Quality Education The Way Towards Sustainable Future
By Sonia K

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei Darussalam, and perhaps many other nations, must recognise a number of barriers and challenges if they are to be successful in achieving their goals for education for a sustainable future.

Minister of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib, said this in his keynote address on 'Quality Education for Brunei Darussalam: Challenges and Opportunities' during a Human Resource Development Roundtable 2007.

Organised by Asia Inc Forum Roundtable and held yesterday at the Empire Hotel and Country Club, the minister also briefly spoke about the general aspect of sustainability at the global level, its development and how this has an impact on sustainable development.

He also described where Brunei stands in terms of its strategies and development, particularly with regard to some of the key challenges it laces in inculcating early awareness and desirable habits among present and future generations on sustainable development.

He said the challenge of Education for a Sustainable Future (ESF) is to enable students to make choices that incorporate the essential principles and values of sustainability. "To do this, students need to be given opportunities to think and act according to the principles of sustainability. This process will contribute to their development as informed and responsible citizens who demonstrate and make decisions that reflect concern for the sustainability of this planet," said the minister.

The Pehin said Brunei supports the ideals of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (NDESD), which provides an opportunity to progress towards implementing universal quality education that fosters the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and values that lead to a more sustainable future.

"Quality education is at the heart of our strategic plan. We must work harder towards translating our desire for a sustainable future through our curriculum and our teaching in the schools. Our schools and higher institutions should be committed to and involved in special projects, such as the Heart of Borneo," the minister said.

"Here, the teachers and school leaders can become role models for promoting positive attitudes towards a healthy environment and sustainability for our natural resources. The teachers must not be perceived to just preach but must be seen to practise it," the Pehin added.

He also said that teaching children to understand and respect the environment and become committed to sustainability should not be confined to just within the school, it should be a wider community effort, beginning at home and including private or public partnerships, which are part and parcel of quality education for all.

"There are many competing demands on us in education, through our teaching and curriculum, to provide an effective education system that supports economic development, our nation's well being and for our young people to learn skills and knowledge to survive in a very competitive globalised world," he said.

Brunei has been working relentlessly in improving its education system and hopes to introduce a new education system for the 21st Century, which will he phased into our primary and secondary schools in the coming years, accompanied by new and revised examinations to measure achievement, he added.

The Ministry of Education is in the process of building more schools and institutions of higher learning, including technical and vocational institutions, as well as upgrading the existing institutions. "Our aim is to introduce greater flexibility in our system, provide children with more choices and multiple pathways towards higher education. Our vision is to provide an education towards a developed, peaceful and prosperous nation," he said.

Stakeholders such as parents, experts, teachers, school leaders and the community have told the ministry to focus on developing children that become part of a caring, ethical and resilient society; provide the human resource needs of a diversified economy; provide a wider choice of education; nurture well-rounded students; raise achievements; develop life-long learning skills, as well as prepare students with valuable and marketable skills.

The minister also highlighted some of the challenges that are facing Brunei's education to drive towards quality and excellence. They are: enhancing the quality of service providers, particularly schools, colleges and institutions of higher learning; increasing relevancy and more balanced curriculum that reflects present and future needs of society and young learners; improving schools, including the environment for teaching and learning, and involving more use of computers and modern technologies in the classroom; improving school leadership and providing financial autonomy to schools; and developing effective partnership with community and industry.

"I believe we can achieve all these if we work together, have adequate resources and are committed to our aims. This will require us to develop a professional, accountable and efficient organisation. Part of the ministry's drive for efficiency and professionalism is to improve teaching and learning through scholarship schemes, training programmes at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, and in-service programmes," he said.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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