chinese community introduced their own school in 1916 and the first non-government English medium primary school opened in Seria in 1931. By the time the Second World War broke out in 1941, there were 32 vernacular schools of English, Malay and Chinese medium, with an enrolment of 1,746 students, of which 312 were girls.Education resumed after the war when in 1951, the Brunei Town Government English School was opened followed by the opening of a similar school in Kuala Belait a year later. Over three years, the Government was able to introduce English medium secondary education in the country. Malay medium secondary education was introduced in 1966.Brunei achieved full independence in 1984, which prompted an acceleration of reforms and development in the education system in Brunei. In an effort to streamline English and Malay medium schools, the Bilingual Education Policy was implemented in 1985 to ensure all Bruneian students are proficient in both languages.In 1985, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) became the first and only national university in the Sultanate. With only four faculties (Faculty of Science; Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences; Faculty of Management and Administrative Studies; and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education) in its early years, the university has since expanded to 10 academic faculties and eight research institutes, ranging from Islamic Studies, Business, Arts, Science, Health Sciences, Asian Studies, Policy Studies, Education, to Biodiversity and Integrated Technologies.The establishment of UBD led to a significant transformational step for Brunei’s formal education to have increased focus on relevance to industries. UBD is guided by its four core values - people, expertise, relevance and leadership - to produce graduates equipped with the relevant skills for their chosen professional industry. In the following years, the secondary school curriculum in Brunei also developed a more forward vision and grew more focused on the needs of the country, especially in producing human resource with the skills in areas such as science and technology.
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