By Nurdiyanah R. –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 3 OCT – The Ministry of Education is actively implementing the STEAM Skills and Education Program which is Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Education and Skills (SES) at all levels of education.
Accordingly, an SES guideline book for primary schools has been produced as a guide for implementing STEAM activities using a project-based and inquiry-based learning approach. The offering of Technology, Engineering and Art subjects as one of the core optional subjects at the upper secondary level has already been implemented at the beginning of this year.
The matter was shared by the Minister of Education, Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh while delivering a welcome prayer at the 34th Teacher’s Day Celebration Ceremony of 2024 at the Plenary Hall, International Conference Center (ICC), this morning.
Yang Berhormat Datin added that in an effort to educate school members, especially students to be more ethical, prudent and responsible in the use of technology and the digital world, the Ministry of Education has formed and launched Digital Citizenship Framework. At the higher education level, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) has published a book titled Policy and Guidelines on Generative Artificial Intelligence as a reference to other educational institutions.
Earlier, Yang Berhormat Datin offered a prayer of gratitude to Allah SWT and showed love to His Majesty His Majesty the Sultan and the Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for agreeing to go to the event which reflects His Majesty’s concern for the well-being of teachers and at the time the same is an encouragement for teachers to continue to work harder and with dedication in forming human capital and the next generation that will empower the development and progress of the country.
Yang Berhormat Datin also prayed that this year is the third year of the Teacher’s Day celebration with the theme of ‘Quality Teachers Driving Education Transformation’ where the theme allows the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (KHEU) to continuously focus their energy towards improving and transforming education. .
In the meantime, the Honorable Minister of Education also prayed that the development of the implementation of the integration of religious subjects in the general education system where the construction of a fixed curriculum for Islamic education subjects is being actively implemented with experts and related government agencies.
He added that professional development programs are also held continuously for teachers aimed at improving pedagogical skills and innovative teaching techniques. In terms of infrastructure, the Ministry of Education and KHEU will carry out continuous monitoring and improvement to ensure that the facilities provided create a comfortable and conducive learning environment for students.
Yang Berhormat Datin also prayed that starting January 1, 2024, the enforcement of the Compulsory Education Act has required all citizens of Brunei Darussalam who are five years old to enter school.
He said, it aims to strengthen early childhood education from the perspective of children’s cognitive ability, social and emotional aspects and now a total of 6,092 five-year-old students have registered in government and private schools.
“Alhamdulillah, Brunei Darussalam’s participation in The OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2022, the results of which will be released at the end of 2023, has shown a very significant improvement in the three domains of Reading, Mathematics and Science compared to PISA 2018. This increase shows how hard the teachers have worked in improving student achievement. Parents also play an important role in providing support and encouragement to their children,” said Yang Berhormat Datin.
In addition, the Ministry of Education also gives emphasis to other aspects in the effort to form outstanding individuals holistically.
“Alhamdulillah, the year 2023 will be the first year of the implementation of Al-Quran subjects using the fixed curriculum in full for all three levels, namely Year 9, 10 and 11. Within three years of its implementation, there has been an increase of 20 percent among students who reach the category Alif and Ba, which are students who are able to read the Al-Quran fluently, fluently and with tajwid,” he explained.
Touching on the field of sports, Yang Berhormat Datin prayed that the Ministry of Education will continue to develop the potential and talent of students by giving them exposure through participation in competitions at the school, national and international levels.
While in terms of technology, innovation and skills, he added, student participation in the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) 2024 has recorded the highest number since it was introduced. At the regional and international level, the students have successfully won several competitions.
“On this occasion, congratulations are extended to the recipients of the 34th Teacher’s Day Award for 2024. A word of thanks is also addressed to every person who holds the title of teacher in Brunei Darussalam whether in the government or private sector at all levels of education , for their contribution of energy, devotion and dedication in educating the nation’s children. For the retired teachers, their services and contributions will always be remembered. Thank you teacher!,” said Yang Berhormat Datin.
