By Salawati Haji Yahya
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 3 OCT – His Majesty the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has ordered the granting of Compassionate Leave during the school term in accordance with the guidelines and conditions set forth on January 1, 2025.
The granting of courtesy leave for the teachers is under the control of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to ensure that the well-being of the teachers is taken care of.
His Majesty gave the order in conjunction with the 34th Teacher’s Day Celebration Ceremony, Year 2024, at the International Conference Center, Berakas today.
According to His Majesty, in a learning environment geared towards new challenges, the well-being of teachers as the main driver of change must continue to be maintained, this aspect is important because it affects teachers’ careers.
The theme of this year’s Teacher’s Day celebration is Quality Teachers Driving Educational Transformationwhere this theme continues to focus on teachers as pillars and agents of change.
“Educational transformation is not limited to advanced technology and infrastructure alone, but is also of a larger nature than that, and this includes aspects of well-being for all,” emphasized His Majesty.
His Majesty also shared the transformation in the education system where Religious subjects have been integrated into the General Education system for Year 2 to Year 5 students.
“This change can contribute to a more optimal use of time in addition to expanding the scope of learning activities, not just limited to the classroom environment,” His Majesty said.
He added, such an approach can enrich students’ experiences through new contexts and thus stimulate their ability to adapt in an increasingly complex and challenging world.
“But it does not mean that religious education is neglected or considered less important. All relevant parties need to understand this”.
His Majesty in his order also touched on the preparation of students to face the challenges of life, which Brunei Darussalam has participated in an international assessment organized by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that is Program for Student Assessment (PISA) in 2022.
“There is an increase in achievement in all 3 scopes assessed, compared to PISA 2018 achievement. This good development is certainly the result of continuous support by the teachers in educating the children of Brunei,” said His Majesty.
This is proven by the findings from PISA where students in this country feel that their teachers are always ready to provide help or support, and this also proves how the teacher factor is one of the main contributors to student success.
In his message, His Majesty also thanked and congratulated the teachers for their concern, commitment, and sacrifice to the students in this country.
His Majesty said, the government will continue to commit to providing learning opportunities within and outside the state, through the various scholarships offered.
In addition to recommending that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs will streamline the government’s scholarship policy by opening up wider opportunities for the sake of human resource development, in line with the aim of strengthening a quality workforce.
At the end of the message, His Majesty wished Happy Teacher’s Day to all the teachers in this country, and may all their efforts and valuable contributions be rewarded manifold from Allah SWT.
“I also congratulate the recipients of the Teacher’s Day Award this year. Hopefully this award will be a source of inspiration and motivation for all teachers,” said His Majesty again.
