By Salawati Haji Yahya
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, SEPT 8 – His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Chancellor of the University of Technology Brunei (UTB) has agreed to go to the 12th UTB Convocation Ceremony , to celebrate a total of 670 graduates at the Plenary Hall, International Conference Center (ICC), Berakas, yesterday.
Leaving together, His Royal Highness His Royal Highness Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, Senior Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and UTB Pro-Chancellor.
The arrival of His Majesty and His Royal Highness was welcomed by the Minister of Education and Chairman of the UTB Council, Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh; UTB Vice Chancellor, Datin Paduka Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman and UTB Registrar and Secretary, Lim Chui Hua.
The UTB 2024 Convocation Ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Paduka Seri Utama Dato Paduka Seri Setia Haji Awang Salim bin Haji Besar.
The ceremony was graced with the recitation of the holy verses of the Al-Quran, namely Surah Al-An’am, verses 161 to 165 by a Master of Science (Research) graduate in Food Science and Technology, Hajah Wafiqah binti Haji Daim, while the essence of the verse was read by Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) graduate in Mechanical Engineering, Dayang Evy Surya Farhana binti Haji Ali-Bolkiah.
Datin Paduka Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah in his welcome prayer among others shared that one of the recipients of the Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering by Coursework, Lim Siew Yong, aged 80, has proven that lifelong learning takes place in the lives of individuals.
Of the number of graduates celebrated, 11 graduates received a Doctor of Philosophy Degree, nine Graduates received a Master’s Degree by Research, 103 graduated a Master’s Degree by Coursework and 547 graduated a Bachelor’s Degree.
The number of recipients this year increased, he explained, and this is because the three-year Bachelor’s Degree Program will receive their certificates for the first time, where 310 recipients are from the three-year program and 237 recipients are from the four-year program.
“The awarding of 15 new Bachelor’s Degree Programs, hopefully can meet the needs of the job market as intended,” he added.
Meanwhile, in support of the vision of becoming a Global University of the Future, UTB continues to strive to expand its international portfolio through strategic global collaboration.
These include membership in international consortia, active participation in academic networks, staff and student exchange programs, as well as the organization of conferences with prestigious external universities.
He further said, “Digital Marketing Transformation is also one of the main elements in strengthening UTB’s visibility on the world stage, in line with UTB’s global aspirations.
“The emphasis on the prominence of global brands is not only intended to attract international students and academic staff, but also to enrich the campus environment with cultural diversity, learning experiences and innovative thinking through research among UTB citizens,” he explained.
So far, UTB has produced a total of 5,141 BDTVEC National Highest Diploma graduates, 295 Level Five National Highest Diploma graduates, 3,364 Bachelor’s Degree graduates, 626 Master’s Degree graduates and 32 Doctor of Philosophy Degree graduates.
This year’s convocation is particularly meaningful as it marks the graduation of the last cohort from the four-year program and the first cohort from the newly introduced three-year program structure, which has been successfully implemented by UTB except for the Faculty of Engineering.
